21st New York State Legislature
# 21st New York State Legislature

The 21st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 6, 1798, during the third year of John Jay's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the re-apportionment of March 4, 1796, Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year about one fourth of the Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since.

On January 24, 1797, State Senator Philip Schuyler was elected to the U.S. Senate, leaving a vacancy in the Eastern District.

In 1797, Delaware County was created from parts of Ulster and Otsego counties, and was apportioned two seats in the Assembly, one each taken from Ulster and Otsego.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

## Elections

The State election was held from April 25 to 27, 1797. Senators Ezra L'Hommedieu (Southern D.), Ebenezer Clark, Anthony Ten Eyck, Jacobus Van Schoonhoven (all three Eastern D.), Thomas Morris and Michael Myers (both Western D.) were re-elected. John Addison, Peter Cantine Jr., James G. Graham (all three Middle D.) and Seth Phelps (Western D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. Senator Zina Hitchcock (Eastern D.) was re-elected, but only to a two-year term to fill the vacancy.

## Sessions

The Legislature met on January 2, 1798, at the Old City Hall in Albany, New York; the Senate adjourned on April 5, the Assembly on April 6.

Federalist Dirck Ten Broeck was elected Speaker with 59 votes against 42 for Dem.-Rep. William Denning.

On January 3, 1798, Philip Schuyler (Fed.) resigned from the U.S. Senate. On January 11, the Legislature elected New York Supreme Court Justice John Sloss Hobart (Fed.) to fill the vacancy. Hobart vacated his seat on April 16, 1798, when he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New York, and on May 5 Gov. John Jay appointed William North (Fed.) to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy temporarily.

## State Senate

### Districts

* The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
* The Middle District (12 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Columbia and Delaware counties.
* The Eastern District (11 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Rensselaer, Albany and Saratoga counties.
* The Western District (11 seats) consisted of Montgomery, Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Schoharie and Steuben counties.

### Members

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

| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Southern | Richard Hatfield* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Southern | Philip Livingston* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Southern | James Watson* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Southern | Samuel Jones* | 2 years | Federalist | also New York State Comptroller |
| Southern | vacant | 2 years | | Joshua Sands vacated his seat on April 26, 1797, upon appointment as Collector of the Port of New York |
| Southern | Samuel Haight* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Southern | (Andrew Onderdonk*) | 3 years | Federalist | died September 24, 1797, before this Legislature met |
| Southern | Selah Strong* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Southern | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Middle | John D. Coe* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Ambrose Spencer* | 1 year | Federalist | also Assistant Attorney General (3rd D.) |
| Middle | Abraham Schenck* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Christopher Tappen* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Thomas Tillotson* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Robert Sands* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | James Savage* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | Peter Silvester* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | William Thompson* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Middle | John Addison | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Peter Cantine Jr. | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | James G. Graham | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Leonard Gansevoort* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Francis Nicoll* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Zina Hitchcock* | 2 years | Federalist | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Philip Schuyler |
| Eastern | Ebenezer Russell* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Moses Vail* | 2 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | Leonard Bronck* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | James Gordon* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Ebenezer Clark* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Anthony Ten Eyck* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Jacobus Van Schoonhoven* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Abraham Van Vechten | 4 years | Federalist | also Recorder of the City of Albany |
| Western | Abraham Arndt | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Western | Johannes Dietz* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Western | John Frey* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Western | Thomas R. Gold* | 1 year | Federalist | also Assistant Attorney General (7th D.) |
| Western | Vincent Mathews* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Joseph White* | 2 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Jacob Morris* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Jedediah Sanger* | 3 years | Federalist | from March 22, 1798, also First Judge of the Oneida County Court |
| Western | Thomas Morris* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Michael Myers* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Seth Phelps | 4 years | Federalist | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker

## State Assembly

### Districts

* Albany County (10 seats)
* Clinton County (1 seat)
* Columbia County (6 seats)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (10 seats)
* Herkimer County (7 seats)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Montgomery County (6 seats)
* The City and County of New York (13 seats)
* Onondaga County (2 seats)
* Ontario and Steuben counties (2 seats)
* Orange County (3 seats)
* Otsego County (4 seats)
* Queens County (4 seats)
* Rensselaer County (6 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Saratoga County (5 seats)
* Schoharie County (1 seat)
* Suffolk County (4 seats)
* Tioga County (2 seats)
* Ulster County (7 seats)
* Washington County (6 seats)
* Westchester County (5 seats)

### Assemblymen

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

| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Albany | Thomas E. Barker | Federalist | |
| Albany | Johann Jost Dietz | Federalist | |
| Albany | Andrew N. Heermance | | |
| Albany | Nathaniel Ogden* | | |
| Albany | John Prince* | | |
| Albany | Philip P. Schuyler* | | |
| Albany | Dirck Ten Broeck* | Federalist | elected Speaker |
| Albany | Joel Thompson | Federalist | |
| Albany | John H. Wendell* | | |
| Albany | Peter West | Federalist | |
| Clinton | Daniel Ross | | |
| Columbia | Caleb Benton* | | |
| Columbia | John C. Hogeboom* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Killian Hogeboom | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Elisha Jenkins | Federalist | |
| Columbia | Samuel Ten Broeck | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Peter I. Vosburgh* | | |
| Delaware | William Horton | | |
| Delaware | Nathaniel Wattles | | died on January 2, 1798, in Albany |
| Dutchess | William Barker | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Lemuel Clift | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Luther Holley | | |
| Dutchess | Joseph Potter | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Philip J. Schuyler | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Jacob Smith* | | |
| Dutchess | John Thomas | | |
| Dutchess | Jesse Thompson* | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Samuel Towner | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | William B. Verplanck* | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | Benjamin Bowen | | |
| Herkimer | Matthew Brown Jr.* | | |
| Herkimer | Ludwick Campbell* | | |
| Herkimer | Isaac Foote | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | Gaylord Griswold* | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | Henry McNeil* | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | Nathan Smith | | |
| Kings | Peter Vandervoort* | Federalist | |
| Montgomery | Frederick Gettman* | Federalist | |
| Montgomery | James Hildreth | | |
| Montgomery | Robert McFarland | | |
| Montgomery | George Metcalfe | | also Assistant Attorney General (5th D.) |
| Montgomery | Jacob Snell | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | Philip Van Alstyne | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Philip I. Arcularius | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | William Boyd | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Ebenezer S. Burling | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Aaron Burr | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | DeWitt Clinton | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Jacob De La Montagnie | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | William Denning | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | James Fairlie | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | James Hunt | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Samuel L. Mitchill | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Ezekiel Robins | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Thomas Storm | Dem.-Rep. | previously a member from Dutchess Co. |
| New York | George Warner | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Onondaga | Silas Halsey* | | |
| Onondaga | Comfort Tyler* | | |
| Ontario and Steuben | Amos Hall | Federalist | |
| Ontario and Steuben | Charles Williamson* | | |
| Orange | James Burt | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | Benjamin Coe | | |
| Orange | Moses Hatfield | | |
| Otsego | Joshua Dewey | | |
| Otsego | Francis Henry* | Federalist | |
| Otsego | Elijah Holt | | |
| Otsego | Timothy Morse* | | |
| Queens | Stephen Carman | Federalist | |
| Queens | Whitehead Cornwell | | |
| Queens | William Pearsall* | Federalist | |
| Queens | John I. Skidmore | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | John Bird* | Federalist | in April 1798, elected to the 6th United States Congress |
| Rensselaer | Jacob A. Fort* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Daniel Gray* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Jonathan Hoag | | |
| Rensselaer | Hosea Moffitt* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Israel Thompson | | |
| Richmond | Paul I. Micheau | Federalist | |
| Saratoga | Seth C. Baldwin* | | |
| Saratoga | Samuel Clark* | | |
| Saratoga | Adam Comstock* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Douw I. Fonda | | |
| Saratoga | Aaron Gregory | | |
| Schoharie | John Rice* | Federalist | |
| Suffolk | John Howard | | |
| Suffolk | Abraham Miller* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Josiah Reeve | | |
| Suffolk | Silas Wood* | Federalist | |
| Tioga | Emanuel Coryell* | Federalist | |
| Tioga | Benjamin Hovey | | |
| Ulster | John Barber | | |
| Ulster | Philip D. Bevier | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | Phineas Bowman | | |
| Ulster | Jacobus S. Bruyn | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | John A. DeWitt | | |
| Ulster | John C. DeWitt* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | Andrew McCord | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Charles Kane | | |
| Washington | Daniel Mason* | | |
| Washington | Reuben Pride | | |
| Washington | Edward Savage* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Thomas Smith | | |
| Washington | Melancton Wheeler | | |
| Westchester | William Adams | | |
| Westchester | John Barker* | Federalist | |
| Westchester | Elijah Lee | | |
| Westchester | Abel Smith | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Charles Teed* | Federalist | |

### Employees

* Clerk: James Van Ingen
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Robert Hunter
* Doorkeeper: Peter Hansen
