# 82nd New York State Legislature

The 82nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 19, 1859, during the first year of Edwin D. Morgan'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 (four districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Know Nothing movement ran in the election as the "American Party."

## Elections

The 1858 New York state election was held on November 2. Republicans Edwin D. Morgan and Robert Campbell were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The other two statewide elective offices were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor was: Republican 248,000; Democratic 230,000; and American 61,000.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1859; and adjourned on April 19.
DeWitt C. Littlejohn (R) was again elected Speaker with 90 votes against 28 for John W. Chanler (D) and 6 for Chauncey Boughton (A).
On January 18, William A. Wheeler (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th and 19th wards of the City of Brooklyn
* 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brookland; and all towns in Kings County
* 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 14th wards of New York City
* 5th District: 10th, 11th, 13th and 17th wards of New York City
* 6th District: 9th, 15th, 16th and 18th wards of New York City
* 7th District: 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd wards of New York City
* 8th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
* 9th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 10th District: Greene and Ulster counties
* 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
* 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
* 13th District: Albany County
* 14th District: Delaware, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
* 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Saratoga counties
* 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
* 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
* 19th District: Oneida County
* 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
* 21st District: Oswego County
* 22nd District: Onondaga County
* 23rd District: Chenango, Cortland and Madison counties
* 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
* 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
* 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
* 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
* 28th District: Monroe County
* 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
* 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
* 31st District: Erie County
* 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | Joshua B. Smith* | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Samuel Sloan* | Democrat | |
| 3rd | Francis B. Spinola* | Democrat | |
| 4th | John C. Mather* | Democrat | |
| 5th | Smith Ely, Jr.* | Democrat | |
| 6th | Richard Schell* | Democrat | |
| 7th | John Doherty* | Democrat | died on April 20, 1859 |
| 8th | Benjamin Brandreth* | Democrat | |
| 9th | Osmer B. Wheeler* | American | |
| 10th | George W. Pratt* | Democrat | |
| 11th | William G. Mandeville* | Democrat | contested; seat declared vacant on March 16 |
| 11th | Henry C. Wetmore | American | seated on April 5 |
| 12th | John D. Willard* | Democrat | |
| 13th | George Y. Johnson* | American | |
| 14th | Edward I. Burhans* | Democrat | |
| 15th | George G. Scott* | Democrat | |
| 16th | Ralph A. Loveland* | Republican | |
| 17th | William A. Wheeler* | Republican | on January 18, elected president pro tempore |
| 18th | Joseph A. Willard* | Republican | |
| 19th | Alrick Hubbell* | Republican | |
| 20th | Addison H. Laflin* | Republican | |
| 21st | Cheney Ames* | Republican | |
| 22nd | James Noxon* | Republican | |
| 23rd | John J. Foote* | Republican | |
| 24th | Lyman Truman* | Republican | |
| 25th | Alexander B. Williams* | Republican | |
| 26th | Truman Boardman* | Republican | |
| 27th | Alexander S. Diven* | Republican | |
| 28th | John E. Paterson* | Republican | |
| 29th | Horatio J. Stow* | Independent | did not take his seat during this session; died on February 19, 1859 |
| 29th | George D. Lamont | Republican | elected to fill vacancy; seated on March 21 |
| 30th | John B. Halsted* | Republican | |
| 31st | Erastus S. Prosser | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of James Wadsworth |
| 32nd | John P. Darling* | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Samuel P. Allen
* Deputy Clerk: Henry J. Sickles
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Henry W. Dwight
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Simeon Dillingham
* Doorkeeper: Richard U. Owens
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry W. Shipman
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Ten Eyck
* Third Assistant Doorkeeper: James P. Clark
* Journal Clerk: James Terwilliger
* Engrossing Clerks: A. N. Cole, Charles G. Fairman

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | Henry Creble | Democrat | |
| Albany | 2nd | Morgan L. Filkins | American | |
| Albany | 3rd | William A. Young | Democrat | |
| Albany | 4th | Lorenzo D. Collins | Republican | |
| Allegany | 1st | Alfred Lockhart | Republican | |
| Allegany | 2nd | Wiliam Cobb | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Osborne E. Bump | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Marsena Baker | Republican | died on March 4 |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | William Buffington Jr.* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | William W. Payne | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | Chauncey M. Abbott* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Henry Bliss* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Sidney E. Palmer | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Peter Wintermute | Republican | |
| Chenango | 1st | Grant B. Palmer | Democrat | |
| Chenango | 2nd | Judson L. Grant | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Lewis W. Pierce | Republican | |
| Columbia | 1st | Henry P. Heermance | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | James G. Van Volkenburgh | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Arthur Holmes | Republican | |
| Delaware | 1st | Barna R. Johnson | Republican | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Samuel A. Law* | American | |
| Dutchess | 1st | James Mackin | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | Samuel J. Farnum | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | Daniel Bowen | Republican | |
| Erie | 2nd | Henry B. Miller | Republican | |
| Erie | 3rd | John S. King | American | |
| Erie | 4th | Wilson Rogers | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | Monroe Hall* | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | Martin L. Parlin | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Henry W. Spencer | American | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Elbridge G. Moulton | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Augustus R. Macomber | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | 1st | Solomon Graves | Republican | |
| Herkimer | 2nd | Lester Green | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Russell Weaver | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Patrick S. Stewart | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 3rd | Furman Fish | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | Joseph Wilson | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | Marcus D. Moore | Republican | |
| Kings | 3rd | Harmanus B. Duryea* | Republican | |
| Kings | 4th | Thomas A. Gardiner | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | Lucius C. Andrus | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Abraham Meserole Jr. | Republican | |
| Kings | 7th | Franklin Tuthill | Republican | previously a member from Suffolk Co. |
| Lewis | Lewis | Lyman R. Lyon | Republican | |
| Livingston | 1st | Samuel L. Fuller | Republican | |
| Livingston | 2nd | John Wiley | Republican | |
| Madison | 1st | Simeon Rider | Republican | |
| Madison | 2nd | Noah M. Coburn | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Harrison A. Lyon | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | Elias Pond | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Alphonso Perry | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Jeremiah Snell | American | |
| New York | 1st | Jacob L. Smith* | Democrat | |
| New York | 2nd | Michael Fitzgerald* | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | Christian B. Woodruff | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | William Gover | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | John J. Shaw | Republican | |
| New York | 6th | George A. Jeremiah* | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | Frederick A. Conkling | Republican | |
| New York | 8th | James J. Reilly | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | Charles S. Spencer | Republican | |
| New York | 10th | John W. Chanler* | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | Noah D. Childs* | Democrat | |
| New York | 12th | Theodore E. Tomlinson | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Peter Masterson | Democrat | |
| New York | 14th | George Opdyke | Republican | |
| New York | 15th | Stephen S. Childs | Republican | |
| New York | 16th | James C. Rutherford | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | James McLeod | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 1st | James Sweeney | Republican | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Burt Van Horn* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Charles M. Scholefield | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Edward Loomis | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Patrick C. Costello | Republican | |
| Oneida | 4th | Didymus Thomas | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Luke Ranney | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Henry W. Slocum | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Orin Aylworth | Republican | |
| Ontario | 1st | Ulysses Warner | Democrat | |
| Ontario | 2nd | Shotwell Powell | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | James H. Mallery | Democrat | |
| Orange | 2nd | Joseph Davis | Republican | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Almanzor Hutchinson* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | DeWitt C. Littlejohn | Republican | elected Speaker |
| Oswego | 2nd | James J. Coit | Republican | |
| Oswego | 3rd | Beman Brockway | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | George F. Longenhelt | Republican | |
| Otsego | 2nd | David B. St. John | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Edwin A. Pelton | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | Edward A. Lawrence* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | Robert L. Meeks | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | Thomas Coleman | American | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Henry B. Clark | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | Anson Bingham | Republican | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Robert Christie Jr. | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | Wesley J. Weiant* | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Harlow Godard* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | William Briggs* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | Oscar F. Shepard* | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | Chauncey Boughton* | American | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | George S. Batcheller | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Charles Thomas | Republican | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | William C. Lamont | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Isaac D. Mekeel | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Jacob P. Chamberlain | Republican | |
| Steuben | 1st | Abel Eveland | Republican | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Wickham R. Crocker | Republican | |
| Steuben | 3rd | John T. Plato | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 1st | Benjamin F. Wiggins | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 2nd | Richard J. Cornelius | Democrat | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Gideon E. Bushnell | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | David Earll | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | William Woodbury | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Edmund Suydam | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Albert Carpenter | American | |
| Ulster | 3rd | Abraham D. Ladew | Republican | |
| Warren | Warren | Elisha Pendell | Republican | |
| Washington | 1st | Andrew Thompson | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | James M. Northup | Republican | |
| Wayne | 1st | Henry K. Graves | Republican | |
| Wayne | 2nd | John A. Laing | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Augustus Van Cortlandt | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | James S. See | Republican | |
| Westchester | 3rd | Gaylord B. Hubbell | Republican | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Elias C. Holt | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Daniel Morris | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: William Richardson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel M. Prescott
* Doorkeeper: George C. Dennis
* First Assistant Doorkeeper:
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: