The 72nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 11, 1849, during the first year of Hamilton Fish'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.
State Senator Allen Ayrault resigned on June 2, 1848, leaving a vacancy in the 29th District.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party. The Democratic Party was split into two factions: the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers." The Barnburners walked out of the 1848 Democratic state convention and joined up with a small faction of anti-slavery Whigs and most of the Liberty Party to form the Free Soil Party. The uncompromising radical abolitionists ran their own tickets as the Liberty Party.
Elections The 1848 New York state election was held on November 7.
Whigs Hamilton Fish and George W. Patterson were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor; and the other two statewide elective offices were also carried by the Whigs.
State Comptroller Millard Fillmore was elected United States Vice President.
106 Whigs, 15 Free Soilers and 7 Hunkers were elected to the State Assembly. One Whig was elected to fill the vacancy in the State Senate.
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1849; and adjourned on April 11.
Amos K. Hadley (W) was re-elected Speaker with 101 votes against 13 for Frederick P. Bellinger (Barnb.) and 6 for Charles C. Noble (Hunker).
On January 31, State Comptroller Millard Fillmore sent a letter to the Legislature, resigning the office, to take effect on February 20.
On February 6, the Legislature elected William H. Seward (W) to succeed John A. Dix (Barnb.) as U.S. Senator, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1849.
On February 17, the Legislature elected Washington Hunt (W) to succeed Millard Fillmore as State Comptroller on February 20.
On April 11, Samuel J. Wilkin was elected president pro tempore of the State 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 Notes1stJohn G. Floyd* Democrat/Barnburner2ndDavid A. Bokee* Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. CongressBokee's term in Congress began on March 4, 1849, but he remained in his seat in the State Senate until the end of the session on April 11. The 31st Congress actually met only on December 3, and Bokee then took his seat in Congress, vacating his seat in the State Senate.3rdWilliam Hall* Whig4thJohn L. Lawrence* Whig5thSamuel Frost* Whig6thWilliam Samuel Johnson* Whig7thSaxton Smith* Democrat/Barnburner8thAlexander J. Coffin* Whig9thSamuel J. Wilkin* Whigon April 11, 1849, elected president pro tempore10thPlatt Adams* Democrat/Hunker11thValentine Treadwell* Whig12thAlbert R. Fox* Whig13thJames M. Cook* Whig14thJames S. Whallon* Democrat/Barnburner15thJohn Fine* Democrat/Barnburner16thThomas Burch* Whig17thJohn M. Betts* Democrat/Barnburner18thDavid H. Little* Whig19thThomas E. Clark* Whig20thThomas H. Bond* Whig21stJohn W. Tamblin* Democrat/Hunker22ndGeorge Geddes* Whig23rdSamuel H. P. Hall* Whig24thWilliam J. Cornwell* Whig25thTimothy S. Williams* Whigdied on March 11, 184926thWilliam M. Hawley* Democrat/Barnburner27thJerome Fuller* Whig28thA. Hyde Cole* Whig 29thCharles Colt Whigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Allen Ayrault30thJohn W. Brownson* Whig31stJohn T. Bush* Whig32ndFrederick S. Martin* Whig
Employees Clerk: Andrew H. Calhoun
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, U.S. Senator and USNY Regent.see Journal of the Assembly (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 6f and 355ff); see also incomplete election result given in the Geneva Courier (issue of November 22, 1848
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stHiram BarberHiram Barber (born 1820), of Westerlo, later moved to Richview, Illinois; see Hiram Barber at It's All Relative Democrat/Hunker2ndDavid Van Auken Whig3rdRobert H. Pruyn* Whig4thJoel A. Wing Whig Allegany1stOrville Boardman Whig2ndErastus H. Willard Whig BroomeJohn O. Whittaker Whig Cattaraugus1stSeth R. Crittenden Whig2ndHorace C. Young Whig Cayuga1stJames D. Button Free Soil2ndJohn I. Brinckerhoff* Whig3rdHector C. Tuthill* Whig Chautauqua1stSilas Terry Whig2ndEzekiel B. Gurnsey Whig ChemungAlvan Nash Free Soil Chenango1stJames Clark Whig2ndAlonzo Johnson Whig ClintonAlbert G. Carver Whig Columbia1stJames M. Strever Whig2ndDaniel S. Curtis Whig CortlandIra Skeel Whig Delaware1stJames E. Thompson Free Soil2ndLuther Butts Democrat/Hunker Dutchess1stEdgar Vincent* Whig2ndWesley Butts Whig3rdJames Hammond* Whig Erie1stBenoni Thompson Whig2ndAugustus Raynor Whig3rdMarcus McNeal Whig4thLuther Buxton Whig EssexGeorge W. Goff Whig FranklinGeorge B. R. Gove Whig Fulton and HamiltonJohn Culbert Whig Genesee1stTracy Pardee* Whig2ndMartin C. Ward Whig Greene1stAlexander H. Bailey Whig2ndAlbert Tuttle Whig Herkimer1stFrederick P. Bellinger Free Soil2ndAsa Wilcox Free Soil Jefferson1stGeorge Gates Whig2ndJohn L. Marsh Free Soil3rdBernard Bagley Whig Kings1stJoseph Boughton Whig2ndEdwards W. Fiske* Whig3rdJohn A. Cross* Whig LewisDiodate Pease Whig Livingston1stArchibald H. McLean Whig2ndPhilip Woodruff Whig Madison1stDavid Maine Whig2ndRobert G. Stewart Whig Monroe1stLevi Kelsey Whig2ndL. Ward Smith Whig3rdElisha Harmon Whig Montgomery1stFrothingham Fish Whig2ndLewis Averill Whig New York1stEphraim H. Hudson Whig2ndJames Bowen* Whig3rdHenry J. Allen Democrat/Hunker4thGeorge J. Cornell Whig5thSamuel T. McKinney Whig6thJames W. Beekman Whig7thAbraham Van Orden Whig8thWilliam Dodge Whig9thCharles Perley Whig10thGarret H. Striker Whig11thRobert B. Folger Whig12thDaniel B. Taylor Democrat/Hunker13thJoseph B. Varnum Jr. Whig14thRobert G. Campbell* Whig15thMerwin R. Brewer* Whig16thAlbert Gilbert Whig Niagara1stHollis White Whig2ndMorgan Johnson* Whig Oneida1stOliver Prescott Whig2ndNehemiah N. Pierce Whig3rdJames M. Elwood Free Soil4thChauncey Stevens Free Soil Onondaga1stJoseph J. Glass Whig2ndMyron Wheaton Free Soil3rdJoseph Slocum Whig4thSamuel Hart Whig Ontario1stDolphin Stephenson Whig2ndJosiah Porter Whig Orange1stDavid C. Bull Whig2ndDavid H. Moffatt Jr. Whig3rdMaurice Hoyt Whig OrleansReuben Roblee Whig Oswego1stHenry Fitzhugh Whig2ndEdward W. Fox Free Soil Otsego1stL. Mortimer Gilbert Whig2ndDavid B. St. John Democrat/Hunker3rdCharles C. Noble Democrat/Hunker PutnamJames J. Smalley Democrat/Hunker QueensWessell S. Smith* Whig Rensselaer1stAmos K. Hadley* Whigre-elected Speaker2ndBenajah Allen Whig3rdWilliam H. Budd Whig RichmondGabriel P. Disosway Whig RocklandMatthew D. Bogart Free Soil St. Lawrence1stHarlow Godard Free Soil2ndJustus B. Picket Free Soil3rdNoble S. Elderkin Free Soil Saratoga1stRoscius R. Kennedy Whig2ndWilliam W. Rockwell Whig SchenectadyIsrael R. Green Whig Schoharie1stDavid B. Danforth Whig2ndAustin Sexton Whig SenecaJacob G. Markell Whig Steuben1stAbraham J. Quackenboss Free Soil2ndJohn G. Mersereau* Whig3rdJohn K. Hale Whig Suffolk1stEdwin Rose* Whig2ndNathaniel MillerDr. Nathaniel Miller (1783–1863), physician, of Brookhaven Whig SullivanJames F. Bush* Whig TiogaEzra S. Sweet Whig Tompkins1stDarius Hall Whig2ndCharles J. Rounseville Whig Ulster1stPeter Crispell Jr. Whig2ndJames G. Graham Whig WarrenReuben Wells Whig Washington1stLeRoy Mowry Whig2ndAlexander Robertson Whig Wayne1stIsaac Leavenworth Whig2ndPeter Boyce Whig Westchester1stWilliam H. Robertson Whig2ndHarvey Kidd Whig WyomingPaul Richards* Whig YatesJohn Wisewell Whig
Employees Clerk: Philander B. Prindle Sergeant-at-Arms: Samuel S. Blanchard Doorkeeper: Robert Grant Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas E. Osborn Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Merclean
Notes
Sources The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 for Senate districts; pg. 136 for senators; pg. 148–157 for Assembly districts; pg. 234ff for assemblymen] Journal of the Senate (72nd Session) (1849)