The 159th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 13, 1936, during the fourth year of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany.
Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, 51 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Socialist Party and the Communist Party also nominated tickets. In New York City, a "City Fusion" and a "Jeffersonian" ticket were also nominated.
Elections The 1935 New York state election was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election.
Assemblywomen Doris I. Byrne (Dem.), a lawyer from the Bronx, and Jane H. Todd (Rep.), of Tarrytown, were re-elected.
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1936; and adjourned on May 13.New York Red Book (1939; pg. 252)
Irving M. Ives (Rep.) was elected Speaker.
State Senate
Districts
Members The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Jacob H. Livingston and Harry F. Dunkel changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
District Senator Party Notes1stGeorge L. Thompson* Republican2ndJoseph D. Nunan Jr.* Democrat3rdFrank B. Hendel* Democrat4thPhilip M. Kleinfeld* Democrat5thJohn J. Howard* Democrat6thEdward J. Coughlin* Democrat7thJacob J. Schwartzwald* Democrat8thJoseph A. Esquirol* Democrat9thJacob H. Livingston* Democratelected to fill vacancy, in place of Henry L. O'Brien10thJeremiah F. Twomey* DemocratChairman of Finance11thJames J. Crawford* Democrat12thElmer F. Quinn* Democrat13thThomas F. Burchill* Democrat14thSamuel Mandelbaum* Democraton June 20, 1936, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York15thJohn L. Buckley* Democrat16thJohn J. McNaboe* Democrat17thJoseph Clark Baldwin* Republican18thJohn T. McCall* Democrat19thDuncan T. O'Brien* Democrat20thA. Spencer Feld* Democrat21stLazarus Joseph* Democrat22ndJulius S. Berg* Democrat23rdJohn J. Dunnigan* DemocratTemporary President24thRae L. Egbert* Democrat25thPliny W. Williamson* Republican26thJames A. Garrity* Democrat27thThomas C. Desmond* Republican28thFrederic H. Bontecou* Republican29thArthur H. Wicks* Rep./Soc.30thWilliam T. Byrne* Democraton November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress 31stOgden J. Ross* Democrat32ndEdwin E. Miller* Republican33rdBenjamin F. Feinberg* Republican34thRhoda Fox Graves* Republican35thHarry F. Dunkel* Republicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Henry I. Patrie36thWilliam H. Hampton* Republican37thPerley A. Pitcher* Republican38thGeorge R. Fearon* RepublicanMinority Leader39thWalter W. Stokes* Republican40thMartin W. Deyo* Republican41stC. Tracey Stagg* Republican42ndCharles J. Hewitt* Republican43rdEarle S. Warner* Republican44thJoe R. Hanley* Republican45thGeorge B. Kelly* Democraton November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress46thNorman A. O'Brien* Democrat47thWilliam H. Lee* Republican48thDavid E. Doyle* Democrat49thStephen J. Wojtkowiak* Democrat50thNelson W. Cheney* Republican51stLeigh G. Kirkland* Republican
Employees Clerk: James J. Reilly
State Assembly
Assemblymen
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stErastus Corning 2nd Democrat2ndJohn P. Hayes* Democrat3rdS. Earl McDermott* Democrat AlleganyWilliam H. MacKenzie Republican Bronx1stMatthew J. H. McLaughlin* Democrat2ndDoris I. Byrne* Democrat3rdCarl Pack* Democrat4thSamuel Weisman* Democrat5thJulius J. Gans DemocratBenjamin Gladstone, the previous incumbent, won the election on November 5, 1935 but died unexpectedly the following month. Gans won the special election held on January 21, 1936 to replace him. (Assembly Seat Won by Bronx Democrat – Gans Is Victor in Special Vote — Communist Runs Second, Republican Fourth. New York Times, January 22, 1966, p. 2.)6thPeter A. Quinn Democrat7thBernard R. Fleisher Democrat8thJohn A. Devany Jr.* Democrat Broome1stEdward F. Vincent* Republican2ndJames E. Hill* Republican CattaraugusJames W. Riley* Republican CayugaAndrew D. Burgdorf* Republican Chautauqua1stLloyd J. Babcock* Republican2ndCarl E. Darling Republican ChemungChauncey B. Hammond* Republican ChenangoIrving M. Ives* Republicanelected Speaker; Chairman of Rules ClintonMcKenzie B. Stewart* Republican ColumbiaFrederick A. Washburn* Republican CortlandAlbert Haskell Jr.* Republican DelawareE. Ogden Bush* RepublicanChairman of Public Health Dutchess1stHoward N. Allen* RepublicanChairman of Agriculture2ndEmerson D. Fite* Republican Erie1stFrank A. Gugino Republican2ndHarold B. Ehrlich* Republican3rdFrank X. Bernhardt Republican4thAnthony J. Canney* Democrat5thEdwin L. Kantowski* Democrat6thFred Koehler Republican7thArthur L. Swartz* RepublicanChairman of Penal Institutions8thR. Foster Piper* RepublicanChairman of Insurance EssexThomas A. Leahy Republican FranklinJohn H. Black* Republican Fulton and HamiltonDenton D. Lake Republican GeneseeHerbert A. Rapp* RepublicanChairman of Motor Vehicles GreenePaul Fromer Republican HerkimerDavid C. Wightman* Republican JeffersonRussell Wright Republican Kings1stCrawford W. Hawkins* Democrat2ndAlbert D. Schanzer* Democrat3rdMichael J. Gillen* Democrat4thBernard Austin* Democrat5thCharles R. McConnell* Democrat6thRobert J. Crews Rep./City F.7thWilliam Kirnan* Dem./Jeff.8thJames V. Mangano* Democrat9thEdgar F. Moran Democrat10thWilliam C. McCreery* Dem./Jeff.11thBernard J. Moran* Democrat12thEdward S. Moran Jr.* Democrat13thRalph Schwartz* Democrat14thAaron F. Goldstein* Democrat15thEdward P. Doyle* Democrat16thCarmine J. Marasco* Democrat17thGeorge W. Stewart* Democrat18thIrwin Steingut* DemocratMinority Leader19thGeorge Kaminsky* Democrat20thEugene J. Keogh Democraton November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress21stCharles H. Breitbart* Democrat22ndClement A. Shelton Democrat23rdG. Thomas LoRe* Democrat LewisFred A. Young Republican LivingstonJames J. Wadsworth* RepublicanChairman of Public Welfare and Relief MadisonWheeler Milmoe* Republican Monroe1stPritchard H. Strong Republican2ndCharles R. Haggerty Republican3rdEarl C. Langenbacher* Democrat4thHarry J. Gaynor Republican5thWalter H. Wickins Republican MontgomeryL. James Shaver* Republican Nassau1stHarold P. Herman* RepublicanChairman of Mortgage and Real Estate2ndLeonard W. Hall* RepublicanChairman of Re-Apportionment New York1stJames J. Dooling* Democrat2ndNicholas A. Rossi* Democrat3rdEugene R. Duffy* Democrat4thLeonard Farbstein* Democrat5thJohn F. Killgrew* Democrat6thIrving D. Neustein* Democrat7thSaul S. Streit* Democrat8thStephen J. Jarema Democrat9thIra H. Holley* Democrat10thHerbert Brownell Jr.* Rep./City F.Chairman of Affairs of the City of New York11thPatrick H. Sullivan* Democrat12thJohn A. Byrnes* Democrat13thWilliam J. Sheldrick* Democrat14thFrancis J. McCaffrey Jr.* Democrat15thAbbot Low Moffat* RepublicanChairman of Ways and Means16thWilliam Schwartz* Democrat17thMeyer Alterman* Democrat18thSalvatore A. Farenga* Democrat19thRobert W. Justice Democrat20thMichael J. Keenan Democrat21stWilliam T. Andrews* Democrat22ndDaniel Flynn* Democrat23rdWilliam J. A. Glancy Democrat Niagara1stFayette E. Pease* Republican2ndHarry D. Suitor* Republican Oneida1stPaul B. Mercier Democrat2ndWilliam R. Williams Republican3rdFred L. Meiss* Republican Onondaga1stHorace M. Stone* RepublicanChairman of Judiciary2ndGeorge B. Parsons* Republican3rdRichard B. Smith* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Cities OntarioHarry R. Marble* Republican Orange1stLee B. Mailler* Republican2ndRainey S. Taylor* RepublicanChairman of General Laws OrleansJohn S. Thompson* RepublicanChairman of Public Service OswegoErnest J. Lonis* Republican OtsegoFrank G. Sherman* Republican PutnamD. Mallory Stephens* RepublicanChairman of Banks Queens1stMario J. Cariello Democrat2ndGeorge F. Torsney* Democrat3rdPeter T. Farrell* Democrat4thDaniel E. Fitzpatrick Democrat5thMaurice A. FitzGerald* Democrat6thJames L. Dixon Democrat Rensselaer1stPhilip J. Casey Ind. Dem.Casey was a Democrat who was elected on the Republican and Independent Citizens tickets, defeating the incumbent Democrat Michael F. Breen who ran on the Democratic and Socialist tickets for re-election.2ndMaurice Whitney* Rep./Ind. C.Chairman of Commerce and Navigation Richmond1stCharles Bormann Democrat2ndHerman Methfessel* Democrat RocklandLaurens M. Hamilton* RepublicanChairman of Civil Service St. Lawrence1stW. Allan Newell* Republican2ndWarren O. Daniels* Republican SaratogaWilliam E. Morris* Republican Schenectady1stOswald D. Heck* RepublicanMajority Leader2ndHarold Armstrong* Republican SchoharieWilliam S. Dunn* Dem./Soc. SchuylerFloyd E. Meeks Republican SenecaJames D. Pollard* Republican Steuben1stWilson Messer* Republican2ndJ. Austin Otto* Republican Suffolk1stJohn G. Downs* Republican2ndHamilton F. Potter* Republican SullivanJ. Maxwell Knapp* Republican TiogaFrank G. Miller* RepublicanChairman of Public Printing TompkinsJames R. Robinson* RepublicanChairman of Codes UlsterJ. Edward Conway* Rep./Soc. WarrenHarry A. Reoux* Republican WashingtonHerbert A. Bartholomew* RepublicanChairman of Internal Affairs WayneHarry L. Averill* RepublicanChairman of Public Education Westchester1stHerbert R. Smith* Republican2ndRalph A. Gamble* RepublicanChairman of Taxation and Retrenchment3rdHugh A. Lavery* Democrat4thJane H. Todd* RepublicanChairwoman of Social Welfare5thWilliam T. Grieve Republican WyomingHarold C. Ostertag* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Villages YatesFred S. Hollowell* RepublicanChairman of Excise
Employees Clerk: Ansley B. Borkowski Secretary to the Speaker: Truman G. Searle
Notes
Sources Members of the New York Assembly (1930s) at Political Graveyard Members of Legislature—1936 in The State Employee (February 1936, Vol. 5, No. 2, pg. 10, 12 and 15) Moffat to Get Ways–Means Post in G.O.P. Harmony Move in the New York Post on January 6, 1936 Moffat Heads Ways and Means Comm. in the Plattsburgh Daily Press, of Plattsburgh, on January 7, 1936 Republican Bolters Suffer No Reprisals at Hands of Speaker in The Niagara Falls Gazette, of Niagara Falls, on January 19, 1937