The Speaker of the New York General Assembly was the highest official in the New York General Assembly, the first representative governing body in New York from 1683 to 1775 when the assembly disbanded after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
As in most countries with a British heritage, the Speaker presides over the lower house of the legislature and was elected from within the ranks of the General Assembly.
New York General Assembly The New York General Assembly was first convened on October 14, 1683, during the governorship of Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick, which passed an act entitled "A Charter of Liberties" that decreed that the supreme legislative power under the Duke of York shall reside in a governor, council, and the people convened in general assembly; conferred upon the members of the assembly rights and privileges making them a body coequal to and independent of the British Parliament; established town, county, and general courts of justice; solemnly proclaimed the right of religious liberty; and passed acts enunciating certain constitutional liberties, e.g. taxes could be levied only by the people met in general assembly; right of suffrage; and no martial law or quartering of the soldiers without the consent of the inhabitants.Driscoll, John T. "Thomas Dongan." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 6 Jun. 2014
The General Assembly elected a Speaker from their own ranks, chose their own clerk, and published their own journal.
List of Speakers
The following were elected from the General Assembly to serve as Speaker of the Assembly.
Speaker District Took office Left office Notes James Graham New York County April 9, 1691October 26, 1692September 3, 1693 September 13, 1692July 27, 1693November 16, 1693 Three terms Henry Pierson Suffolk County March 2, 1694 April 20, 1695 James Graham New York County June 20, 1695 April 2, 1698 Philip French New York County May 19, 1698 June 14, 1698 James Graham New York County March 2, 1699 May 15, 1699 Abraham Gouverneur New York County May 15, 1699August 19, 1701 June 1, 1701May 3, 1702 William Nicoll Suffolk County October 20, 1702June 7, 1705August 18, 1708April 5, 1709September 1, 1710July 2, 1711May 27, 1713May 3, 1715June 5, 1716 November 6, 1704May 5, 1707January 5, 1709November 12, 1709April 20, 1711March 3, 1713September 9, 1714August 11, 1715May 27, 1718 A son of 6th New York City mayor Matthias Nicoll, and the father of the man who served as Speaker between 1759 and 1768. Robert Livingston Jr. Livingston Manor May 27, 1718 July 24, 1724 An uncle of the below-named Philip Livingston Adolph Philipse New York County August 6, 1725September 27, 1726September 30, 1727July 28, 1728 August 10, 1726August 21, 1727November 25, 1727May 30, 1737 Lewis Morris Jr. Westchester County June 15, 1737 October 20, 1738 Father of Lewis Morris Adolph Philipse New York County March 27, 1739November 8, 1743 December 27, 1743May 14, 1745 David Jones Queens County June 25, 1745February 12, 1747September 4, 1750October 24, 1752 November 25, 1747July 20, 1750November 25, 1751December 17, 1758 William Nicoll Suffolk County January 31, 1759March 10, 1761 March 2, 1761February 6, 1768 A son of the man who served as Speaker between 1702 and 1718 Philip Livingston New York County October 27, 1768 January 2, 1769 A nephew of the above-named Robert Livingston John Cruger New York County April 4, 1769 April 8, 1775
See also List of colonial governors of New York New York General Assembly List of Speakers of the New York State Assembly
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