The 83rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 17, 1860, during the second 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 Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Know Nothings, or "American Party," endorsed either Republican or Democratic nominees.

Elections The 1859 New York state election was held on November 8. The nine statewide elective offices were carried by six Republicans and three Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as gathered from the vote for State officers was: Republican 251,000; Democratic 227,000; and American 25,000. The Americans did not nominate own candidates, but endorsed five Republicans and four Democrats on their State ticket. This led to easy elections of the endorsed Republicans, but very tight races for the endorsed Democrats, three of whom were elected by very slim majorities.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1860; and adjourned on April 17.

DeWitt C. Littlejohn (R) was re-elected Speaker with 89 votes against 30 for Theophilus C. Callicot (D).

On January 25, Nathan Lapham (R) 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 Brookland; 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. Francis B. Spinola, Lyman Truman, Alexander B. Williams and Erastus S. Prosser were re-elected. Edward A. Lawrence and Thomas A. Gardiner changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Party affiliations follow the vote on Senate officers.

District Senator Party Notes1stEdward A. Lawrence* Democrat2ndThomas A. Gardiner* Democrat3rdFrancis B. Spinola* Democrat4thJohn McLeod Murphy Democrat5thBernard Kelly Democrat6thBenjamin F. Manierre Republican7thRichard B. Connolly Democrat8thHezekiah D. Robertson Republican9thRobert Y. Grant Democrat10thJoshua Fiero Jr. Republican11thJohn H. Ketcham Republican12thVolney Richmond Republican13thAndrew J. Colvin Democrat14thJoseph H. Ramsey Republican15thIsaiah Blood Democrat16thNathan Lapham Republicanon January 25, elected president pro tempore17thCharles C. Montgomery Republican18thJames A. Bell Republican19thWilliam H. Ferry Republican20thFrancis M. Rotch Republican21stAndrew S. Warner Republican22ndAllen Munroe Republican23rdPerrin H. McGraw Republican24thLyman Truman* Republican25thAlexander B. Williams* Republican26thThomas Hillhouse Republican27thSamuel H. Hammond Republican28thEphraim Goss Republican29thPeter P. Murphy Republican30thDavid H. Abell Republican31stErastus S. Prosser* Republican32ndWalter L. Sessions Republican

Employees Clerk: James Terwilliger Deputy Clerk: Loren B. Sessions Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Clark Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George H. Knapp Doorkeeper: Peter Kilmer First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles Johnson Second Assistant Doorkeeper: John H. France Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Caspar Walter

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 Albany1stJohn I. Slingerland Republican2ndStephen Merselis Jr. Republican3rdSamuel W. Gibbs Democrat4thLorenzo D. Collins* Republican Allegany1stWilliam M. Smith Republican2ndDarwin E. Maxson Republican BroomeHenry Mather Republican Cattaraugus1stUlysses P. Crane Republican2ndJames M. Smith Republican Cayuga1stWilliam W. Payne* Republican2ndAllen D. Morgan Republican Chautauqua1stEbenezer G. Cook Republican2ndHiram Smith 2d Republican ChemungLucius Robinson Republican Chenango1stSamuel L. Beebe Republican2ndJoseph Bush Republican ClintonHenry McFadden Republican Columbia1stPeter McArthur Republican2ndP. Edward Van Alstyne Republican CortlandJohn A. McVean Republican Delaware 1stvacantAssemblyman-elect Donald Douglas Shaw died on December 29, 1859Barna R. Johnson Republicanelected to fill vacancy; seated on February 152ndSamuel A. Law* Republican Dutchess1stAbiah W. Palmer Republican2ndRichard J. Garretson Democrat Erie1stOrlando Allen Republican2ndHenry B. Miller* Republican3rdHiram Newell Republican4thJoseph H. Plumb Republican EssexMartin Finch Republican FranklinWells S. Dickinson Republican Fulton and HamiltonJames Kennedy Democrat GeneseeElbridge G. Moulton* Republican GreeneGerry Coonley Democrat Herkimer1stStephen R. Millington Republican2ndIrving Holcomb Republican Jefferson1stBernard D. Searles Republican2ndWilliam W. Taggart Republican3rdMoses C. Jewett Republican Kings1stAndrew A. Myers Democrat2ndCharles Kelsey Democrat3rdTheophilus C. Callicot Democrat4thJames Darcy Democrat5thWilliam C. Jones Democrat6thCharles M. Briggs Republican7thGeorge H. Fisher Republican LewisRichardson T. Hough Republican Livingston1stSamuel L. Fuller* Republican2ndJohn Wiley* Republican Madison1stDavid Clark Republican2ndJames Barnett Republican Monroe1stThomas J. Jeffords Republican2ndElias Pond* Republican3rdAlphonso Perry* Republican MontgomeryJay D. Bowman Am./Dem.Bowman was elected on the Know Nothing and Democratic tickets, and voted for Samuel L. Law as Speaker. Law had been the Know Nothing candidate for Speaker in 1858, but voted now for Littlejohn. New York1stWilliam Burns Democrat2ndWilliam Walsh Democrat3rdChristian B. Woodruff* Democrat4thWilliam Gover* Democrat5thWilliam L. Coles Democrat6thSamuel T. Webster Democrat7thFrederick A. Conkling* Republicanon November 6, 1860, elected to the 37th U.S. Congress8thThomas O'Rourke Democrat9thDavid R. Jaques Republican10thJoseph P. Cooper Republican11thCummings H. Tucker Republican12thAndrew Smith Democrat13thPeter Masterson* Democrat14thTheodore B. Voorhees Democrat15thGeorge W. Varian Democrat16thHenry Arcularius Democrat17thWilliam Harris Democrat Niagara1stThomas T. Flagler Republican2ndBurt Van Horn* Republicanon November 6, 1860, elected to the 37th U.S. Congress Oneida1stJames McQuade Republican2ndBenjamin Allen Republican3rdThomas Evans Republican4thGeorge Williams Republican Onondaga1stJeremiah Emerick Republican2ndAustin Myers Republican3rdPhiletus Clark Republican Ontario1stLewis Peck Republican2ndShotwell Powell* Republican Orange1stPeter C. Regan Democrat2ndHarvey R. Cadwell Democrat OrleansAbel Stilson Republican Oswego1stDeWitt C. Littlejohn* Republicanre-elected Speaker2ndWilliam H. Carter Republican3rdRobert S. Kelsey Republican Otsego1stEzra S. Whipple Republican2ndDavid B. St. John* Republican PutnamEdwin A. Pelton* Republican Queens1stStephen Taber Democrat2ndJohn Pettit Democrat Rensselaer1stThomas Coleman* Republican2ndJames A. Culver Republican3rdAnson Bingham* Republican RichmondTheodore C. Vermilye Democrat RocklandPeter S. Yeury Democrat St. Lawrence1stCharles Richardson Republican2ndEdwin A. Merritt Republican3rdClark S. Chittenden Republican Saratoga1stJohn Fulton Democrat2ndJudiah Ellsworth Republican SchenectadyPeter Dorsch Republican SchoharieJohn W. Couchman Democrat SchuylerEdwin H. Downs Republican SenecaJohn C. Hall Democrat Steuben1stDaniel Gray Republican2ndWickham R. Crocker* Republican3rdLorenzo N. Rider Republican Suffolk1stPhilander R. Jennings Republican2ndRichard J. Cornelius* Democrat SullivanAbram W. Decker Democrat TiogaDavid Earll* Republican TompkinsJeremiah W. Dwight Republican Ulster1stHumphrey Jewell Republican2ndJeremiah Clark Democrat3rdJohn H. Kortright Democrat WarrenBenjamin C. Butler Republican Washington1stJames Savage Republican2ndPelatiah Jakway Republican Wayne1stJames M. Servis Republican2ndAbel J. Bixby Republican Westchester1stWilliam T. B. Milliken Republican2ndN. Holmes Odell Democrat3rdGaylord B. Hubbell* Republican WyomingGeorge G. Hoskins Republican YatesGeorge R. Barden Republican

Employees Clerk: William RichardsonWilliam Richardson (1822–1893), later an alderman in Brooklyn, and owner of the Atlantic Avenue Railroad; see Biography Assistant Clerk: Luther Caldwell Sergeant-at-Arms: Eleazer A. Williams Doorkeeper: Joseph Ball First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles L. Curtis Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Bradford Davis Journal Clerk: Cornelius S. Underwood Engrossing Clerk: Henry S. Crandall Senior Deputy Clerk: John A. Haddock

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. 442 for senators; pg. 450–462 for Assembly districts; and pg. 489ff for assemblymen) Journal of the Senate (83rd Session) (1860) Journal of the Assembly (83rd Session) (1860)