The 108th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 22, 1885, during the first year of David B. Hill'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 (seven districts) and Kings County (three 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 Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In New York City the Democrats were split into three factions: Tammany Hall, "Irving Hall" and the "County Democrats". The Prohibition Party; and a fusion of the Greenback Party, the Anti-Monopoly Party and the "People's Party", also nominated tickets.

Elections The 1884 New York state election was held on November 4. Governor Grover Cleveland was elected President of the United States. The only two statewide elective offices up for election were two judgeships on the New York Court of Appeals, which were carried by the two cross-endorsed incumbents, one Democrats and one Republican.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1885; and adjourned on May 15.

On January 6, Gov. Grover Cleveland resigned, and Lt. Gov. David B. Hill succeeded to the office.

George Z. Erwin (R) was elected Speaker with 72 votes against 51 for William Caryl Ely (D).TO-DAY'S NEWS; The Assembly in The Yonkers Statesman on January 6, 1885

On January 20, the Legislature elected William M. Evarts (R) to succeed Elbridge G. Lapham (R) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1885.EVARTS ELECTED SENATOR in NYT on January 22, 1885

On May 15, the Legislature adjourned. While the members were exchanging farewells, copies of Gov. Hill's proclamation for a special session, to convene on the same day at 4 p.m., were delivered to the clerks of the Senate and the Assembly. The special session was called to consider again — Hill had vetoed a census bill during the regular session — action to be taken concerning the decennial enumeration which, under the Constitution, was due in 1885. In his message to the Legislature, Hill stated that the Constitution required an "enumeration", but not a "census".AN EXTRA SESSION CALLED in NYT on May 16, 1885 No enumeration or census bill was passed until 1891.

State Senate Districts

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 Notes1stJames Otis* Republican2ndJohn J. Kiernan* Democrat3rdAlbert Daggett* Republican4thJohn C. Jacobs* Democrat5thMichael C. Murphy* County/Irv. H. Dem.6thTimothy J. Campbell* County/Irv. H. Dem.on November 3, 1885, elected to the 49th U.S. Congress7thJames Daly* County Dem.8thFrederick S. Gibbs* Republican9thJohn J. Cullen* Tammany Dem.10thJ. Hampden Robb* Democrat11thGeorge W. Plunkitt* Tammany Dem.12thHenry C. Nelson* Democrat13thHenry R. Low* Republican14thJohn Van Schaick* Democrat15thThomas Newbold* Democrat16thAlbert C. Comstock* Republican17thJohn B. Thacher* Democrat18thJames Arkell* Republican19thShepard P. Bowen* Republican20thJohn I. Gilbert* Republican21stFrederick Lansing* Republican22ndHenry J. Coggeshall* Republican23rdAndrew Davidson* Republican24thEdward B. Thomas* Republican25thDennis McCarthy* RepublicanPresident pro tempore26thEdward S. Esty* Republican27thJ. Sloat Fassett* Republican28thThomas Robinson* Republican29thCharles S. Baker* Republicanon November 4, 1884, elected to the 49th U.S. Congress30thTimothy E. Ellsworth* Republican31stRobert C. Titus* Democrat32ndCommodore P. Vedder* Republican

Employees Clerk: John W. Vrooman Sergeant-at-Arms: George A. Goss Doorkeeper: David W. Bogert Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner Postmaster: A. E. Darrow Janitor: A. L. Neidick Chaplain: S. V. Leech

State Assembly Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stStephen H. Niles Democrat2ndLansing Hotaling Republican3rdPatrick Murray Democrat4thTerence I. Hardin Democrat AlleganyWilliam R. McEwen Republican BroomeWilliam H. Olin* Republican Cattaraugus1stFrederick W. Kruse* Republican2ndEugene A. Nash* Republican Cayuga1stWilloughby B. Priddy* Republican2ndMichael B. Van Buskirk Republican Chautauqua1stDana P. Horton* Republican2ndJulien T. Williams Republican ChemungJonas S. Van Duzer* Republican ChenangoGeorge B. WhitmoreGeorge B. Whitmore (born 1835), brother of assemblyman Daniel E. Whitmore (in 1875) Republican ClintonGeorge W. Palmer Republican ColumbiaJohn C. HogeboomJohn C. Hogeboom (born 1857), grandson of state senator John C. Hogeboom (1801–05) Republican CortlandHarlan P. Andrews Republican DelawareSilas S. Cartwright* Republican Dutchess1stJoseph H. Storm Republican2ndEdward B. Osborne* Democrat Erie1stWilliam F. Sheehan Democrat2ndFrank M. Giese Democrat3rdWilliam M. Hawkins Republican4thTimothy W. Jackson* Democrat5thAmos H. Baker Republican EssexWesley Barnes Republican FranklinWilliam T. O'Neil* Republican Fulton and HamiltonAlden W. Berry Republican GeneseeLucien R. Bailey* Republican GreeneStephen T. Hopkins Republican HerkimerJohn M. Budlong Republican Jefferson1stAllen E. Kilby Republican2ndEli J. Seeber* Republican Kings1stMoses J. Wafer Democrat2ndRichard Nagle* Democrat3rdPeter K. McCann Democrat4thHenry F. Haggerty Democrat5thMichael J. Coffey* Democrat6thThomas F. Farrell* Democrat7thGeorge H. Lindsay* Democrat8thRobert E. Connelly Democrat9thLewis A. Myers Republican10thJames Taylor* Republican11thHenry Heath* Republican12thMortimer C. Earl* Democrat LewisG. Henry P. Gould Democrat LivingstonKidder M. Scott* Republican MadisonEdward F. Haskell* Republican Monroe1stWalter S. Hubbell* Republican2ndJames P. Tumilty Democratunsuccessfully contested by Charles W. Voshall (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 684)3rdPhilip Garbutt* Republican MontgomeryThomas Liddle Republican New York1stDaniel E. Finn Irving H. Dem.2ndJames Oliver* Democrat3rdCharles Eiseman Tammany Dem.4thPatrick H. Roche* Democrat5thMichael Brennan County/Irv. H. Dem.6thEdward F. Reilly Tammany Dem.7thLucas L. Van Allen* Republican8thCharles Smith* Republican9thJohn P. Rockefeller Republican10thGeorge F. Roesch County/Irv. H. Dem.11thWalter Howe* Republican12thSolomon D. Rosenthal* County/Irv. H. Dem.13thJohn P. Windolph Republican14thJacob Kunzenman County Dem.15thJohn B. McGoldrick Tammany Dem.16thEdward P. Hagan County Dem.17thJohn H. O'Hara Democrat18thJohn F. Kenny County/Irv. H. Dem.19thEugene S. Ives Democrat20thJames Haggerty* Tammany Dem.21stHenry A. Barnum Republican22ndJoseph L. Gerety County/Irv. H. Dem.23rdJacob A. Cantor Tammany Dem.24thJohn B. Shea County/Irv. H. Dem. Niagara1stJacob A. Driess* Democrat2ndWalter P. Horne Democrat Oneida1stHenry A. Steber Labor Reform/Rep.2ndLewis B. Sherman Dem./Labor Reform3rdT. James Owens* Republican Onondaga1stWallace Tappan Republican2ndFrancis Hendricks* Republican3rdConrad Shoemaker* Republican OntarioJohn Raines Republican Orange1stSamuel L. Carlisle Republican2ndGeorge W. Greene Democrat OrleansJ. Marshall Dibble* Republican Oswego1stHenry C. Howe Republican2ndGouverneur M. Sweet* Republican Otsego1stWilliam Caryl Ely* DemocratMinority Leader2ndFrank B. Arnold Republican PutnamRobert A. Livingston Republican Queens1stLouis K. Church* Democrat2ndThomas Allen Smith Republican Rensselaer1stJames P. Hooley* Dem./Labor Reform2ndEugene L. Demers Republican3rdCharles C. Lodewick Democrat RichmondMichael S. Tynan Republican RocklandJohn W. Felter* Democrat St. Lawrence1stN. Martin Curtis* Republican2ndAndrew Tuck Rep./Proh.3rdGeorge Z. Erwin* Republicanelected Speaker Saratoga1stDaniel C. Briggs* Republican2ndBartlett B. Grippin Republican SchenectadyEdward D. Cutler Democrat SchoharieAddison H. Bartley Democrat SchuylerFremont Cole Republican SenecaWilliam B. Clark Democrat Steuben1stGeorge E. Whiteman* Democrat2ndCharles D. Baker Republican SuffolkSimeon S. Hawkins* Republican SullivanJames D. Decker Democrat TiogaCharles F. Barager* Republican TompkinsHiland K. Clark Republican Ulster1stRobert A. Snyder Republican2ndGilbert D. B. Hasbrouck* Republican3rdCornelius A. J. Hardenbergh Democrat WarrenFrank Bryne Democrat Washington1stGeorge Scott Republican2ndCharles K. Baker* Republican Wayne1stAmmon S. Farnum* Republican2ndEdwin K. Burnham Democrat Westchester1stCharles P. McClelland Democrat2ndSamuel W. Johnson* Democrat3rdJames W. Husted* Republican WyomingJohn E. Lowing Republican YatesClark E. Smith Republican

Employees Clerk: Charles A. Chickering Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward H. Talbott Doorkeeper: Michael Maher Assistant Doorkeeper: Herman K. Fox Assistant Doorkeeper: John Christie Stenographer: Emory P. Close

Notes

Sources The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 384f for senate districts; pg. 403 for senators; pg. 410–417 for Assembly districts; and pg. 504 for assemblymen) Biographical sketches of the Members of the Legislature in The Evening Journal Almanac (1885) [e-book] ERWIN DEFEATS HUBBELL in NYT on January 6, 1885