The 163rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1941, to April 24, 1942, during the ninth and tenth years of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany.

Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, and amended in 1937, 51 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The American Labor Party endorsed the whole Democratic ticket, which included one Republican judge of the Court of Appeals. The Prohibition Party also nominated a ticket.

Elections The 1940 New York state election was held on November 5. All six statewide elective offices were carried by the nominees on the Democratic-American Labor fusion ticket. The approximate party strength at this election, as gathered from the results, was: Democrats 2,843,000; Republicans 2,837,000; American Labor 365,000; and Prohibition 5,000.

All three women legislators—State Senator Rhoda Fox Graves (Rep.), of Gouverneur; and Assemblywomen Jane H. Todd (Rep.), of Tarrytown, and Edith C. Cheney (Rep.), of Corning—were re-elected.

The 1941 New York state election was held on November 4. Two vacancies in the State Senate and two vacancies in the State Assembly were filled.

On March 10, 1942, Mary A. Gillen, the widow of Assemblyman Michael J. Gillen, was elected to the seat previously held by her husband.

Sessions The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 164th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 8, 1941;LEHMAN DEMANDS FULLEST STATE AID IN "TOTAL DEFENSE" in The New York Times on January 9, 1941 (subscription required) and adjourned at 2.30 a.m. on April 4.LEGISLATURE ENDS SESSION AT ALBANY in The New York Times on April 4, 1941 (subscription required)

Oswald D. Heck (Rep.) was re-elected Speaker.

Joe R. Hanley (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the State Senate.

On December 7, 1941, happened the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered World War II. Subsequently, some legislators resigned their seats to join the armed forces, among them Robert F. Wagner Jr., Phelps Phelps, Francis E. Dorn and Henry J. Latham.

The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 165th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1942;LEHMAN PLEDGES STATE TAX SLASH, ASKS PRICE LIMITS in The New York Times on January 8, 1942 (subscription required) and adjourned on April 24.

State Senate

Districts

Members The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Francis J. McCaffrey Jr and Charles O. Burney Jr changed from the Assembly to the Senate at the beginning of this Legislature. Assemblymen Carmine J. Marasco and William Kirnan were elected to fill vacancies in the Senate.

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

District Senator Party Notes 1stGeorge L. Thompson* RepublicanChairman of Finance; died on September 1, 1941Perry B. Duryea Sr. Republicanon November 4, 1941, elected to fill vacancy2ndSeymour Halpern Republican3rdPeter T. Farrell* Democrat 4thPhilip M. Kleinfeld* Democraton January 13, 1941, appointed to the NY Supreme CourtCarmine J. Marasco Democraton February 18, 1941, elected to fill vacancyC. J. MARASCO WINS STATE SENATE SEAT in The New York Times on February 19, 1941 (subscription required) 5thJohn J. Howard* Democratdied on January 24, 1941William Kirnan Democraton March 11, 1941, elected to fill vacancy6thEdward J. Coughlin* Democrat7thJacob J. Schwartzwald* Democraton September 9, 1942, appointed to the NYC City Court8thJoseph A. Esquirol* Democrat9thDaniel Gutman* Democrat10thJeremiah F. Twomey* Democrat11thJames J. Crawford* Democrat12thElmer F. Quinn* Democrat13thPhelps Phelps* Democraton February 16, 1942, gave notice of his return to active duty in the U.S. ArmyPHELPS PHELPS GOES TO ACTIVE ARMY DUTY in The New York Times on February 17, 1942 (subscription required)14thWilliam J. Murray* Democrat15thJohn L. Buckley* Democrat 16thFrancis J. McCaffrey Jr.* Democraton November 4, 1941, elected to the NYC Municipal CourtThomas G. Brennan Democraton January 13, 1942, elected to fill vacancy;NAMED STATE SENATOR in The New York Times on January 14, 1942 (subscription required) and took his seat on January 26Brennan Seated in Senate in The New York Times on January 27, 1942 (subscription required)17thFrederic R. Coudert Jr.* Republican18thCharles Muzzicato Rep./Am. LaborChairman of Public Health19thCharles D. Perry* Democrat20thAlexander A. Falk Democrat21stLazarus Joseph* Democrat22ndCarl Pack* Democrat23rdJohn J. Dunnigan* DemocratMinority Leader24thRobert E. Johnson Republican25thPliny W. Williamson* Republican26thWilliam F. Condon* Republican27thThomas C. Desmond* Republican28thAllan A. Ryan Jr.* Republican29thArthur H. Wicks* RepublicanChairman of Civil Service; Chairman of Finance, from September 17, 1941Wicks Heads Finance Committee in The New York Times on September 18, 1941 (subscription required) 30thErastus Corning 2nd* Democratresigned on August 1, 1941, to run for Mayor of AlbanyJulian B. Erway Democraton November 4, 1941, elected to fill vacancy31stClifford C. Hastings* RepublicanChairman of Civil Service, from January 7, 1942HASTINGS MADE CHAIRMAN in The New York Times on January 8, 1942 (subscription required)32ndGilbert T. Seelye* Republican33rdBenjamin F. Feinberg* Republican34thRhoda Fox Graves* Republican35thFred A. Young* Republican36thWilliam H. Hampton* Republican37thIsaac B. Mitchell* Republican38thG. Frank Wallace Republican39thWalter W. Stokes* Rep./Am. Labor40thRoy M. Page* Republican41stChauncey B. Hammond* Republican42ndHenry W. Griffith* Republican43rdEarle S. Warner* Republican44thJoe R. Hanley* Republicanre-elected Temporary President45thRodney B. Janes* Republican46thKarl K. Bechtold* Republicanresigned in April 1942, and joined the USNRBechtold—Fowler in The New York Times on August 30, 1942 (subscription required)47thWilliam Bewley* RepublicanChairman of Taxation and Retrenchment48thWalter J. Mahoney* Republican49thStephen J. Wojtkowiak* Dem./Am. Labor50thCharles O. Burney Jr.* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Villages51stJames W. Riley* Republican

Employees Clerk: William S. King Assistant Clerk: Fred J. Slater Sergeant-at-Arms: Harold W. Cole Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Henry Whitbeck Principal Doorkeeper: Lynn Corman Assistant Doorkeeper: Irving Hoag Stenographer: John K. Marshall

State Assembly

Assemblymen

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."