# 167th New York State Legislature

The 167th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5, 1949, to March 22, 1950, during the seventh and eighth years of Thomas E. Dewey's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1938, re-apportioned in 1943, 56 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were Kings (nine districts), New York (six), Bronx (five), Queens (four), Erie (three), Westchester (three), Monroe (two) and Nassau (two). The Assembly districts consisted either of a single entire county (except Hamilton Co.), or of contiguous area within one county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Liberal Party and the American Labor Party also nominated tickets.

## Elections

The 1948 New York state election was held on November 2. No statewide elective offices were up for election.
Seven of the eight women members of the previous legislature—Assemblywomen Gladys E. Banks (Rep.), of the Bronx; Mary A. Gillen (Dem.), of Brooklyn; Janet Hill Gordon (Rep.), a lawyer of Norwich; Elizabeth Hanniford (Rep.), a statistician of the Bronx; Genesta M. Strong (Rep.), of Plandome Heights; Mildred F. Taylor (Rep.), a coal dealer of Lyons; and Maude E. Ten Eyck (Rep.), of Manhattan—were re-elected.
The 1949 New York state election was held on November 8. Both statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democratic/Liberal nominees. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for U.S. Senator, was: Republicans 2,378,000; Democrats 2,149,000; and Liberals 426,000. Two vacancies in the State Senate, and two vacancies in the Assembly were filled.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 172nd) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1949; and adjourned in the morning of March 31.
Oswald D. Heck (Rep.) was re-elected Speaker.
Benjamin F. Feinberg (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the State Senate. On March 30, 1949, Feinberg was appointed as Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission, and Arthur H. Wicks (Rep.) was elected Temporary President of the State Senate.
The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 173rd) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1950; and adjourned on March 22.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Suffolk County
* 2nd and 3rd District: Parts of Nassau County
* 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th District: Parts of Queens County, i.e. the Borough of Queens
* 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
* 17th District: Richmond County, i.e. the Borough of Richmond (now the Borough of Staten Island)
* 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the Borough of Manhattan
* 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th District: Parts of Bronx County, i.e. the Borough of the Bronx
* 29th, 30th and 31st District: Parts of Westchester County
* 32nd District: Orange and Rockland counties
* 33rd District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
* 34th District: Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster counties
* 35th District: Albany County
* 36th District: Rensselaer and Saratoga counties
* 37th District: Montgomery and Schenectady counties
* 38th District: Clinton, Essex, Warren and Washington counties
* 39th District: St. Lawrence and Franklin counties
* 40th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer and Lewis counties
* 41st District: Oneida County
* 42nd District: Jefferson and Oswego counties
* 43rd District: Onondaga County
* 44th District: Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Otsego and Schoharie counties
* 45th District: Broome County
* 46th District: Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties
* 47th District: Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties
* 48th District: Ontario, Steuben and Yates counties
* 49th District: Allegany, Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties
* 50th and 51st District: Parts of Monroe County
* 52nd District: Niagara and Orleans counties
* 53rd, 54th and 55th District: Parts of Erie County
* 56th District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

### Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Harry Gittleson and Louis Bennett changed from the Assembly to the Senate at the beginning of this Legislature. Assemblyman Henry Neddo was elected to fill a vacancy in the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | S. Wentworth Horton* | Republican | |
| 2nd | John D. Bennett* | Republican | |
| 3rd | William S. Hults Jr.* | Republican | |
| 4th | Seymour Halpern* | Republican | |
| 5th | James F. Fitzgerald | Democrat | |
| 6th | Frank D. O'Connor | Democrat | |
| 7th | William N. Conrad | Democrat | |
| 8th | James J. Crawford* | Dem./Lib. | |
| 9th | Harry Gittleson* | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 10th | Herbert I. Sorin | Dem./Lib. | |
| 11th | Fred G. Moritt* | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 12th | Samuel L. Greenberg* | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 13th | John F. Furey | Dem./Lib. | |
| 14th | Mario M. DeOptatis | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 15th | Louis L. Friedman* | Dem./Lib. | |
| 16th | William Rosenblatt* | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 17th | John M. Braisted Jr.* | Democrat | |
| 18th | Elmer F. Quinn* | Democrat | Minority Leader |
| 19th | Francis J. Mahoney* | Democrat | |
| 20th | MacNeil Mitchell* | Republican | |
| 21st | Harold I. Panken* | Democrat | |
| 22nd | Alfred E. Santangelo* | Dem./Am. Labor | |
| 23rd | Joseph Zaretzki* | Dem./Lib. | |
| 24th | Sidney A. Fine* | Democrat | on November 7, 1950, elected to the 82nd U.S. Congress |
| 25th | Arthur Wachtel* | Dem./Rep. | |
| 26th | Louis Bennett* | Democrat | resigned on July 22, 1949, to run for the Municipal Court |
| 26th | Nathaniel T. Helman | Democrat | on November 8, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| 27th | Paul A. Fino* | Republican | on May 29, 1950, appointed to the Municipal Civil Service Commission |
| 28th | Charles V. Scanlan* | Rep./Dem. | |
| 29th | William F. Condon* | Republican | |
| 30th | J. Raymond McGovern* | Republican | on November 7, 1950, elected New York State Comptroller |
| 31st | Pliny W. Williamson* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
| 32nd | Thomas C. Desmond* | Republican | |
| 33rd | Ernest I. Hatfield* | Republican | |
| 34th | Arthur H. Wicks* | Republican | until March 30, 1949, Chairman of Finance; on March 30, 1949, elected Temporary President |
| 35th | Peter J. Dalessandro* | Democrat | |
| 36th | Gilbert T. Seelye* | Republican | |
| 37th | Thomas F. Campbell* | Republican | |
| 38th | Benjamin F. Feinberg* | Republican | re-elected Temporary President; on March 30, 1949, appointed as Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission |
| 38th | Henry Neddo* | Republican | on November 8, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| 39th | Paul D. Graves | Republican | |
| 40th | (Fred A. Young)* | Republican | on January 5, 1949, appointed to the Court of Claims |
| 40th | Walter Van Wiggeren | Republican | on February 8, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| 41st | John T. McKennan | Democrat | |
| 42nd | Henry A. Wise* | Republican | Chairman of General Laws (1950) |
| 43rd | John H. Hughes* | Republican | |
| 44th | Walter W. Stokes* | Republican | |
| 45th | Floyd E. Anderson* | Republican | |
| 46th | Chauncey B. Hammond* | Republican | |
| 47th | Henry W. Griffith* | Republican | |
| 48th | Fred S. Hollowell* | Republican | |
| 49th | Austin W. Erwin* | Republican | |
| 50th | George T. Manning* | Republican | |
| 51st | Ray B. Tuttle | Democrat | |
| 52nd | Earl W. Brydges | Republican | |
| 53rd | Walter J. Mahoney* | Republican | Chairman of Finance, from March 30, 1949 |
| 54th | Edmund P. Radwan* | Republican | on November 7, 1950, elected to the 82nd U.S. Congress |
| 55th | Benjamin Miller | Democrat | |
| 56th | George H. Pierce* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages (1950) |

### Employees

* Clerk (1949), office renamed Secretary (1950): William S. King

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | D-Cady Herrick 2nd* | Dem./Lib. | |
| Albany | 2nd | George W. Foy* | Dem./Lib. | |
| Albany | 3rd | James F. Dillon | Dem./Lib. | |
| Allegany | Allegany | William H. MacKenzie* | Republican | |
| Bronx | 1st | Bernard C. McDonnell* | Dem./Rep. | |
| Bronx | 2nd | Richard M. Goldwater* | Dem./Rep. | |
| Bronx | 3rd | Edward T. Galloway* | Dem./Rep. | |
| Bronx | 4th | A. Joseph Ribustello* | Republican | |
| Bronx | 5th | Joseph A. Martinis* | Democrat | resigned on February 11, 1950, appointed as a City Magistrate |
| Bronx | 6th | Julius J. Gans* | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 7th | Louis Peck* | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 8th | John T. Satriale | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 9th | Elizabeth Hanniford* | Republican | |
| Bronx | 10th | John J. DePasquale* | Republican | |
| Bronx | 11th | Gladys E. Banks* | Republican | |
| Bronx | 12th | Nathan A. Lashin* | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 13th | William J. Drohan* | Republican | |
| Broome | 1st | Richard H. Knauf* | Republican | |
| Broome | 2nd | Orlo M. Brees* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | Cattaraugus | Leo P. Noonan* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | Cayuga | Charles A. Cusick* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | Chautauqua | E. Herman Magnuson* | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Harry J. Tifft* | Republican | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Janet Hill Gordon* | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | James A. FitzPatrick* | Republican | |
| Columbia | Columbia | Willard C. Drumm* | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Harold L. Creal* | Republican | |
| Delaware | Delaware | Elmer J. Kellam* | Republican | |
| Dutchess | Dutchess | Robert Watson Pomeroy* | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | Leonard S. Capizzi | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | Justin C. Morgan* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary from July 7, 1950 |
| Erie | 3rd | William J. Butler* | Republican | |
| Erie | 4th | Frank J. Caffery | Democrat | |
| Erie | 5th | Philip V. Baczkowski* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 6th | George F. Dannebrock* | Republican | |
| Erie | 7th | Julius Volker* | Republican | |
| Erie | 8th | John R. Pillion* | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | L. Judson Morhouse* | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | William L. Doige* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Joseph R. Younglove* | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | John E. Johnson* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | William E. Brady* | Republican | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Leo A. Lawrence* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | Jefferson | Orin S. Wilcox* | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | Max M. Turshen* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | J. Sidney Levine* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | Mary A. Gillen* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Bernard Austin* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | Harry Morr | Democrat | |
| Kings | 6th | John J. Ryan* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 7th | Louis Kalish* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | Arthur A. Low | Democrat | resigned on August 31, 1949, to run for the New York City Council |
| Kings | 8th | Frank Composto | Dem./Lib. | on November 8, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| Kings | 9th | Frank J. McMullen* | Republican | |
| Kings | 10th | Lewis W. Olliffe* | Republican | |
| Kings | 11th | Eugene F. Bannigan* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 12th | James W. Feely | Democrat | |
| Kings | 13th | Lawrence P. Murphy* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 14th | Edward S. Lentol | Democrat | |
| Kings | 15th | John Smolenski* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 16th | Frank J. Pino* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 17th | Bertram L. Baker | Democrat | |
| Kings | 18th | Irwin Steingut* | Democrat | Minority Leader |
| Kings | 19th | Philip J. Schupler* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 20th | Joseph R. Corso | Democrat | |
| Kings | 21st | Thomas A. Dwyer* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 22nd | Anthony J. Travia | Democrat | |
| Kings | 23rd | Alfred A. Lama* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 24th | Ben Werbel | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Benjamin H. Demo* | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Joseph W. Ward* | Republican | |
| Madison | Madison | Wheeler Milmoe* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | J. Eugene Goddard | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | A. Gould Hatch | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Raymond H. Combs* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 4th | Charles F. Stockmeister | Democrat | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | John F. Bennison* | Republican | |
| Nassau | 1st | Frank J. Becker* | Republican | |
| Nassau | 2nd | Joseph F. Carlino* | Republican | |
| Nassau | 3rd | Genesta M. Strong* | Republican | |
| Nassau | 4th | David S. Hill Jr.* | Republican | |
| New York | 1st | Maude E. Ten Eyck* | Republican | |
| New York | 2nd | Louis DeSalvio* | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | Owen McGivern* | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | Leonard Farbstein* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | vacant | Irwin D. Davidson (D) was re-elected, but resigned on December 31, 1948 | Irwin D. Davidson (D) was re-elected, but resigned on December 31, 1948 |
| New York | 5th | Monroe Flegenheimer | Dem./Lib. | on February 15, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| New York | 6th | Francis X. McGowan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | James T. McNamara | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | Archibald Douglas Jr.* | Republican | |
| New York | 9th | John R. Brook* | Republican | |
| New York | 10th | Herman Katz | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | Thomas Dickens | Democrat | |
| New York | 12th | Elijah Crump | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Harold A. Stevens* | Democrat | on November 7, 1950, elected to the Court of General Sessions |
| New York | 14th | Hulan E. Jack* | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | Samuel Roman* | Republican | |
| New York | 16th | Louis A. Cioffi* | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 1st | Jacob E. Hollinger* | Republican | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Ernest Curto* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Ira Francis Domser | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Jeremiah J. Ashcroft | Democrat | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Searles G. Shultz* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Donald H. Mead | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Lawrence M. Rulison* | Republican | |
| Ontario | Ontario | Harry R. Marble* | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | Lee B. Mailler* | Republican | Majority Leader |
| Orange | 2nd | Wilson C. Van Duzer* | Republican | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Alonzo L. Waters | Republican | |
| Oswego | Oswego | Henry D. Coville* | Republican | |
| Otsego | Otsego | Paul L. Talbot* | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | D. Mallory Stephens* | Republican | Chairman of Ways and Means |
| Queens | 1st | Alexander Del Giorno* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | William E. Clancy* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 3rd | Anthony R. Carus | Democrat | |
| Queens | 4th | Thomas A. Duffy | Democrat | |
| Queens | 5th | William G. Giaccio | Democrat | |
| Queens | 6th | William F. Bowe | Democrat | |
| Queens | 7th | Anthony P. Savarese Jr. | Republican | |
| Queens | 8th | Samuel Rabin* | Republican | |
| Queens | 9th | Fred W. Preller* | Republican | |
| Queens | 10th | Angelo Graci* | Republican | |
| Queens | 11th | Thomas Fitzpatrick | Democrat | |
| Queens | 12th | J. Lewis Fox | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | Rensselaer | Thomas H. Brown | Republican | |
| Richmond | 1st | William N. Reidy | Democrat | |
| Richmond | 2nd | Edward V. Curry | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | Robert Walmsley* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | Allan P. Sill* | Republican | |
| Saratoga | Saratoga | John L. Ostrander* | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Oswald D. Heck* | Republican | re-elected Speaker |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Sharon J. Mauhs | Dem./Lib. | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Jerry W. Black* | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Lawrence W. Van Cleef* | Republican | |
| Steuben | Steuben | William M. Stuart* | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 1st | Edmund R. Lupton* | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 2nd | Elisha T. Barrett* | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | James G. Lyons* | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | Myron D. Albro* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | Ray S. Ashbery | Republican | |
| Ulster | Ulster | John F. Wadlin* | Republican | |
| Warren | Warren | Harry A. Reoux* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary; resigned in June 1950 to become Counsel to the Joint Legislative Committee on Re-Apportionment |
| Washington | Washington | Henry Neddo* | Republican | resigned to run for the State Senate |
| Washington | Washington | William J. Reid | Republican | on November 8, 1949, elected to fill vacancy |
| Wayne | Wayne | Mildred F. Taylor* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Malcolm Wilson* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 2nd | Fred A. Graber* | Republican | died on March 22, 1950 |
| Westchester | 3rd | Harold D. Toomey* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 4th | Frank S. McCullough* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 5th | Samuel Faile | Republican | |
| Westchester | 6th | Theodore Hill Jr.* | Republican | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Harold C. Ostertag* | Republican | on November 7, 1950, elected to the 82nd U.S. Congress |
| Yates | Yates | Vernon W. Blodgett* | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Ansley B. Borkowski
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Joseph C. Williams