The 75th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 16, 1852, during the second year of Washington Hunt's governorship, in Albany.
Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators were elected in single-seat senatorial districts for a two-year term, the whole Senate being renewed biennially. The senatorial districts (except those in New York City) were made up of entire counties. 128 Assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually. The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all in the same county. The City and County of New York was divided into four senatorial districts, and 16 Assembly districts.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.
Elections The 1851 New York state election was held on November 4.
Of the eight statewide elective offices up for election, six were carried by the Democrats, and two by the Whigs.
16 Democrats and 16 Whigs were elected for a two-year term to the State Senate.
65 Whigs and 63 Democrats were elected to the State Assembly.
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1852; and adjourned on April 16.
Jonas C. Heartt (Whig) was elected Speaker with 63 votes against 59 for Israel T. Hatch (Dem.).
Ira P. Barnes was elected Clerk of the Senate by resolution, with a vote of 16 to 15; Senator Dan S. Wright (W) did not vote. The same vote was given for Charles Lee as Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate. Doorkeeper of the Senate A. N. Beardsley was elected with the casting vote of Lt. Gov. Sanford E. Church.
On January 26, Edwin D. Morgan (W) was elected president pro tempore of the Senate.
On March 24, William McMurray (D) was elected president pro tempore of the Senate.
State Senate Districts
1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties 2nd District: Kings County 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th wards of New York City 4th District: 7th, 10th, 13th and 17th wards of New York City 5th District: 8th, 9th and 14th wards of New York City 6th District: 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd wards of New York City 7th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties 8th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties 9th District: Orange and Sullivan counties 10th District: Greene and Ulster counties 11th District: Albany and Schenectady counties 12th District: Rensselaer County 13th District: Saratoga and Washington counties 14th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties 15th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties 16th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer and Montgomery counties 17th District: Delaware and Schoharie counties 18th District: Chenango and Otsego counties 19th District: Oneida County 20th District: Madison and Oswego counties 21st District: Jefferson and Lewis counties 22nd District: Onondaga County 23rd District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties 24th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties 25th District: Seneca, Tompkins and Yates counties 26th District: Chemung and Steuben counties 27th District: Monroe County 28th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties 29th District: Livingston and Ontario counties 30th District: Allegany and Wyoming counties 31st District: Erie County 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
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.
District Senator Party Notes1stJames E. Cooley Democrat2ndJohn Vanderbilt Democrat 3rdWilliam McMurray Democraton March 24, elected president pro tempore4thObadiah Newcomb Whig5thJames W. Beekman* Whig6thEdwin D. Morgan* Whigon January 26, elected president pro tempore7thAbraham B. Conger Democrat8thJohn H. Otis Democrat9thNathaniel Jones Democrat10thGeorge T. Pierce Democrat11thAzor Taber Whig12thWilliam H. Van Schoonhoven Whig13thDan S. Wright Whig14thEli W. Rogers Democrat15thHenry B. Smith Democrat16thSimeon Snow Democrat17thHenry E. Bartlett Democrat18thHarmon Bennett Democrat19thBenjamin N. Huntington* Whig20thJames Platt Whig21stAshley Davenport Democrat22ndJames Munroe Whig23rdNathan Bristol Democrat24thWilliam Beach* Whig25thJosiah B. Williams Whig26thFrancis R. E. Cornell Democrat27thMicajah W. Kirby Democrat28thAlonzo S. Upham* Whig 29thMyron H. Clark Whig30thJohn A. McElwain Whigalso Treasurer of Wyoming Co.31stGeorge R. Babcock* Whig32ndElisha Ward Whig
Employees Clerk: Ira P. Barnes Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles Lee Doorkeeper: A. N. Beardsley Assistant Doorkeeper: George Read
State Assembly Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote on Speaker.
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stHugh Swift Democrat2ndGeorge M. Sayles Whig3rdTeunis Van Vechten Jr. Whig4thRobert Harper Democrat Allegany1stJohn Wheeler Whig2ndJohn R. Hartshorn Democrat BroomeWilliam L. Ford Whig Cattaraugus1stStephen S. Cole Whig2ndAlexander Sheldon Whig Cayuga1stWilliam Hayden Whig2ndGeorge Underwood* Whig3rdDelos Bradley* Whig Chautauqua1stAustin Smith* Whig2ndJeremiah Ellsworth Whig ChemungJames B. Van Etten Whig Chenango1stThompson White Democrat2ndJoseph P. Chamberlin Democrat ClintonJacob H. Holt Democrat Columbia1stWesley R. Gallup Democrat2ndGeorge Van Santvoord Democrat CortlandGeorge W. Bradford Whig Delaware1stHezekiah Elwood Democrat2ndLewis Mills Democrat Dutchess1stJohn S. Emans Democrat2ndJohn M. Keese Whig3rdAugustus Martin Democrat Erie1stIsrael T. Hatch Democrat2ndJasper B. Young Whig3rdAaron Riley Whig4thJoseph Bennett Whig EssexAbraham Welden* Whig FranklinDarius W. Lawrence Democrat Fulton and HamiltonAlfred N. Haner Whig Genesee1stAlbert Rowe* Whig2ndLevi Fisk* Whig Greene1stNorman H. Gray Democrat2ndThomas Bedell Jr. Democrat Herkimer1stJohn Hoover Democrat2ndCharles Delong Democrat Jefferson1stWilliam A. Gilbert* Whig2ndMerrill Coburn Democrat3rdWilliam Rouse Whig Kings1stJohn Berry Democrat2ndWaldo Hutchins Whig3rdSamuel E. Johnson Democrat LewisJohn Benedict Democrat Livingston1stAlvin Chamberlin* Whig2ndOrrin D. Lake* Whig Madison1stGeorge B. Rowe Whig2ndHenry L. Webb Whig Monroe1stJohn Shoecraft Whig2ndJoel P. Milliner Whig3rdCaleb B. Corser* Whig Montgomery1stJohn I. Davis Whig2ndWilliam Clark Whig New York1stWilliam Miner Democrattook his seat on February 252ndPatrick G. Maloney Democrat3rdJoseph Rose Jr. Democrat4thTheodore A. Ward Whig5thJohn Brown Democrat6thWyllis Blackstone* Whig7thFreeborn G. Luckey Whig8thMoses D. Gale Democrat9thAaron B. Rollins Democrat10thJames Monroe Whig11thDavid O'Keefe Jr. Democrat12thMichael Walsh Democraton November 2, 1852, elected to the U.S. Congress13thWilliam Taylor Whig14thAndrew Leary Democrat15thThomas P. St. John Democrat16thEphraim L. Snow Whigcontested by Russell Smith (D);see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pp. 258–276) the seat was declared vacant on February 28, 1852 Niagara1stAbijah H. Moss* Whig2ndJeptha W. Babcock* Whig Oneida1stGeorge D. Williams Whig2ndChauncey S. Butler Whig3rdHenry Sandford Democrat4thJohn J. Castle Democrat Onondaga1stLyman Norton Democrat2ndWilliam E. Tallman Whig3rdGeorge Stevens* Whig4thJohn Merritt Democrat Ontario1stWilliam R. Pettit Whig2ndElnathan U. Simmons Democrat Orange1stHugh B. Bull Whig2ndJames B. Stevens Democrat3rdAbraham J. Cuddeback Democrat OrleansGeorge M. Copeland Whig Oswego1stEdwin C. Hart Democrat2ndJames T. Gibson Democrat Otsego1stHanson Wright Democrat2ndErastus King Democrat3rdHarvey Keyes Democrat PutnamNathan A. Howes Democrat QueensSylvanus S. Smith Democrat Rensselaer1stJonas C. Heartt Whigelected Speaker2ndAlbert E. Richmond Whig3rdWilliam H. Herrick Whig RichmondLawrence H. Cortelyou Whig RocklandJohn Demarest Democrat St. Lawrence1stSmith Stilwell* Democrat2ndBenjamin Smith Democrat3rdParker W. Rose Democrat Saratoga1stIsaiah Blood Democrat2ndAlexander H. Palmer Whig SchenectadyJames Donnan Whig Schoharie1stSeymour Sornberger Democrat2ndJames Osterhout Democrat SenecaRobert R. Steele Democrat Steuben1stRobert B. Van Valkenburgh Whig2ndBenajah P. Bailey Whig3rdNathaniel M. Perry Democrat Suffolk1stHenry P. Hedges Whig2ndZopher B. Oakley Whig SullivanElisha P. Strong Democrat TiogaWilliam Pierson Democrat Tompkins1stAlvah Hurlbut Whig2ndStephen B. Cushing Democrat Ulster1stJacob S. Freer Democrat2ndJacob Westbrook Jr. Democratunsuccessfully contested by Job G. Elmore (W)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pp. 276–279) WarrenGeorge Richards Whig Washington1stElisha Billings Whig2ndDavid Wilson Whig Wayne1stWilliam Dutton Whig2ndTheron G. Yeomans* Whig Westchester1stGeorge W. Lyon Democrat2ndAbraham Hatfield Democrat WyomingWolcott J. Humphrey* Whig YatesCharles S. Hoyt Democrat
Employees Clerk: Richard U. Sherman Sergeant-at-Arms: Joseph W. Caldwell Doorkeeper: Nathan Chamberlin First Assistant Doorkeeper: Archibald Smith Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Asa Baldwin
Notes
Sources The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 for Senate districts; pg. 137 for senators; pg. 148–157 for Assembly districts; pg. 242ff for assemblymen] Journal of the Senate (75th Session) (1852) Journal of the Assembly (75th Session) (1852)