The 98th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 22, 1875, during the first year of Samuel J. Tilden'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 (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts. 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 Prohibition Party appeared at this time, nominating Ex-Governor Myron H. Clark — who had urged the Legislature to enact Prohibition in New York in 1853, but the law was declared unconstitutional by the New York Court of Appeals — for Governor.

Elections The 1874 New York state election was held on November 3. Democrats Samuel J. Tilden and William Dorsheimer were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, defeating the incumbent Republicans John A. Dix and John C. Robinson. The other three statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democratic 416,000; Republican 366,000; and Prohibition 12,000.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1875; and adjourned on May 22.

Jeremiah McGuire (D) was elected Speaker.

On January 20, the Legislature elected Francis Kernan (D) to succeed U.S. Senator Reuben E. Fenton (R) for a six-year term, beginning on March 4, 1875.ALBANY.; ELECTION OF KERNAN TO THE SENATE in NYT on January 21, 1875

State Senate

Districts

1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 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, 13th and 14th wards of New York City 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties 13th District: Albany County 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady 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: Madison and Oswego counties 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie 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.

District Senator Party Notes1stJohn A. King* Republican2ndJohn W. Coe* Lib. Rep./Dem.3rdJohn C. Jacobs* Democrat4thJohn Fox* Democrat5thJames W. Booth* Republican6thJacob A. Gross* Democrat7thThomas A. Ledwith* Democrat8thHugh H. Moore* Democratunsuccessfully contested by Walter S. Pinckney (R)9thWilliam H. Robertson* RepublicanPresident pro tempore10thEdward M. Madden* Republican11thBenjamin Ray* Democrat12thRoswell A. Parmenter* Democrat13thJesse C. Dayton* Democrat14thHenry C. Connelly* Republican15thWebster Wagner* Republican16thFranklin W. Tobey* Republican17thWells S. Dickinson* Republican18thAndrew C. Middleton Ind./Lib. Rep./Dem.19thSamuel S. Lowery* Republican20thArchibald C. McGowan* Republican21stCharles Kellogg* Republican22ndDaniel P. Wood* Republican23rdJames G. Thompson* Republican24thJohn H. Selkreg* Republican25thWilliam B. Woodin* Republican26thWilliam Johnson* Democratdied on October 10, 187527thGeorge B. Bradley* Democrat28thJarvis Lord* Democrat29thDan H. Cole* Republican30thAbijah J. Wellman* Republican31stAlbert P. Laning Democratelected to fill vacancy, in place of John Ganson32ndAlbert G. Dow* Republican

Employees Clerk: Henry A. Glidden Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel K. Schram Doorkeeper: Frederick M. Burton

State Assembly

Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stPeter Slingerland Republican2ndLeopold C. G. Kshinka* Democrat3rdFrancis W. Vosburgh Democrat4thWaters W. Braman* Republican AlleganyOrrin T. Stacy* Republican BroomeGeorge Sherwood* Republican Cattaraugus1stCommodore P. Vedder* Republican2ndSamuel Scudder Lib. Rep./Dem. Cayuga1stCharles S. Beardsley Democrat2ndErastus H. Hussey* Republican Chautauqua1stOtis D. Hinckley Republican2ndObed Edson Democrat ChemungJeremiah McGuire Democratelected Speaker ChenangoDaniel M. Holmes Democrat ClintonShepard P. Bowen Republican Columbia1stHenry Lawrence* Democrat2ndAlonzo H. Farrar* Republican CortlandDaniel E. Whitmore Republican Delaware1stWarren G. Willis Republican2ndGeorge G. Decker Republican Dutchess1stJames Mackin* Democrat2ndBenjamin S. Broas Democrat Erie1stPatrick Hanrahan* Democrat2ndWilliam W. Lawson Republican3rdEdward Gallagher Republican4thHarry B. Ransom Democrat5thWilliam Alfred Johnson Republican EssexWilliam E. Calkins Republican FranklinJohn P. Badger* Republican Fulton and HamiltonGeorge W. Fay Republican GeneseeNewton H. GreenNewton H. Green, son of Andrew H. Green who was assemblyman in 1838 and 1839; and brother of Loren Green who was assemblyman in 1863 and 1864 Republican GreeneBenjamin F. Barkley Democrat HerkimerWarner Miller* Republican Jefferson1stJohn F. Peck Republican2ndGeorge E. Yost Republican Kings1stDaniel Bradley Ind. Dem.2ndJohn R. Kennaday Democrat3rdMichael J. Coffey* Democrat4thTunis V. P. TalmageTunis Van Pelt Talmage, son of Mayor of Brooklyn Thomas G. Talmage Democrat5thJohn H. Burtis Republican6thJacob Worth* Republican 7thvacant DemocratAssemblyman-elect Stephen J. Colahan died on December 10, 1874see OBITUARY; STEPHEN J. COLAHAN in NYT on December 11, 1874Michael O'Keefe Democratelected to fill vacancyA special election was held on December 31, 1874; see A SPECIAL ELECTION IN KINGS COUNTY in NYT on December 18, 18748thBernard Silverman Democrat9thJohn McGroarty* Democrat LewisJames A. Merwin Democrat LivingstonJames Faulkner Jr. Democrat Madison1stD. Gerry Wellington Republican2ndGeorge Berry Democrat Monroe1stRichard D. Cole Democrat2ndGeorge Taylor* Democrat3rdJosiah Rich Democrat MontgomeryMartin Schenck Democrat New York1stNicholas Muller Democrat2ndWilliam P. Kirk* Democrat3rdJohn C. Brogan Democrat4thCharles Reilly Democrat5thWarren C. Bennett* Democrat6thTimothy J. Campbell Democrat7thFrederick W. Seward Republican8thGeorge A. Stauf Democrat9thWilliam H. Gedney Republican10thLouis C. Waehner* Democrat11thKnox McAfee* Republican12thJohn Keenan Democrat13thA. Nelson Beach Democrat14thJames Daly* Democrat15thThomas Costigan Democrat16thJohn T. McGowan Democrat17thLeo C. Dessar Democrat18thThomas Cooper CampbellThomas Cooper Campbell, grandson of longtime Deputy Secretary of State Archibald Campbell Democrat19thGermain Hauschel Democrat20thJacob Hess Republican21stJohn W. Smith Democrat Niagara1stArtemas W. Comstock* Republican2ndOrville C. Bordwell* Republican Oneida1stRichard U. Sherman Lib. Rep./Dem.2ndSilas T. Ives Democrat3rdEdward Lewis Democrat4thHarrison Lillybridge Republican Onondaga1stThomas G. Alvord* Republican2ndGeorge Barrow*George Barrow (born 1839 NYC), brother of Edmund P. Barrow (c.1829–1857) who was assemblyman in 1854 Republican3rdCharles TremainCharles Tremain, grandson of Augustus Tremain who was assemblyman in 1811, 1814–15 and 1822 Republican Ontario1stStephen H. Hammond* Democrat2ndCyrillo S. Lincoln* Republican Orange1stJames W. Miller Democrat2ndJoseph D. Friend Democrat OrleansJohn N. Wetherbee Republicandied on March 22, 1875see ALBANY; THE HOUSE ADJOURNS IN RESPECT TO THE MEMORY OF A DECEASED MEMBER in NYT on March 23, 1875 Oswego1stAlanson S. Page Democrat2ndWillard Johnson* Democrat3rdHenry J. Daggett Republican Otsego1stWilliam H. Ely* Democrat2ndJames E. Cooke Democrat PutnamWilliam H. Christopher Democrat Queens1stL. Bradford Prince* Republican2ndJames M. Oakley* Democrat Rensselaer1stWilliam V. Cleary* Democrat2ndWilliam F. Taylor Republican3rdJacob M. Witbeck* Democrat RichmondStephen D. Stephens Jr.* Democrat RocklandJames C. Brown Democrat St. Lawrence1stSeth G. Pope* Republican2ndA. Barton Hepburn Republican3rdJonah Sanford*Jonah Sanford (born 1821), son of Congressman Jonah Sanford Republican Saratoga1stGeorge West* Republican2ndNathaniel M. Houghton Republican SchenectadySamuel T. Benedict Democrat SchoharieJohn M. Roscoe Democrat SchuylerWilliam H. Fish Democrat SenecaWilliam Hogan Democrat Steuben1stStephen D. Shattuck* Democrat2ndLucius C. Pierson Democrat SuffolkNathan D. Petty* Republican SullivanAdolphus E. Wenzel Democrat TiogaJames Bishop Republican TompkinsGeorge W. Schuyler Lib. Rep./Dem. Ulster1stJohn Fream Democrat2ndJacob D. Wurts Democrat3rdCharles H. Krack Democrat WarrenStephen Griffin Democrat Washington1stAlexander B. Law* Republican2ndEmerson E. Davis* Democrat Wayne1stWilliam H. ClarkWilliam H. Clark, son of William Clark who was state senator 1854–55 Republican2ndAllen S. Russell Republican Westchester1stDennis R. Shiel Democrat2ndCharles M. Schieffelin Democrat3rdJames W. Husted* Republican WyomingSamuel W. Tewksbury* Republican YatesHanford Struble Republican

Employees Clerk: Hiram Calkins Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward A. Brown Doorkeeper: George W. Irish Stenographer: Spencer C. Rodgers

Notes

Sources Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; see pg. 276 for Senate districts; pg. 290 for senators; pg. 298–304 for Assembly districts; and pg. 375 for assemblymen) Assemblymen Elected in Albany Evening Times on November 6, 1874 Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1875 by W. H. McElroy and Alexander McBride [e-book]