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 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 The 1861 New York state election 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 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 Districts
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
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. 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;see results in The Tribune Almanac (1862; pg. 58) those marked "Republican" were elected in opposition to "Union" candidates. Senate officers and a Regent of USNY were elected without opposition.
District Senator Party Notes1stMonroe Henderson Uniondue to ill health, absent from January 312ndJesse C. Smith Union3rdHenry C. Murphy Fusionelected unopposed4thChristian B. Woodruff* Democrat5thCharles G. Cornell Democratfrom December 3, 1862, also New York City Street Commissioner6thJohn J. Bradley Democrat7thRichard B. Connolly* Democrat8thHezekiah D. Robertson* Union9thHenry R. Low Union10thJacob S. Freer Democrat11thWilliam H. Tobey Union12thRalph Richards Union13thJohn V. L. Pruyn Democrat14thJoseph H. Ramsey* Union15thJohn Willard Fusionelected unopposed; died on August 31, 186216thRussell M. Little Union17thCharles C. Montgomery* Union18thJames A. Bell* Unionon February 11, elected president pro tempore19thAlexander H. Bailey Union20thGeorge A. Hardin Republican21stRichard K. Sanford* Fusionelected unopposed22ndAllen Munroe* Republican23rdHenry A. Clark Union24thLyman Truman* Union25thChauncey M. Abbott Republican26thCharles J. Folger Union27thCharles Cook Union28thLysander Farrar Fusionelected unopposed29thAlmanzor Hutchinson Union30thWilkes Angel* Republican31stJohn Ganson Democraton November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress32ndHorace C. Young Republican
Employees 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 Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany 1stvacantAssemblyman-elect John Vanderzee died on December 3, 1861Willet SerlsWillet Serls (in Assembly Journal "Willett Searles"), Postmaster of Indian Fields, see Post Office Directory (1856; pg. 108) Democratelected to fill vacancy; seated on February 62ndAlmerin J. Cornell Union3rdA. Bleecker Banks Democrat4thWilliam Doyle Democrat Allegany1stAlvah E. Cruttenden Union2ndEdward D. Loveridge Union BroomeGeorge Bartlett Union Cattaraugus1stAndrew L. Allen Union2ndAddison G. Rice Union Cayuga1stWilliam A. Halsey Union2ndSmith Anthony* Union Chautauqua1stEmry Davis Union2ndHenry C. Lake Union ChemungTracy Beadle Union Chenango1stDavid B. Parce Union2ndFrancis B. Fisher Union ClintonLemuel Stetson Union Columbia1stJacob Ten Broeck Democrat2ndSamuel Wilbor Union CortlandThomas Barry Union Delaware1stNelson K. Wheeler Union2ndDaniel Waterbury* Union Dutchess1stJohn B. Dutcher* Union2ndEdmund Green Union Erie1stJohn W. Murphy Democrat2ndHoratio Seymour Democrat3rdEzra P. Goslin Union4thJohn A. Case Union EssexPalmer E. Havens Union FranklinAlbert Andrus Union Fulton and HamiltonJames H. Burr* Union GeneseeBenjamin Pringle Union GreeneJonathan B. Cowles Democrat Herkimer1stOrson Moore Union2ndGeorge Springer Union Jefferson1stJonathan M. Ackley Union2ndGeorge W. Hazelton Union3rdWilliam Dewey Union Kings1stAndrew J. Provost* Union2ndRichard J. Lalor Democrat3rdWilliam M. Thomas Union4thJames Darcy* Democrat5thCharles L. Benedict Union6thSamuel T. Maddox Union7thEdgar McMullen Union LewisHenry D. H. Snyder Jr. Union Livingston1stMatthew Wiard* Union2ndSamuel Skinner Union Madison1stWilliam H. Brand Union2ndAlbert G. Purdy Union Monroe1stGeorge E. McGonegal Union2ndEliphaz Trimmer Democrat3rdBenjamin R. Wells* Union MontgomeryNicholas Newkirk Democrat New York1stJohn Callahan* Democrat2ndDaniel Leamy Democrat3rdGeorge L. Loutrel Democrat4thWilliam J. C. Kenny* Democrat5thJames W. Bush Union6thWilliam J. Coey Democrat7thHenry J. Raymond Unionelected Speaker8thWilliam G. Olvany Democrat9thAlexander McLeod Union10thDaniel M. O'Brien Democrat11thNoah A. Childs Union12thAndrew Smith Democrat13thAlexander Ward Democrat14thRoyal Phelps Union15thDavid S. Coddington Democrat16thDennis McCabe Union17thEdward JonesEdward Jones (born c. 1825 Roxbury, Mass.), brother of Jay Jarvis Jones, his predecessor in the Assembly Democrat Niagara1stBenjamin H. Fletcher Democrat2ndPeter A. Porter Union Oneida1stCharles M. Scholefield Union2ndEli Avery Union3rdThomas D. Penfield Union4thJeremiah Sweet Union Onondaga1stFrederick A. Lyman Union2ndThomas G. Alvord Union3rdR. Nelson Gere Union Ontario1stDavid Picket Union2ndFrancis O. Mason Union Orange1stDaniel R. Hudson Union2ndJohn Van Etten Jr. Democrat OrleansNicholas E. Darrow Union Oswego1stElias Root Union2ndWillard Johnson Democrat3rdBenjamin E. Bowen Union Otsego1stLeRoy E. Bowe Union2ndCornelius A. Church Union PutnamThomas H. Reed Union Queens1stIsaac Coles Union2ndHenry D. Hall Democrat Rensselaer1stCharles J. Saxe* Democrat2ndDavid G. Maxon Union3rdSylvester Waterbury Democrat RichmondSmith ElySmith Ely (born c. 1802 New Jersey), uncle of Smith Ely, Jr. Democrat RocklandJames S. Haring Democrat St. Lawrence1stElias P. Townsley Union2ndJames Redington Union3rdCalvin T. Hulburd Unionon November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress Saratoga1stJohn Fulton* Union2ndNathaniel M. Houghton Union SchenectadySimon J. Schermerhorn Union SchoharieWilliam Lamont Democrat SchuylerAlvin C. Hause Union SenecaPeter J. Van Vleet Democrat Steuben1stDaniel B. Bryan* Union2ndHenry Sherwood Union3rdSamuel M. Alley Union Suffolk1stJohn C. Davis Union2ndJohn S. Havens Democrat SullivanBenjamin L. Ludington Union TiogaBenjamin F. Tracy Union TompkinsEzra Cornell Union Ulster1stJesse F. Bookstaver Democrat2ndGeorge T. Pierce* Union3rdEbenezer Westbrook Democrat WarrenThomas S. Gray Democrat Washington1stGeorge H. Taylor Union2ndPhilip H. Neher Union Wayne1stEron N. Thomas Union2ndAbram Pryne Union Westchester1stPierre C. Talman Democrat2ndNewberry D. Halsted Democrat3rdChauncey M. Depew Union WyomingLucius Peck Union YatesDarius A. Ogden Union
Employees 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
Sources 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)