100th New York State Legislature
# 100th New York State Legislature

The 100th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to May 24, 1877, during the first 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.

## Elections

The New York state election, 1876 was held on November 7. The Democratic incumbent State Comptroller Lucius Robinson was elected Governor, and his running mate William Dorsheimer was re-elected Lieutenant Governor. The other three statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democratic 520,000; Republican 489,000; Prohibition 3,400; and Greenback 1,400.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1877; and adjourned on May 24.

George B. Sloan (R) was elected Speaker with 69 votes against 57 for Luke F. Cozans (D).

On April 3, the Legislature re-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Neil Gilmour to a term of three years.

The Senate met for a special session at Saratoga Springs and adjourned on August 18.

On August 17, Superintendent of the New York State Banking Department DeWitt C. Ellis was removed from office.

## 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.

### Members

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

| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1st | L. Bradford Prince* | Republican | |
| 2nd | John R. Kennaday* | Democrat | |
| 3rd | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | |
| 4th | John Morrissey* | Anti-Tam. Dem. | |
| 5th | Alfred Wagstaff Jr. | Democrat | elected to fill vacancy, in place of James W. Booth |
| 6th | Caspar A. Baaden* | Republican | |
| 7th | James W. Gerard* | Democrat | |
| 8th | Francis M. Bixby* | Anti-Tam. Dem. | |
| 9th | William H. Robertson* | Republican | President pro tempore |
| 10th | Daniel B. St. John* | Democrat | |
| 11th | B. Platt Carpenter* | Republican | |
| 12th | Thomas Coleman* | Republican | |
| 13th | Hamilton Harris* | Republican | |
| 14th | Augustus Schoonmaker Jr.* | Democrat | on November 6, 1877, elected New York Attorney General |
| 15th | Webster Wagner* | Republican | |
| 16th | Franklin W. Tobey* | Republican | |
| 17th | Darius A. Moore* | Republican | |
| 18th | James F. Starbuck* | Democrat | |
| 19th | Theodore S. Sayre* | Republican | |
| 20th | David P. Loomis* | Democrat | |
| 21st | Benjamin Doolittle* | Republican | |
| 22nd | Dennis McCarthy* | Republican | |
| 23rd | William C. Lamont* | Democrat | |
| 24th | John H. Selkreg* | Republican | |
| 25th | William B. Woodin* | Republican | |
| 26th | Stephen H. Hammond* | Democrat | |
| 27th | George B. Bradley* | Democrat | |
| 28th | William N. Emerson* | Republican | |
| 29th | Dan H. Cole* | Republican | |
| 30th | Abijah J. Wellman* | Republican | |
| 31st | E. Carleton Sprague | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Sherman S. Rogers |
| 32nd | Commodore P. Vedder* | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Henry A. Glidden
* Sergeant-at-Arms: John W. Corning
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Hart
* Doorkeeper: Frederick M. Burton
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: Webster Howard
* Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner
* Janitor and Keeper of the Senate Chamber: George A. Johnson
* Assistant Janitor and Keeper of the Senate Chamber: Robert McIntyre
* Assistant Postmaster: Henry L. Griswold
* Chaplain: Ebenezer Halley

## State Assembly

### Assemblymen

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

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.

| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Albany | 1st | John Sager | Democrat | |
| Albany | 2nd | Jonathan R. Herrick | Democrat | |
| Albany | 3rd | William J. Maher* | Democrat | |
| Albany | 4th | Edward Curran | Democrat | contested; seat vacated on February 27 |
| Albany | 4th | Waters W. Braman | Republican | seated on February 27 |
| Allegany | Allegany | Sumner Baldwin* | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Edwin C. Moody | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Thomas J. King | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Edgar Shannon* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | George I. Post* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | John S. Brown* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Sherman Williams | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Theodore A. Case* | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Hosea H. Rockwell | Democrat | |
| Chenango | Chenango | J. Hudson Skillman | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Shepard P. Bowen* | Republican | |
| Columbia | 1st | Jacob H. Proper | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | John T. Hogeboom* | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Deloss McGraw | Republican | |
| Delaware | 1st | William J. Welsh | Republican | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Isaac H. Maynard* | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 1st | Thomas Hammond* | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | DeWitt Webb* | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | John L. Crowley | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | John G. Langner | Democrat | |
| Erie | 3rd | Edward Gallagher* | Republican | |
| Erie | 4th | Charles F. Tabor* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 5th | Charles A. Orr | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | Benjamin D. Clapp | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | John I. Gilbert* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | George W. Fay | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Eli Taylor | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Oscar T. Humphrey | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Myron A. McKee* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Charles R. Skinner | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Henry Spicer | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | Daniel Bradley* | Ind. Dem. | |
| Kings | 2nd | Richard Marvin | Republican | |
| Kings | 3rd | John Shanley | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | James G. Tighe | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | William W. Stephenson | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | John A. Dillmeier | Democrat | |
| Kings | 7th | Charles L. Lyon* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | Adrian M. Suydam* | Republican | |
| Kings | 9th | John McGroarty* | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | William W. Rice | Democrat | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Jonathan B. Morey | Republican | |
| Madison | 1st | Albert N. Sheldon | Republican | |
| Madison | 2nd | Merchant Billington | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Willard Hodges* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | James S. Graham* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Washington L. Rockwell | Democrat | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Edward Wemple | Democrat | |
| New York | 1st | James Healey | Democrat | death announced January 23 |
| New York | 1st | John F. Berrigan | Democrat | elected to fill vacancy, seated on February 27 |
| New York | 2nd | Thomas F. Grady | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | William H. Rooney | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | John Galvin* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Peter Mitchell | Democrat | |
| New York | 6th | Michael Healy | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | Isaac Israel Hayes* | Republican | |
| New York | 8th | Martin Nachtmann | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | William H. Corsa | Republican | |
| New York | 10th | Christopher Flecke | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | Elliot C. Cowdin | Republican | |
| New York | 12th | Maurice F. Holahan | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Robert H. Strahan* | Republican | |
| New York | 14th | Luke F. Cozans | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | James G. Dimond | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | Francis B. Spinola | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | James E. Coulter | Democrat | |
| New York | 18th | Stephen J. O'Hare* | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | Thomas C. E. Ecclesine | Democrat | |
| New York | 20th | Joseph L. Stein | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | J. C. Julius Langbein | Republican | |
| Niagara | 1st | Amos A. Bissell* | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Sherburne B. Piper | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 1st | James Corbett | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Everett Case | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Benjamin D. Stone | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 4th | J. Robert Moore | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Thomas G. Alvord | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Carroll E. Smith* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | C. Fred Herbst* | Republican | |
| Ontario | 1st | Dwight B. Backenstose | Republican | |
| Ontario | 2nd | Amasa T. Winch | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | James G. Graham | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | Stewart L. Durland | Democrat | died on January 17 |
| Orange | 2nd | John V. D. Benedict | | elected to fill vacancy, seated on February 27 |
| Orleans | Orleans | Joseph Drake Billings* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | George B. Sloan* | Republican | elected Speaker |
| Oswego | 2nd | George M. Case | Republican | |
| Oswego | 3rd | DeWitt C. Peck | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | James S. Davenport* | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 2nd | Simeon R. Barnes | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Hamilton Fish II* | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | Elbert Floyd-Jones | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | George E. Bulmer | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | John H. Burns | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | John J. Filkin | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | William H. Sliter | Democrat | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Samuel R. Brick | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | George W. Weiant* | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | David McFalls* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | A. Barton Hepburn* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | Lewis C. Lang* | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | George W. Neilson | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | Isaac Noyes Jr.* | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Walter T. L. Sanders | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | James H. Brown | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | William Gulick* | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Albert L. Childs | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | William B. Ruggles* | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Jerry E. B. Santee* | Republican | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Francis Brill | Democrat | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Thornton A. Niven | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | Eugene B. Gere* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | Silas R. Wickes | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Thomas Hamilton* | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Nathan Keator | Republican | |
| Ulster | 3rd | Isaac W. Longyear | Democrat | |
| Warren | Warren | Robert Waddell* | Republican | |
| Washington | 1st | Townsend J. Potter* | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | Isaac V. Baker Jr. | Republican | |
| Wayne | 1st | Jackson Valentine | Republican | |
| Wayne | 2nd | Jeremiah Thistlethwaite | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Ambrose H. Purdy | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | William F. Moller | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Arthur Clark* | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Mason L. Baldwin | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Edward M. Johnson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: George A. Goss
* Doorkeeper: Eugene L. Demers
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Francis Strickland
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
* Stenographer: Worden E. Payne
* Superintendent of Documents: DeWitt Griffin
