# 27th New York State Legislature

The 27th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 31 to April 11, 1804, during the third year of George Clinton's second tenure as Governor of New York, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.
In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.
State Senator Solomon Sutherland died on September 10, 1802, leaving a vacancy in the Middle District.
In 1803, Montgomery County, and two seats were transferred from the Western to the Eastern District.
U.S. Senator DeWitt Clinton resigned on November 4, 1803, after his appointment as Mayor of New York City, and Governor George Clinton appointed John Armstrong to fill the vacancy temporarily.
U.S. Senator Theodorus Bailey resigned on January 16, 1804, after his appointment as Postmaster of New York City.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican Party split into two opposing factions at the gubernatorial election of 1804: the "Regulars" who supported Morgan Lewis, and the "Burrites" who supported Vice President Aaron Burr. Lewis had been nominated for Governor by his party, but Burr, after being dropped from the presidential ticket in favor of Gov. George Clinton, ran against Lewis. Burr also received the support of the majority of the Federalists although his enemy Alexander Hamilton, the leader of the Federalists, advocated against it and supported Lewis.

## Elections

The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1803. Senator Edward Savage (Eastern D.) was re-elected. John Broome (Southern D.), Joshua H. Brett, Robert Johnston (both Middle D.), John Tayler and Thomas Tredwell (both Eastern D.); and Assemblymen John Woodworth (Eastern D.) and Caleb Hyde (Western D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. Simon Veeder (Eastern D.) and Assemblyman James Burt were elected to fill the vacancies. All ten were Democratic-Republicans.

## Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 31, 1804; and the Assembly adjourned on April 10, the Senate on April 11.
Dem.-Rep. Alexander Sheldon was elected Speaker.
On February 3, 1804, the Legislature elected two U.S. senators (both Dem.-Rep.): John Armstrong to succeed himself, and John Smith to succeed Theodorus Bailey.

## State Senate
### Districts

* The Southern District (6 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
* The Middle District (8 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Columbia, Delaware, Rockland and Greene counties.
* The Eastern District (9 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Rensselaer, Albany, Saratoga, Essex and Montgomery counties.
* The Western District (9 seats) consisted of Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Schoharie, Steuben, Chenango, Oneida, Cayuga and Genesee counties.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. James Burt, John Woodworth and Caleb Hyde changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| Southern | William Denning* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Benjamin Huntting* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Ebenezer Purdy* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | John Schenck* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | John Broome | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment; in April 1804 elected Lieutenant Governor of New York |
| Middle | John C. Hogeboom* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | James W. Wilkin* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Jacobus S. Bruyn* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Peter A. Van Bergen* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | James Burt* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Burrite | elected to fill the vacancy, in place of Solomon Sutherland |
| Middle | Abraham Adriance* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Middle | Joshua H. Brett | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Robert Johnston | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | James Gordon* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Jacobus Van Schoonhoven* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Abraham Van Vechten* | 2 years | Federalist | also Recorder of the City of Albany |
| Eastern | Simon Veeder | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to fill the vacancy, in place of Christopher Hutton |
| Eastern | Jacob Snell* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | Snell lived in Montgomery Co. and had been elected in the Western District in 1802 |
| Eastern | Edward Savage* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | John Tayler | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Thomas Tredwell | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | John Woodworth* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | from February 3, 1804, also New York Attorney General |
| Western | Robert Roseboom* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Jedediah Sanger* | 1 year | Federalist | also the First Judge of the Oneida County Court |
| Western | Lemuel Chipman* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Isaac Foote* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Joseph Annin* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Burrite | |
| Western | Asa Danforth* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Matthias B. Tallmadge* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | George Tiffany* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Caleb Hyde* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |

### Employees

* Clerk: Henry I. Bleecker

## State Assembly
### Districts

* Albany County (6 seats)
* Cayuga County (3 seats)
* Chenango County (4 seats)
* Clinton County (1 seat)
* Columbia County (4 seats)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (7 seats)
* Essex County (1 seat)
* Genesee and Ontario counties (3 seats)
* Greene County (2 seats)
* Herkimer County (3 seats)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Montgomery County (5 seats)
* The City and County of New York (9 seats)
* Oneida County (4 seats)
* Onondaga County (2 seats)
* Orange County (4 seats)
* Otsego County (4 seats)
* Queens County (3 seats)
* Rensselaer County (5 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Rockland County (1 seat)
* Saratoga County (4 seats)
* Schoharie County (2 seats)
* Steuben County (1 seat)
* Suffolk County (3 seats)
* Tioga County (1 seat)
* Ulster County (4 seats)
* Washington County (6 seats)
* Westchester County (4 seats)

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
| County | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | John Beekman Jr. | | |
| Albany | Johann Jost Dietz* | Federalist | |
| Albany | James Emott | Federalist | |
| Albany | Peter S. Schuyler* | Federalist | |
| Albany | Moses Smith | | |
| Albany | vacant | | |
| Cayuga | Silas Halsey | Dem.-Rep. | in April 1804, elected to the 9th United States Congress |
| Cayuga | Thomas Hewitt* | | |
| Cayuga | Amos Rathbun | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Chenango | Obadiah German | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Chenango | Stephen Hoxie* | | |
| Chenango | James Moore | | |
| Chenango | Joel Thompson* | Federalist | |
| Clinton | Benjamin Mooers | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Benjamin Birdsall | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Stephen Miller | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | Samuel Ten Broeck | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | James I. Van Alen | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Delaware | Gabriel North | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Delaware | Elias Osborn* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Joseph E. Haff | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | John Martin* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Thomas Mitchell* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Zalmon Sanford | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | William Taber | Dem.-Rep./Burrite | |
| Dutchess | Benajah Thompson | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | Theodorus R. Van Wyck* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Essex | Theodorus Ross | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Genesee and Ontario | Amos Hall | | |
| Genesee and Ontario | Nathaniel W. Howell | Federalist | |
| Genesee and Ontario | Polydore B. Wisner* | | |
| Greene | Stephen Simmons | Federalist | |
| Greene | Stoddard Smith | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | Evans Wharry | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Herkimer | George Widrig* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Herkimer | Samuel Wright* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Kings | John Hicks* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | John Herkimer | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | Henry Kennedy* | | |
| Montgomery | Archibald McIntyre | Dem.-Rep. | also Deputy Secretary of State of New York |
| Montgomery | Alexander Sheldon* | Dem.-Rep. | elected Speaker |
| Montgomery | David J. Zeilly | | |
| New York | Samuel Bradhurst | | |
| New York | George Clinton, Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Peter Curtenius | | |
| New York | William Few* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Henry Rutgers | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Peter A. Schenck | | |
| New York | Solomon Townsend | | |
| New York | James Warner | Dem.-Rep. | |
| New York | Peter H. Wendover | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Oneida | David Coffeen | | |
| Oneida | Joseph Kirkland | Federalist | |
| Oneida | David Ostrom | Federalist | |
| Oneida | Abraham Van Eps | Federalist | |
| Onondaga | James Geddes | Federalist | |
| Onondaga | John McWhorter* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | Joshua Brown | | |
| Orange | Robert R. Burnet | | |
| Orange | Samuel S. Seward | Federalist | |
| Orange | Henry Tucker | | |
| Otsego | Peter P. Dumont | | |
| Otsego | Jedediah Peck* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Otsego | Solomon Pier | | |
| Otsego | Henry Scott | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Queens | Stephen Carman* | Federalist | |
| Queens | John D. Ditmis | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Queens | William Mott | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Asa Mann | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Jonathan Rouse* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Charles Selden | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | William Steward | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Samuel Vary Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Richmond | John Houseman | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rockland | Samuel G. Verbryck | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Adam Comstock* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | John Hunter | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Samuel Lewis | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Othniel Looker* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schoharie | Henry Becker* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schoharie | Freegift Patchin | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Steuben | James Faulkner* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Israel Carll* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Sylvester Dering | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | David Hedges | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Tioga | Ashbel Wells | | |
| Ulster | Benjamin Bevier | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | Lucas Elmendorf | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | Joseph Hasbrouck Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ulster | James Ross | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | David Austin* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Kitchel Bishop* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | William Livingston | | |
| Washington | John McKinney | | |
| Washington | John McLean* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Stephen Thorn | | |
| Westchester | Abijah Gilbert* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Abraham Odell* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Thomas Thomas* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Joseph Travis* | Dem.-Rep. | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Solomon Southwick
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Benjamin Haight
* Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple