103rd New York State Legislature explained

Number:103rd
Start:January 1
End:December 31, 1880
Vp:Lt. Gov. George G. Hoskins (R)
Pro Tem:William H. Robertson (R)
Speaker:George H. Sharpe (R)
Senators:32
Reps:128
S-Majority:Republican (25-7)
H-Majority:Republican (93-35)
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:January 6
Sessionend1:May 27, 1880
Previous:102nd
Next:104th

The 103rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 27, 1880, during the 1st year of Alonzo B. Cornell's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (seven districts) and Kings County (three districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,[1] forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

On April 23, 1879, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts; and the Assembly seats per county. Columbia, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Ontario and Oswego counties lost one seat each; Kings and New York counties gained three seats each.[2]

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Tammany Hall Boss John Kelly engaged in a fierce struggle against the Democratic majority led by Samuel J. Tilden and Lucius Robinson, and ran as a "spoiler candidate" to defeat Gov. Robinson who ran for re-election.

The Prohibition Party, the Greenback Party, the Socialist Labor Party of America, the "Working Men" and the "Jeffersonian Democrats" also nominated tickets.

Elections

The New York state election, 1879 was held on November 4. Republicans Alonzo B. Cornell and George G. Hoskins were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Of the other five statewide elective office up for election, four were carried by the Republicans, and one by a Democrat. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republican 419,000; Democratic 376,000; Tammany Hall 78,000; Greenback 20,000; and Prohibition 4,500.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1880; and adjourned on May 27.

George H. Sharpe (R) was elected Speaker with 90 votes against 33 for John Shanley (D).

William H. Robertson was re-elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.

On April 6, the Legislature re-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Neil Gilmour to a third term of three years.[3]

State Senate

Districts

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Jacob Seebacher, Ferdinand Eidman, Robert H. Strahan and Waters W. Braman changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

DistrictSenatorPartyNotes
1stJohn BirdsallRepublican
2ndWilliam H. MurthaDemocrat
3rdFrederick A. SchroederRepublican
4thJohn C. JacobsDemocratre-elected
5thEdward HoganDemocratre-elected
6thJacob SeebacherDemocrat
7thFerdinand EidmanRepublican
8thRobert H. StrahanRepublicanunsuccessfully contested by John W. Browning (D)
9thFrancis M. BixbyDemocrat
10thWilliam W. AstorRepublican
11thGeorge H. ForsterRepublican
12thWilliam H. RobertsonRepublicanre-elected; re-elected President pro tempore
13thEdward M. MaddenRepublican
14thCharles A. FowlerDemocrat
15thStephen H. WendoverRepublicanre-elected
16thIsaac V. Baker Jr.Republican
17thWaters W. BramanRepublican
18thWebster WagnerRepublicanre-elected
19thWilliam W. RockwellRepublicanre-elected
20thDolphus S. LyndeRepublicanre-elected
21stBradley WinslowRepublican
22ndJames StevensDemocrat
23rdAlbert M. MillsRepublican
24thEdwin G. HalbertRepublicanre-elected
25thDennis McCarthyRepublicanre-elected
26thWilliam B. WoodinRepublican
27thIra DavenportRepublicanre-elected
28thGeorge P. LordRepublican
29thEdmund L. PittsRepublican
30thJames H. LoomisRepublicanre-elected
31stBenjamin H. WilliamsRepublican
32ndLoren B. SessionsRepublicanre-elected; also Supervisor of the Town of Harmony

Employees

State Assembly

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.

DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
Albany1stWilliam H. SlingerlandRepublican
2ndHiram GriggsRepublican
3rdIgnatius WileyDemocrat
4thJoseph HynesDemocratcontested; seat vacated on March 11
Thomas LiddleRepublicanseated on March 11[4]
AlleganySamuel H. MorganRepublican
BroomeAlexander E. AndrewsRepublican
Cattaraugus1stZenas G. BullockRepublican
2ndJoseph M. CongdonRepublican
Cayuga1stHarvey D. FerrisRepublican
2ndHector H. TuthillRepublican
Chautauqua1stCharles P. IngersollRepublican
2ndSmith ClarkRepublican
ChemungHenry C. HoffmanDemocrat
ChenangoOscar H. CurtisRepublican
ClintonWilliam P. MooersRepublican
ColumbiaJohn Elbert GilletteRepublican
CortlandSamuel A. ChildsRepublican
DelawareRobert BeatesRepublican
Dutchess1stIsaac S. CarpenterRepublican
2ndCornelius PitcherRepublican
Erie1stJules O'BrienRepublicanunsuccessfully contested by John McLaughlin
2ndFrank SippRepublican
3rdJames AshRepublican
4thJames A. RobertsRepublican
5thHarvey J. HurdRepublican
EssexWarren French WestonRepublican
FranklinWilliam D. BrennanRepublican
Fulton and HamiltonDavid A. WellsRepublican
GeneseeJohn SandersRepublican
GreeneAlbert ParkerDemocrat
HerkimerWilliam D. GorslineRepublican
Jefferson1stCharles R. SkinnerRepublican
2ndJohn D. EllisDemocrat
Kings1stJohn ShanleyDemocrat
2ndJohn McTernanDemocrat
3rdLawrence J. TormeyDemocrat
4thJohn M. ClancyDemocrat
5thThomas J. SheridanDemocrat
6thPatrick J. TullyDemocrat
7thGeorge WrenRepublican
8thDavid LindsayRepublican
9thCharles H. RussellRepublican
10thRichard J. NewmanDemocrat
11thDaniel W. TallmadgeRepublican
12thErastus D. BenedictDemocrat
LewisCharles A. ChickeringRepublican
LivingstonArchibald KennedyRepublican
MadisonGerrit Smith MillerRepublican
Monroe1stGeorge Le Grand SeeleyRepublican
2ndCharles S. BakerRepublican
3rdFrederick P. RootRepublican
MontgomeryJohn WarnerRepublican
New York1stJames FitzgeraldDemocrat
2ndThomas P. WalshDemocrat
3rdGeorge P. GibbsDemocrat
4thJohn Henry McCarthyDemocrat
5thWarren C. BennettDemocrat
6thPatrick O'ConnorDemocrat
7thIsaac Israel HayesRepublican
8thJohn E. BrodskyRepublican
9thGeorge B. Deane, Sr.Republican
10thEdward GrosseRepublican
11thJames M. VarnumRepublican
12thLouis CohenDemocrat
13thCharles Holland DuellRepublican
14thJames J. CostelloDemocrat
15thMichael J. DoughertyDemocrat
16thEdward P. HaganDemocrat
17thFrank P. TreanorDemocrat
18thWilliam CushingDemocrat
19thJoseph J. McAvoyDemocrat
20thFrederick Thilemann Jr.Democrat
21stEdward MitchellRepublican
22ndJohn T. McDonaldDemocrat
23rdNathaniel B. TerpenyDemocrat
24thJames L. WellsRepublicanpreviously a member from Westchester Co.
Niagara1stThomas N. Van ValkenburghRepublican
2ndJames LowRepublican
Oneida1stHenry J. CookinhamRepublican
2ndJames A. DouglassRepublican
3rdDavid GrayRepublican
Onondaga1stThomas G. AlvordRepublican
2ndAlbert HowlandRepublican
3rdHenry L. DuguidRepublican
OntarioCharles R. CaseRepublican
Orange1stMorgan ShuitRepublican
2ndJames E. WaterburyRepublican
OrleansMarcus H. PhillipsRepublican
Oswego1stPatrick W. CullinanRepublican
2ndWilliam H. SteeleRepublican
Otsego1stAzro ChaseRepublican
2ndNathan BridgesRepublican
PutnamGeorge McCabeRepublican
Queens1stWilliam J. YoungsRepublican
2ndB. Valentine ClowesRepublican
Rensselaer1stLa Mott W. Rhodes[5] Democrat
2ndAlbert C. ComstockRepublican
3rdBarnis C. StraitDemocrat
RichmondOliver FiskeRepublican
RocklandJames W. HustedRepublican
St. Lawrence1stDaniel PeckRepublican
2ndWorth ChamberlainRepublican
3rdEbenezer S. CrapserRepublican
Saratoga1stBenjamin F. BakerRepublican
2ndDelcour S. PotterRepublican
SchenectadyArthur D. MeadDemocrat
SchoharieRobert Grant HavensDemocrat
SchuylerLewis BeachRepublican
SenecaDavid H. EvansRepublican
Steuben1stJohn W. DavisRepublican
2ndRussell M. TuttleRepublican
SuffolkEverett A. CarpenterRepublican
SullivanAlpheus PottsRepublican
TiogaEdward G. NowlanRepublican
TompkinsCharles M. TitusRepublican
Ulster1stGeorge H. SharpeRepublicanelected Speaker
2ndPeter D. LefeverRepublican
3rdThomas E. BenedictDemocrat
WarrenHenry P. GwinupDemocrat
Washington1stHiram SissonRepublican
2ndGeorge L. TerryRepublican
Wayne1stAlfred P. CraftsRepublican
2ndJefferson ShermanRepublican
Westchester1stDavid Ogden Bradley Republican
2ndWilliam H. CatlinDemocrat
3rdDavid W. TravisRepublican
WyomingOrange L. TozierRepublican
YatesAsa P. FishRepublican

Employees

Notes

  1. Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts.
  2. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1879/04/21/80749107.pdf THE APPORTIONMENT BILL
  3. https://archive.org/stream/journalassembly21assegoog#page/n763/mode/1up Journal of the Assembly
  4. see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 589–595)
  5. La Mott W. Rhodes, of Troy, died March 1, 1890, in St. Helena, California
  6. David Ogden Bradley (born 1827), son of Henry Bradley, the Liberty Party candidate for Governor at the New York state election, 1846

Sources

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