85th New York State Legislature
| 85th New York State Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 The Old State Capitol (1879) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | January 1 – December 31, 1862 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 32 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. Robert Campbell (R) | ||||
| Temporary President | James A. Bell (U), from February 11 | ||||
| Party control | Union (25-7) | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 128 | ||||
| Speaker | Henry J. Raymond (U) | ||||
| Party control | Union (90-38) | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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The 85th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to April 23, 1862, during the fourth year of Edwin D. Morgan's governorship, in Albany.
Background[edit]
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 (four districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats split over the civil war issue. The War Democrats nominated an "Independent People's" ticket which was almost completely endorsed by the Republicans, and became known as the Union ticket; the rump Democratic Party, favoring a compromise with the South and later known as Copperheads, nominated an opposing ticket. In New York City the Democrats were split into two factions: Tammany Hall and Mozart Hall.
Elections[edit]
The New York state election, 1861 was held on November 5. Of the nine statewide elective offices up for election, eight were carried by Union men, and one by a Democrat. The approximate party strength at this election, as gathered from the vote for Secretary of State and the short-term Canal Commissioner was: Democrats 190,000; Republicans 180,000; and War Democrats 117,000.
Sessions[edit]
The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1862; and adjourned on April 23.
Henry J. Raymond (U) was elected again Speaker with 88 votes against 36 for Horatio Seymour (D).
On January 30, the Legislature elected Victor M. Rice to succeed Henry H. Van Dyck as Superintendent of Public Instruction.
On February 11, James A. Bell was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.
State Senate[edit]
Districts[edit]
- 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
- 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th and 19th wards of the City of Brooklyn
- 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
- 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 14th wards of New York City
- 5th District: 10th, 11th, 13th and 17th wards of New York City
- 6th District: 9th, 15th, 16th and 18th wards of New York City
- 7th District: 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd wards of New York City
- 8th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
- 9th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
- 10th District: Greene and Ulster counties
- 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
- 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
- 13th District: Albany County
- 14th District: Delaware, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
- 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Saratoga counties
- 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
- 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
- 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
- 19th District: Oneida County
- 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
- 21st District: Oswego County
- 22nd District: Onondaga County
- 23rd District: Chenango, Cortland and Madison counties
- 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
- 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
- 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
- 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
- 28th District: Monroe County
- 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
- 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
- 31st District: Erie County
- 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
Members[edit]
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Richard B. Connolly, Hezekiah D. Robertson, Joseph H. Ramsey, Charles C. Montgomery, James A. Bell, Allen Munroe and Lyman Truman were re-elected. Christian B. Woodruff, Richard K. Sanford and Wilkes Angel changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Party affiliations as published by the New York Tribune;[1] those marked "Republican" were elected in opposition to "Union" candidates. Senate officers and a Regent of USNY were elected without opposition.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Monroe Henderson | Union | due to ill health, absent from January 31 |
| 2nd | Jesse C. Smith | Union | |
| 3rd | Henry C. Murphy | Fusion | elected unopposed |
| 4th | Christian B. Woodruff* | Democrat | |
| 5th | Charles G. Cornell | Democrat | from December 3, 1862, also New York City Street Commissioner |
| 6th | John J. Bradley | Democrat | |
| 7th | Richard B. Connolly* | Democrat | |
| 8th | Hezekiah D. Robertson* | Union | |
| 9th | Henry R. Low | Union | |
| 10th | Jacob S. Freer | Democrat | |
| 11th | William H. Tobey | Union | |
| 12th | Ralph Richards | Union | |
| 13th | John V. L. Pruyn | Democrat | |
| 14th | Joseph H. Ramsey* | Union | |
| 15th | John Willard | Fusion | elected unopposed; died on August 31, 1862 |
| 16th | Russell M. Little | Union | |
| 17th | Charles C. Montgomery* | Union | |
| 18th | James A. Bell* | Union | on February 11, elected president pro tempore |
| 19th | Alexander H. Bailey | Union | |
| 20th | George A. Hardin | Republican | |
| 21st | Richard K. Sanford* | Fusion | elected unopposed |
| 22nd | Allen Munroe* | Republican | |
| 23rd | Henry A. Clark | Union | |
| 24th | Lyman Truman* | Union | |
| 25th | Chauncey M. Abbott | Republican | |
| 26th | Charles J. Folger | Union | |
| 27th | Charles Cook | Union | |
| 28th | Lysander Farrar | Fusion | elected unopposed |
| 29th | Almanzor Hutchinson | Union | |
| 30th | Wilkes Angel* | Republican | |
| 31st | John Ganson | Democrat | on November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress |
| 32nd | Horace C. Young | Republican |
Employees[edit]
- Clerk: James Terwilliger
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard U. Owens
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Caleb S. Babcock
- Doorkeeper: Orville Griffin
- First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles Johnson
- Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Sanders Wilson
- Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Giles H. Holden
State Assembly[edit]
Assemblymen[edit]
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.
Employees[edit]
- Clerk: Joseph B. Cushman
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Levi M. Gano
- Doorkeeper: Norman B. Sprague
- First Assistant Doorkeeper: William H. Creed
- Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas Miller
Notes[edit]
- ^ see results in The Tribune Almanac (1862; pg. 58)
- ^ Willet Serls (in Assembly Journal "Willett Searles"), Postmaster of Indian Fields, see Post Office Directory (1856; pg. 108)
- ^ Edward Jones (born c. 1825 Roxbury, Mass.), brother of Jay Jarvis Jones, his predecessor in the Assembly
- ^ Smith Ely (born c. 1802 New Jersey), uncle of Smith Ely, Jr.
Sources[edit]
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; see pg. 439 for Senate districts; pg. 443 for senators; pg. 450–462 for Assembly districts; and pg. 494ff for assemblymen)
- Journal of the Senate (85th Session) (1862)
- Journal of the Assembly (85th Session) (1862)
- Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and the Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1862 and '63 by William D. Murphy (1863)
