4th New York State Legislature
# 4th New York State Legislature

The 4th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from September 7, 1780, to July 1, 1781, during the fourth year of George Clinton's governorship, first at Poughkeepsie, then at Albany, and finally at Poughkeepsie again.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, 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 election in April 1778, every year six 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 had 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.

## Elections

The State elections were held from April 25 to 27, 1780. Gov. George Clinton and Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt were re-elected. Under the determination by the Constitutional Convention, the senators William Floyd, William Smith and Isaac Stoutenburgh, whose seats were up for election, continued in office, as well as the assemblymen from Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties. Arthur Parks (Middle D.) was re-elected. Philip Schuyler was elected in the Western District. Assemblyman Elkanah Day, from Cumberland County, which had seceded from New York to become a part of the Vermont Republic, was elected in the Eastern District.

## Sessions

The State Legislature met first in Poughkeepsie, the seat of Dutchess County, on September 7, 1780, and adjourned on October 10. The Legislature reconvened at the Old City Hall in Albany, the seat of Albany County, on January 17, 1781, and adjourned on March 31. The Legislature reconvened again in Poughkeepsie, the Senate on June 15, the Assembly on June 18, and adjourned finally on July 1.

## 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 previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Elkanah Day changed from the Assembly to the Senate, but never took his seat.

| District | Senators | Term left | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Southern | Sir James Jay* | 1 year | appointed by State Assembly |
| Southern | Isaac Roosevelt* | 2 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | John Morin Scott* | 2 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention; also Secretary of State of New York |
| Southern | Jonathan Lawrence* | 3 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | Lewis Morris* | 3 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | Stephen Ward* | 3 years | appointed by State Assembly; elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Southern | William Floyd* | 4 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | William Smith* | 4 years | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Southern | Isaac Stoutenburgh* | 4 years | holding over on appointment by State Assembly |
| Middle | Levi Pawling* | 1 year | |
| Middle | Jesse Woodhull* | 1 year | |
| Middle | Henry Wisner* | 2 years | |
| Middle | Ephraim Paine* | 3 years | elected to the Council of Appointment; expelled on March 15, 1781, for "neglect of duty" |
| Middle | Zephaniah Platt* | 3 years | |
| Middle | Arthur Parks* | 4 years | elected to the Council of Appointment to fill vacancy, in place of Ephraim Paine |
| Eastern | Alexander Webster* | 1 year | |
| Eastern | Ebenezer Russell* | 2 years | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | (Elkanah Day)* | 4 years | did not attend |
| Western | Jellis Fonda* | 1 year | |
| Western | Rinier Mynderse* | 1 year | |
| Western | Jacob G. Klock* | 2 years | |
| Western | Abraham Yates Jr.* | 2 years | |
| Western | Abraham Ten Broeck | 3 years | also Mayor of Albany; elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Philip Schuyler | 4 years | from March 30, 1781, also New York State Surveyor General |

### Employees

* Clerk: Robert Benson

## 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 previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

| County | Assemblymen | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Albany | Matthew Adgate | |
| Albany | John Ja. Beekman | |
| Albany | James Gordon* | |
| Albany | John Lansing Jr. | |
| Albany | Peter R. Livingston | |
| Albany | Dirck Swart | |
| Albany | John Tayler | |
| Albany | John Van Rensselaer Jr. | |
| Albany | Robert Van Rensselaer | |
| Albany | Isaac Vrooman* | |
| Charlotte | David Hopkins* | |
| Charlotte | Hamilton McCollister | |
| Charlotte | Matthew McWhorter | |
| Charlotte | Ichabod Parker | |
| Cumberland | none | |
| Dutchess | Egbert Benson* | also New York State Attorney General |
| Dutchess | Ebenezer Cary | |
| Dutchess | Samuel Dodge* | |
| Dutchess | Henry Ludington* | |
| Dutchess | Brinton Paine* | |
| Dutchess | Guisbert Schenck | |
| Dutchess | Jacobus Swartwout | |
| Gloucester | none | No election returns from this county |
| Kings | William Boerum* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Kings | Henry Williams* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Evert Bancker* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention; re-elected Speaker |
| New York | John Berrien* | holding over on appointment by the State Senate |
| New York | Abraham Brasher* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Daniel Dunscomb* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Robert Harpur* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Frederick Jay* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Abraham P. Lott* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Jacobus Van Zandt* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| New York | Peter P. Van Zandt* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Orange | Jeremiah Clark | |
| Orange | David Pye | |
| Orange | Bezaleel Seely*? | |
| Orange | John Stagg | |
| Queens | Benjamin Birdsall* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Benjamin Coe* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Philip Edsall* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Queens | Daniel Lawrence* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Richmond | Joshua Mersereau* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Richmond | vacant | |
| Suffolk | David Gelston* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Burnet Miller* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Thomas Tredwell* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Suffolk | Thomas Wickes* | holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention |
| Tryon | Zephaniah Batchelor | |
| Tryon | Jacob Gardenier* | |
| Tryon | Abraham Garrison | |
| Tryon | John Moore | |
| Tryon | Abraham Van Horne | |
| Tryon | Peter Waggoner Jr.* | |
| Ulster | Robert Boyd Jr.* | |
| Ulster | John Cantine* | |
| Ulster | Cornelius C. Schoonmaker* | |
| Ulster | Nathan Smith* | |
| Ulster | Dirck Wynkoop | |
| Ulster | vacant | |
| Westchester | Samuel Drake* | |
| Westchester | Philip Pell* | |
| Westchester | Nathan Rockwell | |
| Westchester | Joseph Strang | |
| Westchester | Thomas Thomas | |
| Westchester | Jonathan G. Tompkins | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John McKesson
