1st New York State Legislature
# 1st New York State Legislature

The 1st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from September 9, 1777, to June 30, 1778, during the first year of George Clinton's governorship, first at Kingston and later at Poughkeepsie.

## Background

The 4th Provincial Congress of the Colony of New York convened at White Plains on July 9, 1776, and declared the independence of the State of New York. The next day the delegates re-convened as the "Convention of Representatives of the State of New-York" and on August 1 a committee was appointed to prepare a State Constitution. The New York Constitution was adopted by the Convention on April 20, 1777, and went into force immediately, without ratification by popular vote.

## Apportionment and election

The State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the following election in April 1778, every year one fourth of the State Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term.

Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

On May 8, 1777, the Constitutional Convention appointed the senators from the Southern District, and the assemblymen from Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties—the area which was under British control—and determined that these appointees serve in the Legislature until elections could be held in those areas, presumably after the end of the American Revolutionary War. Vacancies among the appointed members in the Senate should be filled by the Assembly, and vacancies in the Assembly by the Senate.

## Sessions

The State Legislature met in Kingston, the seat of Ulster County. The State Senate met first on September 9, 1777, at the home of Abraham Van Gaasbeck, now known as Senate House, the Assembly met first on the next day at the Bogardus Tavern. At the approach of the British army, the State Legislature dispersed on October 7, and reconvened in Poughkeepsie on January 5, 1778, possibly at a house now known as Clinton House.

## State Senate

### Districts

* The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
* The Middle District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.
* The Eastern District (3 seats) consisted of Charlotte, Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
* The Western District (6 seats) consisted of Albany and Tryon counties.

### Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the Constitutional Convention who continued as members of the Legislature.

| District | State Senators | Term drawn | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Southern | Isaac Roosevelt* | 1 year | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | John Morin Scott* | 1 year | appointed by Constitutional Convention; elected to the Council of Appointment; from March 13, 1778, also Secretary of State of New York |
| Southern | John Jones | 2 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention; resigned on February 26, 1778, due to ill health |
| Southern | Richard Morris | 2 years | on March 4, 1778, appointed by the State Assembly, in place of Jones |
| Southern | Jonathan Lawrence* | 2 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | Lewis Morris* | 2 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | William Floyd | 3 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | William Smith* | 3 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | Pierre Van Cortlandt* | 3 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention; elected Temporary President of the State Senate; then elected Lt. Gov. to fill vacancy, and took office on June 30, 1778 |
| Southern | Philip Livingston* | 4 years | appointed by Constitutional Convention; died June 12, 1778 |
| Middle | Henry Wisner* | 1 year | |
| Middle | Jonathan Landon* | 2 years | |
| Middle | Zephaniah Platt* | 2 years | |
| Middle | Arthur Parks* | 3 years | |
| Middle | Levi Pawling | 4 years | |
| Middle | Jesse Woodhull | 4 years | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | William Duer* | 1 year | |
| Eastern | John Williams* | 3 years | |
| Eastern | Alexander Webster* | 4 years | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Isaac Paris* | 1 year | |
| Western | Abraham Yates Jr.* | 1 year | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Dirck W. Ten Broeck | 2 years | |
| Western | Anthony Van Schaick | 3 years | |
| Western | Jellis Fonda | 4 years | |
| Western | Rinier Mynderse | 4 years | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Robert Benson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Stephen Hendrickson, elected March 11, 1778
* Doorkeeper and Messenger: Victor Bicker

## State Assembly

### Districts

* The City and County of Albany (10 seats)
* Charlotte County (4 seats)
* Cumberland County (3 seats)
* Dutchess County (7 seats)
* Gloucester County (2 seats)
* Kings County (2 seats)
* The City and County of New York (9 seats)
* Orange County (4 seats)
* Queens County (4 seats)
* Richmond County (2 seats)
* Suffolk County (5 seats)
* Tryon County (6 seats)
* Ulster County (6 seats)
* Westchester County (6 seats)

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the Constitutional Convention who continued as members of the Legislature.

| District | Assemblymen | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Albany | Jacob Cuyler* | resigned September 30, 1777 |
| Albany | John Cuyler Jr. | |
| Albany | James Gordon | |
| Albany | Walter Livingston | elected Speaker |
| Albany | Stephen J. Schuyler | |
| Albany | John Tayler* | |
| Albany | Killian Van Rensselaer | |
| Albany | Robert Van Rensselaer* | |
| Albany | Peter Vrooman | |
| Albany | William B. Whiting | |
| Charlotte | John Barns | |
| Charlotte | Ebenezer Clarke | |
| Charlotte | John Rowan | |
| Charlotte | Ebenezer Russell | |
| Cumberland | none | No election returns from these counties |
| Gloucester | none | No election returns from these counties |
| Dutchess | Egbert Benson | also New York State Attorney General |
| Dutchess | Dirck Brinckerhoff | |
| Dutchess | Anthony Hoffman* | |
| Dutchess | Gilbert Livingston* | |
| Dutchess | Andrew Moorhouse | |
| Dutchess | John Schenck* | |
| Dutchess | Jacobus Swartwout | |
| Kings | William Boerum | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Kings | Henry Williams | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Evert Bancker* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Abraham Brasher* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Daniel Dunscomb* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Robert Harpur* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Frederick Jay | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Abraham P. Lott* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Henry Rutgers | appointed by Constitutional Convention; resigned on February 16, 1778 |
| New York | John Berrien | appointed by the State Senate, in place of Rutgers |
| New York | Jacobus Van Zandt* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Peter P. Van Zandt* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Orange | Jeremiah Clark* | |
| Orange | John Hathorn | |
| Orange | Theunis Cuyper | |
| Orange | Roeluf Van Houten | |
| Queens | Benjamin Birdsall | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Benjamin Coe | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Philip Edsall | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Daniel Lawrence | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Richmond | Abraham Jones | appointed by Constitutional Convention; seat declared vacant on June 8, 1778, for "being with the enemy" |
| Richmond | Joshua Mersereau | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | David Gelston* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Burnet Miller* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Thomas Tredwell* | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Thomas Wickes | appointed by Constitutional Convention |
| Tryon | Samuel Clyde | |
| Tryon | Michael Edie | |
| Tryon | Jacob G. Klock | |
| Tryon | Jacob Snell | |
| Tryon | Abraham Van Horne | |
| Tryon | Johannes Veeder | |
| Ulster | John Cantine | |
| Ulster | Johannes G. Hardenbergh* | |
| Ulster | Matthew Rea* | |
| Ulster | Cornelius C. Schoonmaker | |
| Ulster | Johannis Snyder | |
| Ulster | Henry Wisner Jr.* | |
| Westchester | Thaddeus Crane | |
| Westchester | Samuel Drake | |
| Westchester | Robert Graham | |
| Westchester | Israel Honeywell Jr. | |
| Westchester | Zebediah Mills* | |
| Westchester | Gouverneur Morris* | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John McKesson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas Pettit
* Doorkeeper: Richard Ten Eyck
