The 80th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 18, 1857, during the first year of John A. King'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.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Know Nothing movement ran in the election as the "American Party."
Elections The 1856 New York state election was held on November 4. Republicans John A. King and Henry R. Selden were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The other three statewide elective offices were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote on Governor was: Republican 265,000; Democratic 198,000; and American 130,000.
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1857; and adjourned on April 18.
DeWitt C. Littlejohn (R) was again elected Speaker with 79 votes against 35 for David R. Floyd-Jones (D), and 7 for Joseph B. Varnum Jr. (A). William Richardson (R) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 78 votes against 37 for John S. Nafew (D) and 7 for G. M. Stevens (A).
On January 24, Mark Spencer (D) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.
On February 3, the Legislature elected Preston King (R) to succeed Hamilton Fish as U.S. Senator from New York for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1857.
On April 7, the Legislature elected Henry H. Van Dyck (R) to succeed Victor M. Rice as State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
On April 13, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts, and the Assembly seats per county. Cayuga, Dutchess, Genesee, Greene, Montgomery, Onondaga, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie and Tompkins counties lost one seat each; New York, Oswego, Queens, Ulster and Westchester counties gained one seat each; Kings County gained four seats; and the new Schuyler County was apportioned one seat.see The Revised Statutes of the State of New York (1859; Senate pg. 149f, Assembly pg. 452f)
On April 15, the Legislature passed "An Act to establish a Metropolitan Police District, and to provide for the government thereof." This act re-organized, and unified, the police forces in New York City, Staten Island, Kings County and Westchester County. The Metropolitan Police was headed by a Board consisting of five Commissioners (appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate) and the Mayors of New York City and Brooklyn.see Laws of the State of New York (80th Session) (1857; pg. 200–219) At first, Mayor Fernando Wood did not recognize the Metropoplitan Police, and refused to disband the Municipal Police. The struggle led to the New York City Police Riot, but after the New York Court of Appeals upheld the Legislature's police law, Mayor Wood quietly agreed to abide by it.
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.
Party affiliations follow the vote on U.S. Senator and Regent of the University.
District Senator Party Notes1stJames Rider* Republican2ndCyrus P. Smith* Republican3rdDaniel E. Sickles* Democratunsuccessfully contested by Thomas J. Barr (D);The decision on the contested seat was postponed during the previous session, and decided in favor of Sickles on January 28, 1857. on November 4, 1856, elected to the 35th U.S. Congress4thJoseph H. Petty* American5thMark Spencer* Democraton January 24, elected president pro tempore6thErastus Brooks* American7thJohn W. Ferdon* American8thWilliam Kelly* Democrat9thEdward M. Madden* Republican10thGeorge S. Nichols* American11thJohn W. Harcourt* American12thAmos Briggs* American13thJustin A. Smith* American14thWilliam Hotchkiss* American 15thZenas Clark* Republicanresigned, due to ill health, on February 13Bloomfield Usher Republicanelected to fill vacancy, seated on March 1216thFrederick P. Bellinger* Republican17thJoseph H. Ramsey* Republican18thAddison M. Smith* American19thEaton J. Richardson* Republican20thM. Lindley Lee* Republican21stGardner Towne* Republican22ndJames Noxon* Republican23rdGeorge W. Bradford* Republican24thSamuel C. Cuyler* Republican25thJames Huntington* Republican26thJohn K. Hale* American27thJohn E. Paterson* Republican28thAlonzo S. Upham* Republican29thSidney Sweet* American30thJohn B. Halsted* Republican31stJames Wadsworth* Democrat32ndJohn P. Darling Republicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Roderick White
Employees Clerk: Samuel P. Allen Sergeant-at-Arms: Samuel R. Tuell Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George W. Bedell Doorkeeper: William Coppernall Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry W. Shipman Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Victor M. Dearborn
State Assembly Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Richard U. Sherman, the Clerk of the Assembly during the previous Session, was elected a member.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stRichard Kimmey Democrat2ndAdam Van Allen Republican3rdJohn Evers Democrattook his seat on February 254thFranklin Townsend Democrat Allegany1stWilliam M. Smith Republican2ndJames T. Cameron Republican BroomeEnos Puffer Republican Cattaraugus1stAlanson King Republican2ndRufus Crowley Republican Cayuga1stJames J. Owen Republican2ndTheodore M. Pomeroy Republican3rdHiram Tifft Republican Chautauqua1stHenry A. Prendergast* Republican2ndIsaac George Republican ChemungWilliam T. Hastings Republican Chenango1stAnsel Berry Republican2ndWilliam H. Hyde Republican ClintonHorace P. Perry Republican Columbia1stJohn Miller Democrat2ndJohn T. Hogeboom Republican CortlandJoseph Atwater Republican Delaware1stBarna R. Johnson Republican2ndWarren Dimmick American Dutchess1stJohn H. Ketcham* Republican2ndFranklin Dudley Republican3rdCornelius N. Campbell Democrat Erie1stAugustus J. Tiffany Republican2ndGeorge De Witt Clinton Democrat3rdHorace Boies Republican4thS. Carey Adams Republican EssexRalph A. Loveland Republican FranklinGeorge Mott Democrat Fulton and HamiltonPatrick McFarlan Democrat Genesee1stSeth Wakeman* Republican2ndJohn J. McPherson Republican Greene1stDavid Whiting Democrat2ndHezekiah Baldwin Republican Herkimer1stJohn H. Wooster Republican2ndHarris Lewis Republican Jefferson1stCalvin Littlefield Republican2ndCleanthus P. Granger Republican3rdAbner W. Peck Republican Kings1stJohn Hanford* Democrat2ndThomas Mulligan Democrat3rdJohn H. Funk Democrat LewisLucian Clark Republican Livingston1stLyman Hawes Republican2ndAlfred Bell Republican Madison1stAlbert G. Purdy Republican2ndThomas P. Bishop Republican Monroe1stJeremiah S. Baker Republican2ndJohn T. Lacey Republican3rdRobert Staples Republican Montgomery1stMatthew O. Davis Republican2ndHezekiah Baker Republican New York1stDaniel Mahen* Democrat2ndThomas Kivlen Democrat3rdAndrew Sheehan Democrat4thJohn D. Dixon* Democrat5thJohn J. Reilly* Democrat6thNathaniel Roe Democrat7thHenry J. Irving American8thThomas Charlock Democrat9thErastus W. Glover* Democrat10thJames S. Sluyter Democrat11thJames J. Reilly Democrat12thNicholas W. Mooney Democrat13thJoseph B. Varnum Jr. American14thRobert B. Bradford Democrat15thArthur Woods* Democrat16thSamuel T. Roberts Democrat Niagara1stElisha Clapp Republican2ndJohn Gould* Republican Oneida1stRichard U. Sherman Republican2ndPeleg B. Babcock Republicandied on April 2, 18573rdJohn Holstead Republican4thIngham Townsend Republican Onondaga1stJohn D. Rhoades Republican2ndSidney Smith Republican3rdElias W. Leavenworth Republican4thCharles H. Meade Republican Ontario1stSamuel A. Foot* Republican2ndZoroaster Paul Republican Orange1stJames R. Dickson Democrat2ndGeorge B. Cox Republican3rdErastus Stickney Democrat OrleansAlmanzor Hutchinson Republican Oswego1stDeWitt C. Littlejohn Republicanelected Speaker2ndLeonard Ames Republican Otsego1stSamuel H. Grant Democrat2ndCharles W. Tallett Republican3rdGeorge M. Hollis Republican PutnamChauncey R. Weeks Republican QueensDavid R. Floyd-Jones Democrat Rensselaer1stDarius Allen Democrat2ndVolney Richmond Republican3rdEbenezer S. Strait American RichmondJoshua Mersereau Democrat RocklandJames Westervelt Democrat St. Lawrence1stEmory W. Abbott* Republican2ndBenjamin Squire* Republican3rdErasmus D. Brooks Republican Saratoga1stGeorge G. Scott* Democrat2ndSamuel J. Mott Republican SchenectadyNicholas Barhydt Republican Schoharie1stTobias Bouck Democrat2ndWilliam H. Crowe Democrat SenecaBenson Owen Republican Steuben1stRobert B. Van Valkenburgh Republican2ndGeorge T. Spencer Republican3rdSolon O. Thacher Republican Suffolk1stEdwin Rose American2ndAbraham G. Thompson Democrat SullivanDavid B. Luckey American TiogaDavid Rees Republican Tompkins1stAlexander Bowerdid not take his seat, due to illness2ndElias W. Cady Republican Ulster1stMartin Schutt American2ndAlbert Carpenter American WarrenSamuel Somerville Jr. Republicantook his seat on January 14 Washington1stAnson Ingraham Republican2ndHenry W. Beckwith Republican Wayne1stThomas Johnson Republican2ndJoseph Peacock Republican Westchester1stArnell F. Dickinson Republican2ndEdmund G. Sutherland Democrat WyomingCyril Rawson Republican YatesAbraham V. Harpending Republican
Employees Clerk: William RichardsonWilliam Richardson (1822–1893), later an alderman in Brooklyn, and owner of the Atlantic Avenue Railroad; see Biography Sergeant-at-Arms: Norman P. Hitchcock Doorkeeper: Nathan Newhafer First Assistant Doorkeeper: Patrick Farrell Second Assistant Doorkeeper: John Lewis
Notes