101st New York State Legislature
# 101st New York State Legislature

The 101st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 15, 1878, during the second year of Lucius Robinson'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, 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. The Prohibition Party and the Greenback Party also nominated tickets. The growing agitation in favor of bettering the conditions of the working class led to the first nomination of labor tickets, by the "Working Men Party", the "Social Democratic Party" and the "Bread-Winners League".

## Elections

The New York state election, 1877 was held on November 6. All five statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Democratic 383,000; Republican 372,000; Working Men 20,000; Prohibition 7,000; Social Democratic 1,800; and Greenback 800.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1878; and adjourned on May 15.

James W. Husted (R) was again elected Speaker with 64 votes against 55 for Erastus Brooks (D).

## 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.

### Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Thomas C. E. Ecclesine changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

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

| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1st | James M. Oakley | Democrat | |
| 2nd | James F. Pierce | Democrat | |
| 3rd | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | |
| 4th | Edward Hogan | Democrat | |
| 5th | Alfred Wagstaff Jr.* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 6th | Louis S. Goebel | Republican | Chairman of Claims, and of Public Expenditures |
| 7th | John Morrissey* | Anti-Tam. Dem. | died on May 1, 1878 |
| 8th | Thomas C. E. Ecclesine* | Democrat | |
| 9th | William H. Robertson* | Republican | re-elected President pro tempore; Chairman of Judiciary |
| 10th | Daniel B. St. John* | Democrat | |
| 11th | Stephen H. Wendover | Republican | Chairman of Banks |
| 12th | Charles Hughes | Democrat | |
| 13th | Hamilton Harris* | Republican | Chairman of Finance; of Public Buildings, and of Apportionment |
| 14th | Addison P. Jones | Democrat | |
| 15th | Webster Wagner* | Republican | Chairman of Railroads |
| 16th | William W. Rockwell | Republican | Chairman of Insurance, and of Erection and Division of Towns and Counties |
| 17th | Dolphus S. Lynde | Republican | Chairman of Manufactures, of Agriculture, and of Salt |
| 18th | Henry E. Turner | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections, and of Militia |
| 19th | Alexander T. Goodwin | Democrat | |
| 20th | Samuel S. Edick | Republican | Chairman of Villages, and of Joint Library |
| 21st | John W. Lippitt | Republican | Chairman of Roads and Bridges |
| 22nd | Dennis McCarthy* | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| 23rd | Nathaniel C. Marvin | Republican | Chairman of Miscellaneous Corporations, and of Poor Laws |
| 24th | Peter W. Hopkins | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs of Towns and Counties, and of Retrenchment |
| 25th | Theodore M. Pomeroy | Republican | Chairman of Cities, and of Rules |
| 26th | Edwin Hicks | Republican | Chairman of Literature |
| 27th | Ira Davenport | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| 28th | George Raines | Democrat | |
| 29th | Lewis S. Payne | Democrat | |
| 30th | James H. Loomis | Republican | Chairman of Printing, of Indian Affairs, and of Grievances |
| 31st | Ray V. Pierce | Republican | Chairman of Public Health; on November 5, 1878, elected to the 46th U.S. Congress |
| 32nd | Loren B. Sessions | Republican | also Supervisor of the Town of Harmony; Chairman of State Prisons, and of Engrossed Bills |

### Employees

* Clerk: John W. Vrooman
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Weidman Dominick
* Doorkeeper: James G. Caw
* Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner

## State Assembly

### Assemblymen

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

| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Albany | 1st | Hiram Griggs | Republican | |
| Albany | 2nd | John N. Foster | Republican | |
| Albany | 3rd | James T. Story | Republican | |
| Albany | 4th | Edward Curran | Democrat | |
| Allegany | Allegany | Hiram H. Wakely | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Alexander E. Andrews | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Thomas J. King* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Simeon V. Pool | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | Howell B. Converse | Democrat | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | William Leslie Noyes | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Sherman Williams* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Temple A. Parker | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | George M. Baird | Greenback | voted for Elias Mapes as Speaker |
| Chenango | Chenango | B. Gage Berry | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | William P. Mooers | Republican | |
| Columbia | 1st | Jacob H. Proper* | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | Samuel Wilbor | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Orris U. Kellogg | Democrat | |
| Delaware | 1st | Albert H. Sewell | Republican | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Robert P. Cormack | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 1st | Obed Wheeler | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | Peter Hulme | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | John L. Crowley* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | John G. Langner* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 3rd | David F. Day | Democrat | |
| Erie | 4th | Harvey J. Hurd | Republican | |
| Erie | 5th | Henry F. Allen | Democrat | |
| Essex | Essex | Benjamin D. Clapp* | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | John I. Gilbert* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | John W. Peek | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Eli Taylor* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Cicero C. Peck | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Titus Sheard | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Charles R. Skinner* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | William M. Thomson | Democrat | |
| Kings | 1st | John M. Clancy | Democrat | contested by Daniel Bradley (Ind. D) |
| Kings | 2nd | John B. Meyenborg | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | John Shanley* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Charles J. Henry | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | William H. Waring | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Jacob Worth | Republican | |
| Kings | 7th | Maurice B. Flynn | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | John H. Douglass | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | John H. Bergen | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Cyrus L. Sheldon | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | James W. Wadsworth | Republican | |
| Madison | 1st | Lambert B. Kern | Republican | |
| Madison | 2nd | Willard A. Crandall | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Albert C. Hobbie | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | Elias Mapes | Working Men | voted for George M. Baird as Speaker |
| Monroe | 3rd | James Chappell | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Edward Wemple* | Democrat | |
| New York | 1st | John F. Berrigan* | Democrat | contested by John or Thomas Foley (Anti-Tam. D) |
| New York | 2nd | Thomas F. Grady* | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | James Hayes | Ind. Dem. | voted for James Daly as Speaker |
| New York | 4th | John Galvin* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Peter A. Crawford | Democrat | |
| New York | 6th | Jacob Seebacher | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | Isaac Israel Hayes* | Republican | |
| New York | 8th | Daniel Patterson | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | John W. Browning | Democrat | |
| New York | 10th | Joseph P. Strack | Ind. Dem. | voted for James Daly as Speaker |
| New York | 11th | William W. Astor | Republican | |
| New York | 12th | Maurice F. Holahan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | John Clark | Democrat | contested; seat vacated on April 2 |
| New York | 13th | Charles H. Duell | Republican | seated on April 2 |
| New York | 14th | James Daly | Ind. Dem. | voted for Samuel D. Halliday as Speaker |
| New York | 15th | Christopher Bathe | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | James Fitzgerald | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | James T. Taylor | Democrat | voted for Sherburne B. Piper as Speaker |
| New York | 18th | Joseph P. McDonough | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | David L. Baker | Democrat | |
| New York | 20th | Marks L. Frank | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | Alexander Thain | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 1st | Joseph D. Loveland | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Sherburne B. Piper* | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 1st | William Jones | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | A. DeVerney Townsley | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Cyrus D. Prescott | Republican | on November 5, 1878, elected to the 46th U.S. Congress |
| Oneida | 4th | Robert H. Roberts | Democrat | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Thomas G. Alvord* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Samuel Willis | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Josiah G. Holbrook | Republican | |
| Ontario | 1st | David Cosad Jr. | Democrat | |
| Ontario | 2nd | Amasa T. Winch* | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | James G. Graham* | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | James W. Hoyt | Republican | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Charles H. Mattison | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | Charles North | Republican | |
| Oswego | 2nd | George M. Case* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 3rd | DeWitt C. Peck* | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | Azro Chase | Republican | |
| Otsego | 2nd | Daniel F. Pattengill | Democrat | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Hamilton Fish II* | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | Elbert Floyd-Jones* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | John Keegan | Democrat | previously a member from New York County |
| Rensselaer | 1st | John H. Burns* | Dem./Work. Men | did not vote for Speaker |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Solomon V. R. Miller | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | William H. Sliter* | Democrat | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Erastus Brooks | Democrat | voted for Sherburne B. Piper as Speaker |
| Rockland | Rockland | James M. Nelson | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | George F. Rowland | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | A. Barton Hepburn* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | Rufus S. Palmer | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | George W. Neilson* | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | Daniel H. Deyoe | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Arthur D. Mead | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Charles Bouck | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Abram V. Mekeel | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Diedrich Willers Jr. | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | Azariah C. Brundage | Republican | |
| Steuben | 2nd | George R. Sutherland | Republican | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Charles S. Havens | Democrat | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Thornton A. Niven* | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | John Theodore Sawyer | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | Samuel D. Halliday | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 1st | Seaman G. Searing | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Nathan Keator* | Republican | |
| Ulster | 3rd | Isaac Hamilton | Democrat | |
| Warren | Warren | Alson B. Abbott | Republican | |
| Washington | 1st | Abram Reynolds | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | George L. Terry | Republican | |
| Wayne | 1st | Jackson Valentine* | Republican | |
| Wayne | 2nd | James H. Miller | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Ambrose H. Purdy* | Democrat | contested by Fordham Morris |
| Westchester | 2nd | William F. Moller* | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | elected Speaker |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | John E. Lowing | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Joel M. Clark | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Edward M. Johnson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles A. Orr
* Doorkeeper: Henry Wheeler
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: Sandford Reynolds
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
* Stenographer: Worden E. Payne
