# 15th New York State Legislature

The 15th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 12, 1792, during the fifteenth year of George Clinton's governorship, in New York City.

## 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.
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. No general meeting place was determined, leaving it to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the legislature should meet again where it adjourned.
On February 7, 1791, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the figures of the United States Census of 1790. The area of Columbia and Rensselaer counties were transferred from the Western to the Eastern District; and the Southern and the Western districts lost one senator each, which were added to the Eastern District. The total number of assemblymen was again set at 70; but several new counties were established: Herkimer (1 seat), Ontario (1), Otsego (1), Rensselaer (5), Saratoga (4) and Tioga (1); Kings, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester lost 1 seat, and Montgomery and New York lost 2; and Columbia won 3 seats.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Party lines were not as distinctly drawn then as they became during the 19th century. Some politicians changed sides, for example the Livingston faction of the Federalist Party who felt betrayed after the election of Rufus King over their candidate James Duane in the 1789 United States Senate elections in New York and later voted down Schuyler for re-election in 1791.

## Elections

The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1791. Senators Samuel Jones (Southern D.), Thomas Tillotson and Jacobus Swartwout (both Middle D.) were re-elected; and Joshua Sands (Southern D.), William Powers (Eastern D.) and Ex-U.S. Senator Philip Schuyler (Western D.) were also elected to the Senate.

## Sessions

The legislature was to meet for the regular session on January 3, 1792, at Federal Hall in New York City; both Houses assembled a quorum two days later; and adjourned on April 12.
On April 12, 1792, they enacted that the legislature should meet on the first Tuesday of November every four years, beginning in 1792, to choose presidential electors. The electors should then meet as electoral college at Poughkeepsie.

## State Senate
### Districts

* The Southern District (8 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 (5 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Columbia and Rensselaer counties.
* The Western District (5 seats) consisted of Albany, Montgomery, Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Saratoga and Tioga 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 | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| Southern | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 1 year | Fed./Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Paul Micheau* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Southern | Isaac Roosevelt* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Southern | Philip Livingston* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Southern | David Gelston* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | also Surrogate of New York County |
| Southern | Philip Van Cortlandt* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Southern | Samuel Jones* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | also Recorder of New York City |
| Southern | Joshua Sands | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | James Clinton* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | John Cantine* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | James Carpenter* | 2 years | | |
| Middle | David Pye* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Middle | Thomas Tillotson* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Jacobus Swartwout* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Edward Savage* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Peter Van Ness* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | Van Ness lived in Columbia Co., and was elected in the old Western D. in 1788 |
| Eastern | Alexander Webster* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | John Williams* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | William Powers | 4 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Volkert P. Douw* | 2 years | | |
| Western | Leonard Gansevoort | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Western | (Peter Schuyler)* | 3 years | Federalist | died January 4, 1792, before the Legislature convened |
| Western | Stephen Van Rensselaer* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Philip Schuyler | 4 years | Federalist | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker

## State Assembly
### Districts

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

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
| County | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | Jellis A. Fonda | Federalist | |
| Albany | Stephen Lush | | |
| Albany | David McCarty | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Albany | Francis Nicoll | Federalist | |
| Albany | William North | Federalist | |
| Albany | John Ten Broeck | | |
| Albany | Henry Ten Eyck | | |
| Columbia | Benjamin Birdsall | | |
| Columbia | Jared Coffin | | |
| Columbia | Jacob Ford | Federalist | previously a member from Albany Co. |
| Columbia | Lawrence Hogeboom | | |
| Columbia | Henry Livingston | Federalist | |
| Columbia | James Savage* | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Jonathan Akins* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Samuel A. Barker* | | |
| Dutchess | Isaac Bloom* | | |
| Dutchess | Daniel Graham | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Morgan Lewis | | |
| Dutchess | Matthew Patterson | | |
| Dutchess | James Tallmadge* | | |
| Herkimer | Michael Myers* | | previously a member from Montgomery Co.; unsuccessfully contested |
| Kings | Charles Doughty | | |
| Montgomery | Douw Fonda | | |
| Montgomery | John Frey* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | David McMasters | | |
| Montgomery | Silas Talbot | Federalist | |
| New York | Josiah Ogden Hoffman* | Federalist | |
| New York | William S. Livingston | | |
| New York | Melancton Smith | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | William Pitt Smith | | |
| New York | John Watts* | Federalist | re-elected Speaker |
| New York | Henry Will* | | |
| New York | John Wylly | | |
| Ontario | Eleazer Lindsley | | |
| Orange | John D. Coe* | Federalist | |
| Orange | Seth Marvin* | Federalist | |
| Orange | John Smith* | | |
| Otsego | James Cannon | | previously a member from Montgomery Co. |
| Queens | Samuel Clowes* | | |
| Queens | Whitehead Cornwell | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Queens | Nathaniel Lawrence* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Jonathan Brown* | | previously a member from Albany Co. |
| Rensselaer | John Knickerbacker Jr. | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | John W. Schermerhorn* | Federalist | previously a member from Albany Co. |
| Rensselaer | Thomas Sickles | Federalist | previously a member from Albany Co. |
| Rensselaer | Moses Vail | | |
| Richmond | Gozen Ryerss* | Federalist | |
| Saratoga | Sidney Berry* | | previously a member from Albany Co.; seat vacated on January 20, 1792 |
| Saratoga | Andrew Mitchell | | seat vacated on January 20, 1792 |
| Saratoga | Elias Palmer | | |
| Saratoga | Benjamin Rosekrans | | |
| Suffolk | John Gelston* | | |
| Suffolk | Jonathan N. Havens* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Henry Scudder | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | John Smith* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Tioga | Jonathan Fitch | | seat in doubt, but retained |
| Ulster | Ebenezer Clark | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | Jacob De Lametter* | | |
| Ulster | Ebenezer Foote | Federalist | |
| Ulster | Joseph Hasbrouck* | | |
| Ulster | vacant | | |
| Washington and Clinton | John Conger | | |
| Washington and Clinton | Thomas Converse* | | |
| Washington and Clinton | Zina Hitchcock* | | |
| Washington and Clinton | David Hopkins | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Samuel Haight* | | |
| Westchester | Elias Newman | | |
| Westchester | Ebenezer Purdy* | | |
| Westchester | Jonathan G. Tompkins* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John McKesson