The 119th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to April 30, 1896, during the second year of Levi P. Morton's governorship, in Albany.

Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (seven districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Prohibition Party, the Socialist Labor Party and the People's Party also nominated tickets.

Elections The 1895 New York state election was held on November 5. The state officers and state senators were elected to an exceptional three-year term (for the sessions of 1896, 1897 and 1898), so that the election of these officers would be held, beginning in 1898, in even-numbered years, at the same time as the gubernatorial election.

All six statewide elective offices up for election was carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Republican 601,000; Democratic 511,000; Prohibition 25,000; Socialist Labor 21,000; and People's Party 7,000.

Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1896; and adjourned on April 30.

Hamilton Fish II (R) was re-elected Speaker.

Timothy E. Ellsworth (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

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. Richard Higbie, Frank Gallagher, George W. Brush, Albert A. Wray, Julius L. Wieman, Samuel J. Foley, Frank D. Pavey, J. Irving Burns, George R. Malby, Benjamin M. Wilcox, Edwin C. Stewart and Simon Seibert changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senator Party Notes1stRichard Higbie* Republican2ndTheodore Koehler Democrat3rdFrank Gallagher* Democrat4thGeorge W. Brush* Republican5thMichael J. Coffey* Democratre-elected6thPeter H. McNulty Democrat7thPatrick H. McCarren Democrat8thAlbert A. Wray* Republican9thJulius L. Wieman* Republican10thJohn F. Ahearn* Democratre-elected11thTimothy D. Sullivan* Democratre-elected12thSamuel J. Foley* Democrat13thBernard F. Martin Democrat14thThomas F. Grady Democrat15thFrank D. Pavey* Republican16thLouis Munzinger Democrat17thCharles B. Page Republican18thMaurice Featherson Democrat19thJohn Ford Republican20thJacob A. Cantor* Democratre-elected; Minority Leader21stCharles L. Guy* Democratre-elected22ndJ. Irving Burns* Republican23rdClarence Lexow* Republicanre-elected24thWilliam C. Daley Republican25thCharles Davis Republican26thJames Ballantine Republicandied on May 4, 1896SENATOR JAMES BALLANTINE DEAD in NYT on May 5, 189627thHobart Krum Republican28thEdgar T. Brackett Republican29thMyer Nussbaum Republican30thLeGrand C. Tibbits Republican31stGeorge Chahoon Republican32ndGeorge R. Malby* Republican33rdWalter L. Brown Republican34thHenry J. Coggeshall* Ind. Rep.re-elected35thJoseph Mullin* Republicanre-elected36thHorace White Republican37thNevada N. Stranahan Republican38thWilliam Elting Johnson Republican39thBenjamin M. Wilcox* Republican40thEdwin C. Stewart* Republican41stJohn S. Sheppard Republican42ndJohn Raines* Republicanre-elected43rdCornelius R. Parsons* Republicanre-elected44thHenry Harrison Republican45thTimothy E. Ellsworth Republicanelected President pro tempore46thLester H. Humphrey Republican47thCharles Lamy* Republicanre-elected48thSimon Seibert* Republican49thGeorge Allen Davis Republican50thFrank W. Higgins* Republicanre-elected

Employees Clerk: John S. Kenyon Sergeant-at-Arms: Garret J. Benson Doorkeeper: Nathan Lewis Stenographer: Edward Shaughnessy

State Assembly Assemblymen District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stRobert G. Scherer Republican2ndJames Keenholts* Republican3rdGeorge T. Kelly Democrat4thAmos J. Ablett* Republican AlleganyFred A. Robbins* Republican Broome1stJoseph H. Brownell* Republican2ndCharles F. Tupper Republican Cattaraugus1stCharles H. Miller Republican2ndGirvease A. Matteson Republican Cayuga1stW. Clarence Sheldon Republican2ndEugene B. Rounds Republican Chautauqua1stJerome Babcock Republican2ndS. Frederick Nixon* Republican ChemungJohn B. Stanchfield* DemocratMinority Leader ChenangoJotham P. Allds Republican ClintonWillis T. Honsinger* Republican ColumbiaHugh W. McClellan Democrat CortlandFranklin P. Saunders Republican DelawareDelos H. Mackey Republican Dutchess1stJohn A. Hanna Republican2ndAugustus B. Gray* Republican Erie1stCornelius Coughlin* Democrat2ndHenry W. Hill Republican3rdBenjamin A. Peever Republican4thPhilip W. Springweiler Republican5thCharles Braun* Republican6thChristopher Smith Republican7thHenry L. Steiner Republican8thHeman M. Blasdell Republican EssexAlbert Weed* Republican FranklinThomas A. Sears* Republican Fulton and HamiltonByron D. Brown Republican GeneseeArchie D. Sanders Republican GreeneNewton Sweet Republican HerkimerOliver H. Springer Republican Jefferson1stWalter Zimmerman Republican2ndCornelius J. Clark Republican Kings1stThomas H. Wagstaff Republican2ndJohn McKeown* Democrat3rdThomas H. Cullen Democrat4thGeorge W. Wilson Republican5thAbram C. DeGraw Republican6thArthur J. Audett* Republican7thFrederick A. Newman Democrat8thJames Lennon Jr. Democrat9thJohn J. Cain* Democrat10thWilliam L. Perkins Republican11thJoseph A. Guider Democrat12thCharles H. Ebbets Democrat13thOrrion L. Forrester Republican14thJohn M. Zurn Democrat15thRobert J. Rudd Democrat16thEdward C. Brennan Republican17thHenry Marshall Republican18thGeorge E. Waldo Republican19thFrederick Schmid Democrat20thFrederick G. Hughes Republican21stJacob A. Livingston Republican LewisJohn S. Koster Republican LivingstonOtto Kelsey* Republican MadisonLambert B. Kern* Republican Monroe1stCharles J. Smith* Republican2ndJames M. E. O'Grady* Republican3rdWilliam W. Armstrong* Republican4thThomas H. Eddy Republican MontgomeryEdward L. Schmidt Republican New York1stDaniel E. Finn* Democrat2ndThomas J. Barry* Democrat3rdWilliam H. Leonard Democrat4thJames A. Donnelly* Democrat5thGeorge Gregory Republican6thJacob A. Mittnacht Democrat7thEdward W. Hart Democrat8thCharles S. Adler* Republican9thJames F. Maccabe Democrat10thOtto Kempner Democrat11thWilliam H. Gledhill Democrat12thJoseph Schulum Democrat13thPatrick F. Trainor Democrat14thJacob Fritz Democrat15thThomas F. Myers Democrat16thBenjamin Hoffman* Democrat 17thvacant Assemblyman-elect Patrick J. Kerrigan (D) died on December 23, 1895Francis J. Goodman Democratelected on March 3, to fill vacancyTAMMANY MAN ELECTED in NYT on March 4, 189618thAndrew J. Galligan Democrat19thAlbert C. Wilson Republican20thJohn P. Corrigan* Democrat21stGeorge C. Austin Republican22ndDaniel W. F. McCoy Democrat23rdJohn M. Delmour Democrat24thJohn B. Fitzgerald* Democrat25thPatrick H. Murphy Republican26thPatrick J. Andrews Democrat27thFrancis E. Laimbeer Republican28thJoseph I. Green Democrat29thSamuel G. French Republican30thGeorge W. Meyer Jr. Democrat31stHarvey T. Andrews* Republican32ndThomas F. Donnelly Democrat33rdLouis Davidson Democrat34thBernard H. Malone Democrat35thArthur C. Butts Democrat Niagara1stHenry E. Warner Republican2ndFrank A. Dudley Republican Oneida1stWalter Embley Democrat2ndWilliam Cary Sanger* Republican3rdWilliam B. Graves Republican Onondaga1stCharles C. Cole* Republican2ndCharles R. Rogers* Republican3rdJoseph Bondy Republican4thEdwin M. Wells Republican OntarioCharles A. Steele Republican Orange1stLouis F. Goodsell* Republican2ndLouis Bedell Republican OrleansFred L. Downs Republican Oswego1stLouis P. Taylor Republican2ndThomas M. Costello Republican OtsegoCharles B. Gorham Republican PutnamHamilton Fish II* Republicanre-elected Speaker Queens1stJacob Stahl Democrat2ndFrederic Storm Republican3rdMorton Cromwell Republican Rensselaer1stEdward McGraw Republican2ndJohn T. Norton* Democrat3rdGeorge Anderson Republican RichmondGustav A. Barth Democrat RocklandOtis H. Cutler* Republican St. Lawrence1stIra C. Miles Republican2ndMartin V. B. Ives Republican SaratogaCharles H. McNaughton* Republican SchenectadyThomas W. Winne* Republican SchoharieDavid Enders Democrat SchuylerOliver H. Budd Republican SenecaWilliam H. Kinne Democrat Steuben1stJames S. Harrison Republican2ndJoel Clark Republican Suffolk1stErastus F. Post Republican2ndCarll S. Burr Jr. Republican SullivanUriah S. Messiter Republican TiogaDaniel P. Witter Republican TompkinsFrederick E. Bates Republican Ulster1stWilliam S. Van Keuren* Republican2ndJames Lounsbery* Republican WarrenTaylor J. Eldridge* Republican WashingtonWilliam R. Hobbie Republican WayneGeorge S. Horton* Republican Westchester1stJohn N. Stewart* Republican2ndGeorge L. Carlisle Republican3rdJames W. Husted* Republican WyomingMortimer N. Cole Republican YatesEverett Brown* Republican

Employees Clerk: Archie E. Baxter Financial Clerk: William C. Stevens Sergeant-at-Arms: Philip W. Reinhard Jr. Doorkeeper: Joseph Bauer Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert

Notes

Sources The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see senators' bios pg. 133–177; senators' portraits between pg. 136 and 137; pg. 404 for list of senators; pg. 512f for assemblymen; pg. 712–716 for senate districts) The Tribune Almanac (1896)