97th New York State Legislature
# 97th New York State Legislature

The 97th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 30, 1874, during the second year of John A. Dix'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 Liberal Republican Party also nominated a ticket.

## Elections

The New York state election, 1873 was held on November 4. The statewide elective offices up for election were carried by five Democrats and two Republicans, all of which had been nominated also on the Liberal Republican ticket.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1874; and adjourned on April 30.

James W. Husted (R) was elected Speaker against Smith M. Weed (D).

On April 7, the Legislature elected Neil Gilmour as Superintendent of Public Instructions, with 87 votes against 51 for Abram B. Weaver, to succeed Weaver for a term of three years.

## 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

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. John C. Jacobs, Frank Abbott, Benjamin Ray and Franklin W. Tobey changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1st | John A. King | Republican | |
| 2nd | John W. Coe | Lib. Rep./Dem. | |
| 3rd | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | |
| 4th | John Fox | Democrat | |
| 5th | James W. Booth | Republican | |
| 6th | Jacob A. Gross | Democrat | |
| 7th | Thomas A. Ledwith | Democrat | |
| 8th | Hugh H. Moore | Democrat | contested by Walter S. Pinckney (R), decision postponed to the next session |
| 9th | William H. Robertson* | Republican | re-elected; elected president pro tempore |
| 10th | Frank Abbott | Lib. Rep./Dem. | contested; seat vacated on February 4 |
| 10th | Edward M. Madden | Republican | seated on February 5 |
| 11th | Benjamin Ray* | Democrat | |
| 12th | Roswell A. Parmenter | Democrat | |
| 13th | Jesse C. Dayton | Democrat | |
| 14th | Henry C. Connelly | Republican | |
| 15th | Webster Wagner* | Republican | re-elected |
| 16th | Franklin W. Tobey* | Republican | |
| 17th | Wells S. Dickinson* | Republican | re-elected |
| 18th | Andrew C. Middleton | Ind./Lib. Rep./Dem. | |
| 19th | Samuel S. Lowery* | Republican | re-elected |
| 20th | Archibald C. McGowan* | Republican | re-elected |
| 21st | Charles Kellogg | Republican | |
| 22nd | Daniel P. Wood* | Republican | re-elected |
| 23rd | James G. Thompson | Republican | contested by William Yeomans Jr. |
| 24th | John H. Selkreg | Republican | |
| 25th | William B. Woodin* | Republican | re-elected |
| 26th | William Johnson* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 27th | George B. Bradley | Democrat | |
| 28th | Jarvis Lord* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 29th | Dan H. Cole | Republican | |
| 30th | Abijah J. Wellman | Republican | |
| 31st | John Ganson | Democrat | died on September 28, 1874 |
| 32nd | Albert G. Dow | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Henry A. Glidden
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel K. Schram
* Doorkeeper: Frederick M. Burton

## 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 | Frederick Schifferdecker | Republican | |
| Albany | 2nd | Leopold C. G. Kshinka | Democrat | |
| Albany | 3rd | Terrence J. Quinn | Democrat | |
| Albany | 4th | Waters W. Braman | Republican | |
| Allegany | Allegany | Orrin T. Stacy | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | George Sherwood | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Commodore P. Vedder* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | John Manley* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | Leonard F. Hardy* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | Erastus H. Hussey | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Francis B. Brewer* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | John D. Hiller* | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Edmund Miller | Democrat | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Harris H. Beecher | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Smith M. Weed* | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 1st | Henry Lawrence | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | Alonzo H. Farrar | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | George W. Phillips* | Republican | |
| Delaware | 1st | Benjamin J. Bassett | Republican | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Matthew Griffin* | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 1st | James Mackin* | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | Harvey G. Eastman | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | Patrick Hanrahan | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | Joseph W. Smith | Democrat | |
| Erie | 3rd | Franklin A. Alberger* | Republican | |
| Erie | 4th | John Nice* | Republican | |
| Erie | 5th | Robert B. Foote* | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | Gardiner Pope | Democrat | |
| Franklin | Franklin | John P. Badger* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | John Sunderlin | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Elbert Townsend* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Augustus Hill* | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Warner Miller | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Elam Persons* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Hugh Smith | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | James F. Donahue* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | John J. Allen | Republican | |
| Kings | 3rd | Michael J. Coffey | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Theodore N. Melvin | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | Eugene D. Berri | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Jacob Worth* | Republican | |
| Kings | 7th | Stephen J. Colahan | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | George C. Bennett | Republican | |
| Kings | 9th | John McGroarty | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | John Herrick | Democrat | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Jonathan B. Morey | Republican | |
| Madison | 1st | Edward C. Philpot* | Republican | |
| Madison | 2nd | Henry W. Carpenter | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | George A. Goss* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | George Taylor | Democrat | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Leonard Burritt* | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Martin L. Stover | Republican | |
| New York | 1st | James Healey* | Democrat | |
| New York | 2nd | William P. Kirk | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | James Hayes* | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | James Ryan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Austin Leake | Republican | |
| New York | 6th | Matthew Patten | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | Alfred Wagstaff Jr. | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | George Scherman | Rep./Apollo H. | |
| New York | 9th | George B. Deane Jr. | Republican | |
| New York | 10th | Louis C. Waehner | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | Knox McAfee | Republican | |
| New York | 12th | Francis Murray | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Charles S. Spencer | Republican | |
| New York | 14th | James Daly | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | Joseph Blumenthal* | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | Peter Woods* | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | Andrew Blessing* | Democrat | |
| New York | 18th | Bernard Biglin* | Republican | |
| New York | 19th | Thomas O'Callaghan | Democrat | |
| New York | 20th | John D. Coughlin | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | vacant | | Assemblyman-elect Henry W. Genet (D) forfeited his seat |
| New York | 21st | James E. Sullivan | | elected to fill vacancy |
| Niagara | 1st | Artemas W. Comstock | Republican | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Orville C. Bordwell | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | George W. Chadwick | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Arthur F. Brown | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | John J. Parry | Republican | |
| Oneida | 4th | Griffith O. Jones | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Thomas G. Alvord | Independent | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | George Barrow | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Charles Simon | Democrat | |
| Ontario | 1st | Stephen H. Hammond | Democrat | |
| Ontario | 2nd | Cyrillo S. Lincoln* | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | Augustus Denniston* | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | Charles B. Wood | Democrat | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Elisha S. Whalen* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | George B. Sloan | Republican | |
| Oswego | 2nd | Willard Johnson* | Democrat | |
| Oswego | 3rd | J. Lyman Bulkley* | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | William H. Ely | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 2nd | Henry Thorp | Lib. Rep./Dem. | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Hamilton Fish II | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | L. Bradford Prince* | Republican | |
| Queens | 2nd | James M. Oakley* | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | William V. Cleary* | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Robert Dickson | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | Jacob M. Witbeck | Democrat | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Stephen D. Stephens Jr. | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | William R. Knapp | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Seth G. Pope | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Dolphus S. Lynde* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | Jonah Sanford | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | George West* | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | George S. Batcheller* | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Daniel P. McQueen* | Republican | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | John B. Hoag | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Harmon L. Gregory | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | William C. Hazelton | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | Stephen D. Shattuck | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Charles F. Houghton | Republican | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Nathan D. Petty | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | George M. Beebe* | Democrat | on November 3, 1874, elected to the 44th U.S. Congress |
| Tioga | Tioga | Jerome B. Landfield* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | William L. Bostwick | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Robert A. Snyder | Republican | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Hector Abeel | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 3rd | John D. Winfield | Democrat | |
| Warren | Warren | Austin W. Holden | Democrat | |
| Washington | 1st | Alexander B. Law | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | Emerson E. Davis | Democrat | |
| Wayne | 1st | Emory W. Gurnee | Democrat | |
| Wayne | 2nd | Henry M. Clark | Ind. Rep. | |
| Westchester | 1st | William Cauldwell | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | Amherst Wight Jr.* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | elected Speaker |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Samuel W. Tewksbury | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | George W. Spencer | Democrat | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John O'Donnell
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Frederick C. Fiske
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: DeWitt Griffin
* Doorkeeper: Eugene L. Demers
* Assistant Doorkeeper: James Hogan
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
* Stenographer: Worden E. Payne
