The 71st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 12, 1848, during the second year of John Young'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.

On September 27, the Legislative passed "An Act to provide for the election of a Lieutenant Governor", to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Addison Gardiner.

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 radical abolitionists appeared as the Liberty Party. The Anti-Rent Party nominated some candidates, but mostly cross-endorsed Whigs or Democrats, according to their opinion on the rent issue. The Native American Party (later better known as "Know Nothings") also ran.

Elections The 1847 New York state election was held on November 3. Hamilton Fish (W) was elected Lieutenant Governor; and all the other eleven statewide elective offices were won by the Whigs.

24 Whigs and 8 Democrats were elected to the State Senate. 93 Whigs and 35 Democrats were elected to the Assembly.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1848; and adjourned on April 12.

Amos K. Hadley (W) was elected Speaker with 89 votes against 22 for Henry Wager (D).

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. Valentine Treadwell and William J. Cornwell changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Party affiliations follow the vote on Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms.see Journal of the Senate (71st Session) (1848; pg. 6)

District Senator Party Notes1stJohn G. Floyd Democrat2ndDavid A. Bokee Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress3rdWilliam Hall Whig4thJohn L. Lawrence Whig5thSamuel Frost Whig6thWilliam Samuel Johnson Whig7thSaxton Smith* Democrat8thAlexander J. Coffin Whig9thSamuel J. Wilkin Whig10thPlatt Adams Democrat11thValentine Treadwell* Whig12thAlbert R. Fox Whig13thJames M. Cook Whig14thJames S. Whallon Democrat15thJohn Fine Democrat16thThomas Burch Whig17thJohn M. Betts Democrat18thDavid H. Little Whig19thThomas E. Clark Whig20thThomas H. Bond Whig21stJohn W. Tamblin Democrat22ndGeorge Geddes Whig23rdSamuel H. P. Hall* Whig24thWilliam J. Cornwell* Whig25thTimothy S. Williams Whig26thWilliam M. Hawley Democrat27thJerome Fuller Whig28thA. Hyde Cole Whig 29thAllen Ayrault Whigresigned his seat on June 2, 184830thJohn W. Brownson Whig31stJohn T. Bush Whig32ndFrederick S. Martin Whig

Employees Clerk: Andrew H. Calhoun Deputy Clerks: John P. Lott, J. N. T. Tucker Sergeant-at-Arms: Senter M. Giddings Doorkeeper: Ransom Van Valkenburgh Assistant Doorkeeper: George A. Loomis Reporter (Albany Argus): William G. Bishop Reporter (Evening Journal): Frans. S. Rew Messengers: John Manning, Richard E. Nagle Janitor: David Emery

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.see Journal of the Assembly (71st Session) (1848; pg. 8f); see also incomplete result in New York Daily Tribune (issue of November 6, 1847)

District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stEdward S. Willett Whig2ndFrederick Mathias Whig3rdRobert H. Pruyn Whig4thHenry A. Brigham Whig Allegany1stJohn Wheeler Whig2ndWilliam Cobb Democrat BroomeJeremiah Hull Whig Cattaraugus1stJames G. Johnson Whig2ndMarcus H. Johnson Cayuga1stEbenezer Curtis Whig2ndJohn I. Brinckerhoff Whig3rdHector C. Tuthill Whig Chautauqua1stJohn H. Pray Whig2ndDavid H. Treadway Whig ChemungGeorge W. Buck Whig Chenango1stLevi H. Case Democrat2ndEzra P. Church Whig ClintonRufus Heaton* Democrat Columbia1stJonas H. Miller Whig2ndCharles B. Osborn Whig CortlandJames Comstock Whig Delaware1stPlatt Townsend2ndJohn Calhoun Whig Dutchess1stEdgar Vincent Whig2ndDavid Collins Jr. Whig3rdJames Hammond Whig Erie1stElbridge G. Spaulding Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress2ndHarry Slade Whig3rdIra E. Irish Whig4thCharles C. Severance Whig EssexWilliam H. Butrick* Whig FranklinElos L. Winslow Democrat Fulton and HamiltonIsaac Benedict Democrat Genesee1stTracy Pardee Whig2ndAlonzo S. Upham* Whig Greene1stAlexander H. Palmer Whig2ndFrederick A. Fenn Democrat Herkimer1stJames Feeter Whig2ndLawrence L. Merry Whig Jefferson1stBenjamin Maxson Democrat2ndHarvey D. Parker Democrat3rdFleury Keith Democrat Kings1stEbenezer W. Peck* Whig2ndEdwards W. Fiske Whig3rdJohn A. Cross Whig LewisDavid D. Reamer Whig Livingston1stGurdon Nowlen WhigNowlan2ndNathaniel Coe Whig Madison1stJohn T. G. Bailey Whig2ndGeorge Grant Democrat Monroe1stEzra Sheldon Whig2ndAbraham M. Schermerhorn Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress3rdIsaac Chase Jr. Whig Montgomery1stAsa Bowman Whig2ndWilliam A. Haslet Democrat New York1stJ. Phillips Phoenix Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress2ndJames Bowen Whig3rdJohn H. Bowie* Democrat4thJohn F. Rodman Whig5thPeter H. Titus Whig6thSamuel G. Raymond Whig7thWilliam B. Meech Whig8thThomas Charlock Democrat9thDennis Garrison* Democrat10thMartin H. Truesdell Whig11thAlexander Stewart* Democrat12thMichael Walsh* Democrat13thErastus C. Benedict Whig14thRobert G. Campbell Whig15thMerwin R. Brewer Whig16thJames Brooks Whigon November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress Niagara1stElias Ransom Whig2ndSolomon Moss Democratcontested by Morgan Johnson (W) who was seated on April 1see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 206–228) Oneida1stLuke Smith Whig2ndWarren Converse Whig3rdBloomfield J. Beach Whig4thHenry Wager Democrat Onondaga1stJames Little Democrat2ndHorace Hazen Whig3rdThomas Spencer Whig4thCurtis J. Hurd Whig Ontario1stCharles S. Brother Whig2ndHiram Ashley Whig Orange1stStephen Rapelje Whig2ndGeorge Houston Whig3rdAugustus P. Thompson Whig OrleansArba Chubb Whig Oswego1stM. Lindley Lee* Whig2ndAndrew Z. McCarty Whig Otsego1stBenjamin Davis Whig2ndOlcott C. Chamberlin3rdElisha S. Sanders Democrat PutnamChauncey R. Weeks Whig QueensWessell S. Smith* Whig Rensselaer1stAmos K. Hadley* Whigelected Speaker2ndGeorge T. Denison Whig3rdGeorge W. Glass Whig RichmondEphraim J. Totten Whig RocklandLawrence J. Sneden Whig St. Lawrence1stCharles G. Myers Democratalso D.A. of St. Lawrence County2ndJohn S. Chipman Whig3rdBenjamin Holmes Whig Saratoga1stCady Hollister Democrat2ndGeorge Payn Whig SchenectadyAbraham W. Toll Democrat Schoharie1stAdam Mattice Democrat2ndJames Parsons Democrat SenecaJohn Kennedy Democrat Steuben1stAbel Kendall Democrat2ndJohn G. Mersereau Whig3rdAlexander H. Stephens Suffolk1stEdwin Rose Whig2ndWilliam Sidney Smith Democrat SullivanJames F. Bush Whig TiogaErastus Goodrich Democrat Tompkins1stJohn Jessup Whig2ndAlpheus West Whig Ulster1stGeorge A. Gay Whig2ndJob G. Elmore Whig WarrenAlbert Cheney Whig Washington1stBenjamin Crocker Whig2ndElisha A. Martin Whig Wayne1stEliada Pettit Whig2ndJohn Lapham Whig Westchester1stRichard M. Underhill Whig2ndJared V. Peck Democrat WyomingPaul Richards Whig YatesHatley N. Dox Whig

Employees Clerk: Philander B. Prindle Deputy Clerks: Edgar A. Barber, William E. Mills, Friend W. Humphrey Sergeant-at-Arms: Samuel H. Marks Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: William Van Olinda Doorkeeper: John Davies First Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Merclean Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Erasmus D. S. Strong Doorkeeper for the Gentlemen's Gallery: Isaac Betticker Dorrkeeper for the Ladies' Gallery: Alexander Hamilton Stoutenburgh Porter: George Fonda Librarians: Ira Dubois, John T. Diossey Messengers: William Freeman, George W. Weed, Peter Craff, Edward Martin, James Whelpley, Seymour Daley, Harris Fellows, Peter Drum, Andrew Ryan, Penfield Strong, Webster Gardiner, Eugene Rearden, A. W. Baker

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] Documents of the Senate (71st Session) (1848; pg. 61ff