The 63rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, during the second year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany.
Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually.
State Senator Noadiah Johnson died on April 4, 1839; and State Senator Edward P. Livingston resigned on October 9, 1839; leaving two vacancies in the Third District.
At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.
Elections The State election was held from November 4 to 6, 1839.
State Senator John Hunter (2nd D.) was re-elected.
+1839 New York State Senate election result District Whig DemocratFirstPhilip Hone 21,396 Minthorne Tompkins 23,385SecondPierre Van Cortlandt, Jr. 22,152 John Hunter 23,669 Third Friend Humphrey 24,716William K. Wilson 24,549 Mitchell Sanford 24,675Henry W. Strong 24,533 Erastus Root 24,551Amasa J. Parker 24,517Fourth James G. Hopkins 24,312Sidney Lawrence 22,933FifthJames Brackett 21,150 Sumner Ely 22,792Sixth Andrew B. Dickinson 23,893William Maxwell 23,517Seventh Mark H. Sibley 24,049Joshua Lee 22,831Eighth Abram Dixon 21,927Isaac R. Elwood 15,603
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1840; and adjourned on May 14.
George W. Patterson (W) was re-elected Speaker with 68 votes against 56 for Levi S. Chatfield (D).
Upon taking their seats in the Senate, Humphrey, Sanford and Root drew lots to decide which one of the three senators elected in the Third District would serve which term. Sanford drew the one-year term, Humphrey the two-year term, and Root the full term.see Journal of the Senate (63rd Session) (1840; pg. 4)
On January 14, the Legislature elected Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) to the seat in the U.S. Senate which he had vacated on March 4, 1839.
On January 20, Mayor of Rochester Samuel G. Andrews was elected Clerk of the Senate, to succeed John F. Bacon who had been Clerk since 1814.see Senate Journal, pg. 100ff
The Legislature appointed Thurlow Weed to succeed Edwin Croswell as State Printer.
On February 3, Lt. Gov. Bradish did not attend the session, and Frederick A. Tallmadge was elected president pro tempore of the Senate. On the same day, Jacob Haight (W) was re-elected State Treasurer.
On February 22, the Legislature elected George H. Boughton, Simon Newton Dexter, Henry Hamilton, David Hudson and Asa Whitney to succeed William Baker, William C. Bouck, John Bowman, Jonas Earll, Jr. and State Senator Samuel Young as Canal Commissioners.
On September 2, the Democratic state convention met at Syracuse, and nominated William C. Bouck for Governor, and State Senator Daniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.
The Whig state convention nominated Gov. Seward and Lt. Gov. Bradish for re-election.
State Senate Districts The First District (4 seats) consisted of Kings, New York and Richmond counties. The Second District (4 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. The Third District (4 seats) consisted of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties. The Fourth District (4 seats) consisted of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The Fifth District (4 seats) consisted of Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and Otsego counties. The Sixth District (4 seats) consisted of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Livingston, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties. The Seventh District (4 seats) consisted of Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties. The Eighth District (4 seats) consisted of Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans 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 Senators Term left Party Notes FirstFrederick A. Tallmadge*1 year Whigon February 3, 1840, elected president pro temporeGulian C. Verplanck*2 years WhigGabriel Furman*3 years WhigMinthorne Tompkins4 years Democrat SecondHenry H. Van Dyck*1 year DemocratHenry A. Livingston*2 years WhigDaniel Johnson*3 years DemocratJohn Hunter*4 years Democrat ThirdMitchell Sanford1 year Whigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Noadiah JohnsonFriend Humphrey2 years Whigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Edward P. LivingstonAlonzo C. Paige*3 years DemocratErastus Root4 years Whig FourthSamuel Young*1 year Democratuntil February 13, 1840, also a Canal CommissionerMartin Lee*2 years WhigBethuel Peck*3 years WhigJames G. Hopkins4 years Whig FifthDavid Wager*1 year DemocratAvery Skinner*2 years Democratalso Postmaster of Union SquareJoseph Clark*3 years DemocratSumner Ely4 years Democrat SixthDaniel S. Dickinson*1 year DemocratLaurens Hull*2 years WhigAlvah Hunt*3 years WhigAndrew B. Dickinson4 years Whig SeventhSamuel L. Edwards*1 year DemocratJohn Maynard*2 years Whigin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. CongressRobert C. Nicholas*3 years Whig Mark H. Sibley4 years Whig EighthSamuel Works*1 year WhigWilliam A. Moseley*2 years WhigHenry Hawkins*3 years WhigAbram Dixon4 years Whig
Employees Clerk: John F. Bacon, until January 20, 1840 Samuel G. Andrews, from January 20, 1840 Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard M. Meigs Doorkeeper: Philip M. De Zeng Assistant Doorkeeper: Chauncey Dexter, from January 25, 1840
State Assembly Districts
Albany County (3 seats) Allegany County (2 seats) Broome County (1 seat) Cattaraugus County (2 seats) Cayuga County (3 seats) Chautauqua County (3 seats) Chemung County (1 seat) Chenango County (3 seats) Clinton County (1 seat) Columbia County (3 seats) Cortland County (2 seats) Delaware County (2 seats) Dutchess County (3 seats) Erie County (3 seats) Essex County (1 seat) Franklin County (1 seat) Fulton and Hamilton counties (1 seat) Genesee County (4 seats) Greene County (2 seats) Herkimer County (2 seats) Jefferson County (3 seats) Kings County (2 seats) Lewis County (1 seat) Livingston County (2 seats) Madison County (3 seats) Monroe County (3 seats) Montgomery County (2 seats) The City and County of New York (13 seats) Niagara County (2 seats) Oneida County (4 seats) Onondaga County (4 seats) Ontario County (3 seats) Orange County (3 seats) Orleans County (1 seat) Oswego County (2 seats) Otsego County (3 seats) Putnam County (1 seat) Queens County (1 seat) Rensselaer County (3 seats) Richmond County (1 seat) Rockland County (1 seat) St. Lawrence County (2 seats) Saratoga County (2 seats) Schenectady County (1 seat) Schoharie County (2 seats) Seneca County (1 seat) Steuben County (3 seats) Suffolk County (2 seats) Sullivan County (1 seat) Tioga County (1 seat) Tompkins County (2 seats) Ulster County (2 seats) Warren County (1 seat) Washington (2 seats) Wayne County (2 seats) Westchester County (2 seats) Yates County (1 seat)
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.
Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the result given in The New Yorker.
District Assemblymen Party Notes AlbanyFrederick Bassler Jr. Whig Peter Flagler WhigHenry G. Wheaton Whig AlleganyLorenzo Dana WhigWilliam Welch* WhigBroomeCornelius Mersereau Whig CattaraugusGeorge A. S. Crooker* WhigTimothy H. Porter Whig CayugaArtemas Cady DemocratJohn W. McFadden WhigAndrews Preston Democrat ChautauquaOdin Benedict WhigGeorge A. French WhigWilliam Rice WhigChemungGuy Hulett Democrat ChenangoWilliam Church WhigDemas Hubbard, Jr.* WhigSamuel Plumb WhigClintonAbijah North* Democrat ColumbiaRobert McKinstry WhigJonas H. Miller WhigJustin Niles Whig CortlandWilliam Barnes WhigJabez B. Phelps Whig DelawareOrson M. Allaben DemocratNathan Bristol Democrat DutchessAmos Bryan WhigHenry Conklin* WhigDaniel Toffey* Whig ErieSeth C. Hawley WhigStephen Osborn WhigAaron Salisbury WhigEssexGeorge A. Simmons WhigFranklinJohn S. Eldridge WhigFulton and HamiltonLangdon I. Marvin Whig GeneseeJohn W. Brownson WhigHorace Healy* WhigAlva Jefferson* WhigGeorge W. Lay Whig GreeneGilbert Bedell DemocratSylvester Nichols Democrat HerkimerDaniel Bellinger DemocratGeorge Burch Democrat JeffersonCalvin Clark* WhigCharles E. Clarke* WhigStephen Johnson Whig KingsJeremiah Johnson WhigAdrian Hegeman DemocratLewisChester Buck Whig LivingstonElias Clark* WhigGeorge W. Patterson* Whigre-elected Speaker Madison Daniel Barker DemocratDaniel Dickey DemocratBenjamin Enos* Democrat MonroeGeorge Brown WhigDerick Sibley WhigEnoch Strong Whig Montgomery John S. Veeder DemocratPeter Wood Democrat New YorkCornelius H. Bryson DemocratUlysses D. French DemocratPaul Grout DemocratThomas Herttell DemocratNorman Hickok DemocratFrancis W. Lasak DemocratWilliam B. Maclay DemocratJohn J. Morgan DemocratEdmund J. Porter DemocratJames J. Roosevelt Jr. Democratin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. CongressThomas Spofford DemocratSolomon Townsend DemocratGeorge Weir Democrat NiagaraPeter B. Porter, Jr.* WhigFrancis O. Pratt Whig OneidaNelson Dawley DemocratAnson Knibloe DemocratCharles A. Mann DemocratJohn F. Trowbridge Democrat Onondaga Victory Birdseye Whigin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. CongressPhares Gould* WhigJames R. Lawrence* WhigAzariah Smith* Whig Ontario Reynold Peck WhigAbraham A. Post WhigHenry W. Taylor* Whig Orange Benjamin Brown DemocratRobert Denniston* DemocratWilliam S. Little DemocratOrleansJohn J. Walbridge Whig OswegoPeter Devendorf DemocratWilliam Duer Whig OtsegoLevi S. Chatfield* DemocratCharles Walker DemocratArnold B. Watson DemocratPutnamSaxton Smith DemocratQueensJohn A. King Whig RensselaerGarrardus Deyoe WhigSamuel W. Hoag WhigWilliam H. Van Schoonhoven WhigRichmondBornt P. Winant DemocratRocklandWilliam F. Fraser Democrat St. LawrenceZenas Clark DemocratAsa Sprague* Democrat SaratogaDaniel Stewart WhigJohn Stewart* WhigSchenectadyTheodore W. Sanders Whigunsuccessfully contested by John I. De Graff (D)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 119–141) SchoharieSeymour Boughton DemocratCharles Goodyear DemocratSenecaOrange W. Wilkinson Democrat SteubenRichard Brower DemocratAndrew G. Chatfield* DemocratAbram M. Lybolt* Democrat SuffolkDavid Halsey DemocratJohn M. Williamson DemocratSullivanDaniel B. St. John WhigTiogaThomas Farrington Democratuntil January 20, 1840, also Surrogate of Tioga Co. TompkinsWilliam H. L. Bogart WhigRobert Swartwout Whig UlsterDavid L. Bernard WhigJohn V. L. Overbagh WhigWarrenJoseph Russell Democrat WashingtonJohn H. Boyd WhigAnderson Simpson Whig WayneHorace Morley WhigDurfee Osband Whig WestchesterSamuel B. Ferris* DemocratJoseph Strang* DemocratYatesSamuel S. Ellsworth Democrat
Employees Clerk: Philander B. Prindle Sergeant-at-Arms: Minos McGowen Doorkeeper: Samuel Francis Jr. Assistant Doorkeeper: Abraham H. Grovesteen
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Sources