The 87th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 23, 1864, during the second year of Horatio Seymour's second tenure as Governor of New York, 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 Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats split over the civil war issue. The "War Democrats" and the Republicans formed a coalition known as the "Republican Union," and supported President Abraham Lincoln and the Union Army's war effort; the rump Democratic Party opposed the war, favoring a compromise with the South, and became known as "Peace Democrats" or "Copperheads."
Elections The 1863 New York state election was held on November 3. All eight statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Republican Union. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Republican Union 314,000 and Democrats 285,000.
Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1864; and adjourned on April 23.
Thomas G. Alvord (R) was elected again Speaker with 77 votes against 42 for Jacob L. Smith (D). Joseph B. Cushman (R) was re-elected Clerk of the Assembly with 78 votes against 44 for John C. Jacobs (D).
On February 3, James M. Cook (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for this day."
On February 4, James A. Bell (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for the present session."
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 Brooklyn; 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. Thomas C. Fields, Saxton Smith, Palmer E. Havens and Ezra Cornell changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Regents of USNY.
District Senator Party Notes1stRobert Christie Jr. Democrat2ndDemas Strong Democrat3rdHenry C. Murphy* Democratre-elected4thChristian B. Woodruff* Democratre-elected; from May 5, 1864, also a New York City Tax Commissioner5thLuke F. Cozans Democrat6thWilliam Laimbeer Jr. Republican7thThomas C. Fields* Democratalso a Central Park Commissioner8thSaxton Smith* Democrat9thArchibald C. Niven Democratcontested by Henry R. Low (R), decision postponed10thGeorge Beach Democrat11thJohn B. Dutcher Republican12thFrederick H. Hastings Republicantook his seat on January 2113thIra Shafer Democrat14thOrson M. Allaben Democrat15thJames M. Cook Republicanon February 3, elected president pro tempore16thPalmer E. Havens* Republican17thAlbert Hobbs Republican18thJames A. Bell* Republicanre-elected; on February 4, elected president pro tempore19thAlexander H. Bailey* Republicanre-elected20thGeorge H. Andrews Republican21stCheney Ames Republican22ndAndrew D. White Republican23rdFrederick Juliand Republican24thEzra Cornell* Republican25thStephen K. Williams Republican26thCharles J. Folger* Republicanre-elected27thStephen T. Hayt Republican28thGeorge G. Munger Republican29thDan H. Cole Republican30thWilkes Angel* Republicanre-elected31stJames M. Humphrey Democrattook his seat on January 6; on November 8, 1864, elected to the 39th U.S. Congress32ndNorman M. Allen Republican
Employees Clerk: James Terwilliger Sergeant-at-Arms: Azel B. Hull Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Sanders Wilson Doorkeeper: Lawrence Van Duzen First Assistant Doorkeeper: Casper Walter Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Edmund Traver Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Anson W. Johnson
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, and Regents of USNY.
District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stHarris Parr Democrat2ndMorgan L. Filkins Republican3rdThomas McCarty Democrat4thWilliam L. Oswald* Democrat Allegany1stCharles M. Crandall Republican2ndMorris S. Chase Republican BroomeMulford Northrup Republican Cattaraugus1stSmith Parish Republican2ndAlbert G. Dow* Republican Cayuga1stBenjamin M. Close Republican2ndWilliam P. Robinson* Republican Chautauqua1stJohn Steward* Republican2ndJulien T. Williams Republican ChemungWilliam T. Post Republican Chenango1stGeorge W. Sumner Republican2ndDyer D. Bullock Republican ClintonGeorge Hallock Republican Columbia1stAmos Miller Democrat2ndWright H. Barnes Republican CortlandBenjamin F. Tillinghast Republican Delaware1stJerome B. Landfield Republican2ndFrancis R. Gilbert* Democrat Dutchess1stJames Howard Republican2ndJohn N. Cramer Republican Erie1stWalter W. Stanard Democrat2ndFrederick P. Stevens Republican3rdTimothy A. Hopkins* Democrat4thSeth Fenner Republican EssexWilliam H. Richardson Republican FranklinAlbert Andrus* Republican Fulton and HamiltonWilliam A. Smith Republican GeneseeLoren Green* Republican GreeneWilliam W. Pettit Democrat Herkimer1stJohn H. Wooster Republican2ndEzra D. Beckwith Republican Jefferson1stGeorge M. Hopkinson Republican2ndLewis Palmer Republican3rdWilliam Dewey* Republicantook his seat on January 19 Kings1stPhilip S. Crooke Republican2ndJohn O'Connor Democrat3rdEdward D. White Republican4thAndrew Walsh Democrat5thJohn C. Perry Republican6thAngelo Newton Republican7thJacob Worth Republican LewisJohn O'Donnell Republican Livingston1stHamilton E. Smith* Republican2ndJonathan B. Morey Republicantook his seat on January 12 Madison1stJohn W. Lippitt Republican2ndDaniel F. Kellogg Republicanleft the Assembly on February 5, due to ill health, and died on April 11, 1864 Monroe1stFairchild Andrus Republican2ndJohn McConvill Democrat3rdWilliam Rankin Republican MontgomeryJohn Kellogg Republican New York1stJacob L. Smith Democrat2ndWilliam P. Kirk Democrat3rdGeorge M. Curtis Democrat4thJames B. Murray Democrat5thHenry Rogers* Democrat6thWalter J. Burke Democrat7thErastus C. Benedict Republican8thWilliam G. Olvany Democrat9thSamuel C. Reed Republican10thAnthony Eickhoff Democratuntil August 1, 1864, also Commissary-General of the State Militia11thCarolan O'Brien Bryant Democrat12thJoseph A. Lyons Democrat13thThomas Ryan Democrat14thMichael N. Salmon Democrat15thStephen R. Pinckney Democrat16thMichael McCann* Democrat17thSidney P. Ingraham Jr. Democrat Niagara1stJames Jackson Jr. Democrat2ndWilliam Morgan* Republican Oneida1stAbram B. Weaver* Democrat2ndLevi Blakeslee Republican3rdChauncey Brodock Democrat4thJohn W. Douglas Republican Onondaga1stAlbert L. Green Republican2ndThomas G. Alvord Republicanelected Speaker; on November 8, 1864, elected Lieutenant Governor3rdConrad Shoemaker Republican Ontario1stPerez H. Field* Republican2ndLanson Dewey* Republican Orange1stNathaniel W. Howell Republican2ndCharles S. Woodward* Democrat OrleansEdmund L. Pitts Republican Oswego1stAbner C. Mattoon* Republican2ndHiram W. Loomis* Republican3rdHarvey Palmer* Republican Otsego1stJames Young Democrat2ndGeorge M. Hollis Republican PutnamJeremiah Sherwood Democrat Queens1stCharles T. Duryea* Democrat2ndCharles McNeill Democrat Rensselaer1stJames McKeon* Democrat2ndGeorge W. Banker Republicantook his seat on February 23rdJames Dearstyne Republican RichmondWilliam H. Rutan Democrat RocklandJames S. Haring* Democrat St. Lawrence1stGeorge Parker Republican2ndJames Redington* Republican3rdAbraham X. Parker* Republican Saratoga1stIra Brockett* Democrat2ndEdward Edwards Republican SchenectadyCharles Stanford Republican SchohariePeter P. Schoolcraft Democrat SchuylerLorenzo Webber Republican SenecaWilliam T. Johnson Democrat Steuben1stWilliam E. Bonham Republican2ndAlexander Olcott Republican3rdJames Harvey Stephens Republican Suffolk1stWilliam H. Gleason Republicantook his seat on January 122ndHenry C. Platt Democrat SullivanJames Matthews Democrat TiogaJerome Thompson Republican TompkinsHenry B. Lord Republican Ulster1stJesse F. Bookstaver* Democrat2ndJacob LeFever* Republican3rdThomas Hill Democrat WarrenRobert Waddle Republican Washington1stR. King Crocker Republican2ndAndrew G. Meiklejohn Republican Wayne1stThaddeus W. Collins* Republican2ndLemuel Durfee* Republican Westchester1stFranklin W. Gilley Democrat2ndAlsop H. Lockwood Democrat3rdGeorge A. Brandreth Republican WyomingByron Healy* Republican YatesOren G. Loomis Republican
Employees Clerk: Joseph B. Cushman Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles E. Young Doorkeeper: Henry A. Rogers First Assistant Doorkeeper: Alexander Frier Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Daniel F. Payne
Notes
Sources The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; see pg. 439 for Senate districts; pg. 443 for senators; pg. 450–463 for Assembly districts; and pg. 499ff for assemblymen) Journal of the Senate (87th Session) (1864) Journal of the Assembly (87th Session) (1864)