# 116th New York State Legislature

The 116th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 20, 1893, during the second year of Roswell P. Flower'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 (seven districts) and Kings County (three districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.
On April 26, 1892, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate Districts and the number of assemblymen per county. Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, Otsego, Saratoga, Ulster, Washington and Wayne counties lost one seat each; St. Lawrence County lost two seats; Erie and Queens counties gained one seat each; and Kings and New York counties gained six seats each.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Prohibition Party, the Socialist Labor Party and a "People's Party" also nominated tickets.

## Elections

The 1892 New York state election was held on November 8. The only statewide elective offices up for election was carried by Charles Andrews, a Republican who was endorsed by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, was: Republican/Democratic 1,253,000; Prohibition 39,000; Socialist Labor 18,000; and People's Party 17,000.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1893; and adjourned on April 20.
William Sulzer (D) was elected Speaker with 71 votes against 52 for George R. Malby (R).
On January 17, the Legislature elected Edward Murphy Jr. (D) to succeed Frank Hiscock (R) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1893.
On January 27, the Legislature passed "An Act to amend chapter 398, of the Laws of 1892, entitled 'An Act to provide for a convention to revise and amend the Constitution'", calling a Constitutional Convention to meet in 1894.

## State Senate
### Districts

Note: The Senators in the 116th Legislature had been elected in November 1891 for a two-year term under the apportionment of 1879, as listed below. Although the 115th Legislature (1892) had re-apportioned the Senate districts, the only election under the new apportionment was held in November 1893, to elect the senators who sat in the 117th and 118th Legislatures.
* 1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Gravesend and New Utrecht in Kings County
* 3rd District: 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 23rd Ward of the City of Brooklyn
* 4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of New Lots and Flatlands in Kings County
* 5th District: Richmond County and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 14th and parts of the 4th and 9th Ward of New York City
* 6th District: 7th, 11th, 13th and part of the 4th Ward of NYC
* 7th District: 10th, 17th and part of the 15th, 18th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 8th District: 16th and part of the 9th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 9th District: Part of the 18th, 19th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 10th District: Part of the 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Ward of NYC
* 11th District: 23rd and 24th, and part of the 12th, 20th and 22nd Ward of NYC
* 12th District: Rockland and Westchester counties
* 13th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 14th District: Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties
* 15th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
* 16th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
* 17th District: Albany County
* 18th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
* 19th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 20th District: Franklin, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
* 21st District: Oswego and Jefferson counties
* 22nd District: Oneida County
* 23rd District: Herkimer, Madison and Otsego counties
* 24th District: Chenango, Delaware and Broome counties
* 25th District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
* 26th District: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Tioga counties
* 27th District: Allegany, Chemung and Steuben counties
* 28th District: Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and Yates counties
* 29th District: Monroe and Orleans counties
* 30th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara 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.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | Edward Floyd-Jones* | Democrat | Chairman of Game Laws |
| 2nd | John McCarty* | Democrat | Chairman of State Prisons; and of Public Buildings |
| 3rd | Joseph Aspinall* | Republican | |
| 4th | Patrick H. McCarren* | Democrat | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation; and of Public Expenditures |
| 5th | William L. Brown* | Democrat | Chairman of Affairs of Cities; and of Grievances |
| 6th | John F. Ahearn* | Democrat | Chairman of Banks; and of Public Printing |
| 7th | George F. Roesch* | Democrat | Chairman of Judiciary; and of Privileges and Elections |
| 8th | Martin T. McMahon* | Democrat | Chairman of General Laws; and of Military Affairs |
| 9th | Edward P. Hagan | Democrat | Chairman of Claims; died on February 20, 1893 |
| 9th | Thomas F. Cunningham | Democrat | elected on March 21 to fill vacancy |
| 10th | Jacob A. Cantor* | Democrat | President pro tempore; Chairman of Finance; and of Rules |
| 11th | George W. Plunkitt* | Democrat | Chairman of Miscellaneous Corporations; and of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| 12th | Charles P. McClelland* | Democrat | Chairman of Insurance; and of Joint Library |
| 13th | William P. Richardson* | Republican | |
| 14th | Clarence E. Bloodgood* | Democrat | Chairman of Roads and Bridges; and of Poor Laws |
| 15th | Edward B. Osborne* | Democrat | Chairman of Affairs of Villages; and of Erection and Division of Towns and Counties; died on July 20, 1893 |
| 16th | John H. Derby* | Republican | |
| 17th | Amasa J. Parker Jr.* | Democrat | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment; and of Public Health |
| 18th | Harvey J. Donaldson* | Republican | |
| 19th | Louis W. Emerson* | Republican | |
| 20th | George Z. Erwin* | Republican | Minority Leader |
| 21st | Joseph Mullin* | Republican | |
| 22nd | Henry J. Coggeshall* | Republican | |
| 23rd | John E. Smith* | Republican | |
| 24th | Edmund O'Connor* | Republican | |
| 25th | John A. Nichols* | Democrat | Chairman of Manufacture of Salt; and of Agriculture |
| 26th | Thomas Hunter* | Republican | |
| 27th | Charles E. Walker | Democrat | Chairman of Internal Affairs of Towns and Counties; and of Manufactures; died on June 6, 1893 |
| 28th | Charles T. Saxton* | Republican | |
| 29th | Cornelius R. Parsons* | Republican | |
| 30th | Greenleaf S. Van Gorder* | Republican | |
| 31st | Matthias Endres* | Democrat | Chairman of Canals; and of Indian Affairs |
| 32nd | James T. Edwards* | Ind. Rep./Dem. | Chairman of Railroads; and of Public Education |

### Employees

* Clerk: Charles T. Dunning
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Adelbert E. Tallmadge
* Doorkeeper: Joseph Jerge
* Stenographer: James M. Ruso
* Assistant Clerk: Charles W. Sutherland
* Librarian: James Oliver

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | James Hilton | Democrat | Chairman of Agriculture |
| Albany | 2nd | Howard P. Foster | Republican | |
| Albany | 3rd | Myer Nussbaum | Republican | |
| Albany | 4th | George S. Rivenburgh | Republican | |
| Allegany | Allegany | Marcus M. Congdon* | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Israel T. Deyo* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | Cattaraugus | William E. Wheeler* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | Cayuga | Charles Clinton Adams* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | Chautauqua | Egburt E. Woodbury* | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | John M. Diven | Republican | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Charles H. Stanton* | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Henry E. Barnard | Democrat | |
| Columbia | Columbia | Charles M. Bell | Republican | died on May 6, 1893 |
| Cortland | Cortland | James H. Tripp* | Republican | |
| Delaware | Delaware | DeWitt Griffin | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 1st | Edward H. Thompson | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | James A. Vanderwater* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 1st | John J. Clahan* | Democrat | Chairman of Canals |
| Erie | 2nd | Jacob Goldberg* | Democrat | Chairman of Excise |
| Erie | 3rd | Joseph Lenhard | Democrat | |
| Erie | 4th | Edward Gallagher* | Republican | |
| Erie | 5th | Henry H. Guenther* | Democrat | Chairman of General Laws |
| Erie | 6th | Frank D. Smith | Democrat | Chairman of Public Lands and Forestry |
| Essex | Essex | George A. Stevens | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | Allen S. Matthews* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Philip Keck | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Charles N. Reed* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | James Stead | Republican | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | William C. Prescott | Republican | |
| Jefferson | Jefferson | Harrison Fuller* | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | William J. Plant* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | John Cooney* | Democrat | Chairman of Judiciary |
| Kings | 3rd | John J. O'Connor* | Democrat | Chairman of Fisheries and Game |
| Kings | 4th | Joseph J. Cahill* | Democrat | Chairman of Unfinished Business |
| Kings | 5th | Hubert G. Taylor | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Patrick McGowan | Democrat | died on April 17, 1893 |
| Kings | 7th | Thomas F. Byrnes* | Democrat | Chairman of Federal Relations |
| Kings | 8th | John A. Hennessey | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | John Kelly* | Democrat | Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply |
| Kings | 10th | William E. Melody | Democrat | |
| Kings | 11th | William E. Shields* | Democrat | Chairman of Revision; died on August 14, 1893 |
| Kings | 12th | Louis C. Ott* | Democrat | Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| Kings | 13th | James F. Quigley* | Democrat | Majority Leader; Chairman of Ways and Means |
| Kings | 14th | Joseph Bender | Democrat | |
| Kings | 15th | George H. Deitsch | Democrat | |
| Kings | 16th | Walter L. Durack | Democrat | |
| Kings | 17th | Michael E. Finnigan | Democrat | |
| Kings | 18th | James Graham | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Hugh Hughes | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Jesse Roberts* | Republican | |
| Madison | Madison | Clarence W. Dexter* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Samuel H. Stone | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | James M. E. O'Grady | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | William H. Denniston* | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Edward J. Hand | Democrat | |
| New York | 1st | Patrick H. Duffy* | Democrat | Chairman of Public Health |
| New York | 2nd | Timothy D. Sullivan* | Democrat | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| New York | 3rd | Jacob A. Mittnacht | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | Patrick H. Roche* | Democrat | Chairman of Insurance |
| New York | 5th | Samuel J. Foley* | Democrat | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
| New York | 6th | Moses Dinkelspiel* | Democrat | Chairman of Public Institutions |
| New York | 7th | Otto Kempner | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | William H. Walker* | Democrat | Chairman of Claims |
| New York | 9th | Walter W. Bahan | Democrat | |
| New York | 10th | William Sulzer* | Democrat | elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules |
| New York | 11th | Percival Farquhar* | Democrat | Chairman of Military Affairs |
| New York | 12th | Frank A. O'Donnel | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | James H. Southworth* | Democrat | Chairman of Public Education |
| New York | 14th | Daniel F. Martin* | Democrat | Chairman of Codes |
| New York | 15th | Louis Drypolcher* | Democrat | Chairman of Labor and Industries |
| New York | 16th | Joseph C. Wolff | Democrat | Chairman of Soldiers' Home |
| New York | 17th | John Kerrigan | Democrat | Chairman of Trades and Manufactures |
| New York | 18th | Thomas J. McManus* | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | Thomas C. O'Sullivan | Democrat | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| New York | 20th | William H. McKeon | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | Louis H. Hahlo* | Democrat | Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies |
| New York | 22nd | Morris Jacoby | Democrat | |
| New York | 23rd | William Bruce Ellison | Democrat | |
| New York | 24th | Frederick P. Hummel | Democrat | |
| New York | 25th | John Keleher | Democrat | |
| New York | 26th | Louis Davidson | Democrat | |
| New York | 27th | George P. Webster* | Democrat | Chairman of Affairs of Cities |
| New York | 28th | James F. Reilly | Democrat | |
| New York | 29th | Arthur C. Butts | Democrat | |
| New York | 30th | Charles C. Marrin | Democrat | |
| Niagara | Niagara | Elton T. Ransom | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 1st | Cornelius Haley* | Dem./Labor | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Chester W. Porter* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Duncan W. Peck | Democrat | Chairman of Indian Affairs |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Jonathan Wyckoff | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | William H. Hotaling | Republican | |
| Ontario | Ontario | William L. Parkhurst | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | Howard Thornton* | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | John Kinsila | Democrat | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Adelbert J. McCormick* | Republican | |
| Oswego | Oswego | Danforth E. Ainsworth | Republican | |
| Otsego | Otsego | Walter L. Brown* | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Hamilton Fish II | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | James Robinson | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | Samuel V. Searing | Democrat | |
| Queens | 3rd | Solomon S. Townsend* | Democrat | Chairman of Railroads |
| Rensselaer | 1st | William M. Keenan | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | John M. Chambers | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | John J. Cassin* | Democrat | Chairman of Public Printing |
| Richmond | Richmond | Hubbard R. Yetman* | Democrat | Chairman of Affairs of Villages |
| Rockland | Rockland | Thomas Finegan* | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | George R. Malby* | Republican | Minority Leader |
| Saratoga | Saratoga | James Frank Terry | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Alvin J. Quackenbush* | Democrat | Chairman of Banks |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Benjamin H. Avery | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | William H. Wait* | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Henry Van De Mark | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | Gordon M. Patchin* | Republican | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Herman E. Buck* | Republican | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Richard Higbie | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Uriah S. Messiter | Republican | |
| Tioga | Tioga | Edward G. Tracy* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | Albert H. Pierson* | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Jacob Rice* | Democrat | Chairman of State Prisons |
| Ulster | 2nd | James Lounsbery | Republican | unsuccessfully contested by George H. Bush (D) |
| Warren | Warren | Howard Conkling* | Republican | |
| Washington | Washington | William R. Hobbie | Republican | |
| Wayne | Wayne | John E. Hough | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Thomas K. Fraser* | Democrat | Chairman of Internal Affairs |
| Westchester | 2nd | Alfred Hennen Morris | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 3rd | Edgar L. Ryder | Democrat | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Milo H. Olin* | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Morris F. Sheppard | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Charles R. DeFreest
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Michael B. Redmond
* Doorkeeper: Edward A. Moore
* Stenographer: Thomas Hassett