The 94th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 21, 1871, during the third year of John T. Hoffman'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 (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts. 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.

Elections The 1870 New York state election was held on November 8. Gov. John T. Hoffman and Lt. Gov. Allen C. Beach were re-elected. The other four statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 399,000 and Republicans 366,000.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1871; and adjourned on April 21.

William Hitchman (D) was re-elected Speaker with 64 votes against 62 for James W. Husted (R).

On April 4, the Legislature re-elected Abram B. Weaver (D) to a second term of three years as Superintendent of Public Instruction.

On April 7, Assemblyman James Irving had an altercation with Assemblyman Smith M. Weed, during which Irving hit Weed forceful in the face. Subsequently, Irving resigned his seat, and the Democrats could not pass any bills anymore, a vote of 65 being required. After a week of deadlock, Republican Assemblyman Orange S. Winans voiced his opinion that the Democrats were entitled to a majority, and voted with them, thus passing the pending bills. Winans was denounced as a traitor, and disappeared from politics.Thirty Years of New York Politics Up-to-date by Matthew P. Breen (reprinted 1974; pg. 278–291, "LETTER XXV")

State Senate Districts

1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 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, 13th and 14th wards of New York City 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties 13th District: Albany County 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady 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: Madison and Oswego counties 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie 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.

District Senator Party Notes1stSamuel H. Frost* Democrat2ndJames F. Pierce* Democrat3rdHenry C. Murphy* Democrat4thWilliam M. Tweed* Democrat5thMichael Norton* Democrat6thThomas J. Creamer* Democrat7thJohn J. Bradley* Democrat8thHenry W. Genet* Democrat9thWilliam Cauldwell* Democrat10thWilliam M. Graham* Democrat11thGeorge Morgan* Democratuntil March 1871, also Mayor of Poughkeepsie12thFrancis S. Thayer* Republican13thA. Bleecker Banks* Democrat14thJacob Hardenbergh* Democrat15thvacantSenator Isaiah Blood died on November 29, 187016thChristopher F. Norton* Democrat17thAbraham X. Parker* Republican18thNorris Winslow* Republican19thGeorge H. Sanford* Democratdied on November 25, 187120thAugustus R. Elwood* Republican21stWilliam H. Brand* Republican22ndGeorge N. Kennedy* Republican23rdJohn F. Hubbard Jr.* Democrat24thOrlow W. Chapman* Republican25thWilliam B. Woodin* Republicanalso Surrogate of Cayuga County26thAbraham V. Harpending* Republicandied on April 23, 187127thTheodore L. Minier* Republican28thJarvis Lord* Democrat29thGeorge Bowen* Republican30thJames Wood* Republican31stLoran L. Lewis* Republican32ndAllen D. Scott* Republican

Employees Clerk: Hiram Calkins Sergeant-at-Arms: George Graham Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Abraham J. Meyers Doorkeeper: Alexander H. Waterman Assistant Doorkeeper: W. W. McKinney Assistant Doorkeeper: John Drew Assistant Doorkeeper: Orson Root Assistant Doorkeeper: Cornelius V. Simpkins Stenographer: Andrew Devine

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 Albany1stWilliam D. Murphy* Democrat2ndRobert C. Blackall Republican3rdEdward Coyle Democrat4thWilliam D. Sunderlin Republican AlleganyCharles N. Flenagin* Republican BroomeWilliam M. Ely* Republican Cattaraugus1stClaudius V. B. Barse Republican2ndStephen C. Green* Republican Cayuga1stCharles H. Curtis Democrat2ndStephen S. Hewitt* Republican Chautauqua1stMatthew P. Bemus* Republican2ndOrange S. Winans* Republican ChemungDavid B. Hill Democrat ChenangoAndrew Shepardson Republican ClintonSmith M. Weed Democrat Columbia1stBenjamin Ray Democrat2ndPerkins F. Cady Republican CortlandHenry S. Randall Democrat Delaware1stAlpheus Bolt* Republican2ndJames H. Graham Republican Dutchess1stJames A. Seward* Republican2ndDavid H. Mulford* Republican Erie1stGeorge Chambers Democrat2ndJohn Howell Democrat3rdFranklin A. Alberger Republican4thHarry B. Ransom* Democrat5thJohn M. Wiley Democrat EssexClayton H. DeLano* Republican FranklinJames H. Pierce* Republican Fulton and HamiltonMortimer Wade Republican GeneseeVolney G. Knapp Republican GreeneHiram Van Steenburgh* Democrat HerkimerDaniel A. Northup* Republican Jefferson1stOliver C. Wyman Republican2ndJames Johnson Republican Kings1stDavid C. Aitken Democrat2ndSmith C. Baylis Democrat3rdDominick H. Roche Democrat4thWilliam W. Moseley* Democrat5thWilliam W. Goodrich Republican6thBernard Haver* Democrat7thWilliam Wainwright Democrat8thSamuel F. Conselyea Democrat9thJohn C. Jacobs* Democrat LewisJoseph Pahud Republican LivingstonRichard Johnson* Republican Madison1stDavid L. Fisk Republican2ndLeonard C. Kilham* Republican Monroe1stRichard D. Cole Democrat2ndGeorge D. Lord Democrat3rdVolney P. Brown* Republican MontgomeryWebster Wagner Republican New York1stMichael Madigan Democrat2ndDennis Burns* Democrat3rdJohn Hayes Democrat4thJohn J. Blair* Democrat5thGeorge L. Loutrel Democrat6thTimothy J. Campbell* Democrat7thJohn Carey* Democratunsuccessfully contested by Horatio N. Twombly (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 471–482)8thMartin Nachtmann* Democrat9thJames O'Neill Democrat10thChristopher Flecke Democrat11thLawrence O'Brien Democrat12thWilliam W. Cook* Democrat13thRichard Flanagan* Democrat14thJohn Tyler Kelly Democrat15thAlexander Frear* Democrat16thJames Irving* Democratresigned his seat on April 1017thEdmond Connelly Democrat18thLeander Buck Democrat19thThomas C. Fields* Democrat20thJohn Brown*John Brown (born 1816), served previously in the Assembly of 1852, Naturalization Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas from 1853 Democrat21stWilliam Hitchman* Democratre-elected Speaker Niagara1stJohn E. Pound Republican2ndLee R. Sanborn* Republican Oneida1stGeorge W. Chadwick Republican2ndSidney A. Bunce Republican3rdThomas Mulhall Democrat4thIsaac McDougal Republican Onondaga1stThomas G. Alvord* Republican2ndPeter Burns Republican3rdGustavus Sniper* Republican Ontario1stGeorge W. Nicholas Democrat2ndDavid E. Wilson* Republican Orange1stRobert H. Strahan Republican2ndIsaac V. Montanye Democrat OrleansJohn Berry* Republican Oswego1stDeWitt C. Littlejohn* Republican2ndAbraham Howe* Democrat3rdChauncey S. Sage Republican Otsego1stAlfred Chamberlain Democrat2ndJ. Lee Tucker Republican PutnamSarles Drew Democrat Queens1stL. Bradford Prince Republican2ndJames M. Oakley Democrat Rensselaer1stJohn L. Flagg* Democrat2ndHorace C. Gifford Republican3rdSylvester Waterbury Democrat RichmondJohn Decker* Democrat RocklandJames M. Nelson* Democrat St. Lawrence1stGeorge M. Gleason* Republican2ndDolphus S. Lynde Republican3rdWilliam Bradford* Republican Saratoga1stIsaiah Fuller* Democrat2ndJoseph W. Hill Republican SchenectadyGershom Banker* Democrat SchoharieSilas Sweet* Democrat SchuylerWilliam C. Coon* Democrat SenecaSanford R. Ten Eyck Democrat Steuben1stJames G. Bennett* Democrat2ndAlvin C. Barney Republican SuffolkGeorge F. Carman Republican SullivanFrank Buckley Democrat TiogaBurnett B. Bignall Republican TompkinsJohn H. Selkreg* Republican Ulster1stCyrus Burhans Republican2ndC. Meech Woolsey Republican3rdCharles H. Krack* Democrat WarrenDuncan Griffin Democrat Washington1stThomas Stevenson* Republican2ndIsaac V. Baker Jr.* Republican Wayne1stAnson S. Wood* Republican2ndHenry R. Durfee Republican Westchester1stG. Hilton Scribner Republicanon November 7, 1871, elected Secretary of State of New York2ndAlfred W. Bartlett Democrat3rdJames W. Husted* Republican WyomingHenry S. Joy Democrat YatesGeorge P. Lord Republican

Employees Clerk: Cornelius W. Armstrong Sergeant-at-Arms: Jeriah G. Rhoads Doorkeeper: Andrew S. Scobey First Assistant Doorkeeper: James Keenan Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Allen W. Seaman

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. 444 for senators; pg. 450–463 for Assembly districts) Journal of the Assembly (94th Session) (1871; Vol. I) Journal of the Assembly (94th Session) (1871; Vol. II)