# 125th New York State Legislature

The 125th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to March 27, 1902, during the second year of Benjamin B. Odell Jr.'s governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (seven districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

## Elections

The New York state election, 1901, was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1902; and adjourned on March 27.
S. Frederick Nixon (R) was re-elected Speaker.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Richmond and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: Queens and Nassau counties
* 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
* 4th District: 7th, 13th, 19th and 21st Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
* 5th District: 8th, 10th, 12th and 30th Ward of Brooklyn, and the annexed former Town of Gravesend, as constituted in 1894
* 6th District: 9th, 11th, 20th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
* 7th District: 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
* 8th District: 23rd, 24th, 25th and 29th Ward of Brooklyn; and the annexed former Town of Flatlands, as constituted in 1894
* 9th District: 18th, 26th, 27th and 28th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
* 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st District: Parts of the City of New York, defined geographically by their bordering streets, regardless of Wards or Assembly districts
* 22nd District: Westchester County
* 23rd District: Orange and Rockland counties
* 24th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties
* 25th District: Greene and Ulster counties
* 26th District: Chenango, Delaware and Sullivan counties
* 27th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties
* 28th District: Saratoga, Schenectady and Washington counties
* 29th District: Albany County
* 30th District: Rensselaer County
* 31st District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 32nd District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
* 33rd District: Otsego and Herkimer counties
* 34th District: Oneida County
* 35th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
* 36th District: Onondaga County
* 37th District: Oswego and Madison counties
* 38th District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties
* 39th District: Cayuga and Seneca counties
* 40th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Tompkins counties
* 41st District: Steuben and Yates counties
* 42nd District: Ontario and Wayne counties
* 43rd District: 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Brighton, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Menden, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Rush and Webster, in Monroe County
* 44th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 19th and 20th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Chili, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Sweden and Wheatland, in Monroe County
* 45th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
* 46th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
* 47th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Ward of Buffalo
* 48th District: 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Ward of Buffalo
* 49th District: 17th, 18th and 25th Ward of the City of Buffalo; and all area in Erie County outside Buffalo
* 50th District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
Note: In 1897, New York County (the boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx), Kings County (the borough of Brooklyn), Richmond County (the borough of Staten Island) and the Western part of Queens County (the borough of Queens) were consolidated into the present-day City of New York. The Eastern part of Queens County (the non-consolidated part) was separated in 1899 as Nassau County. Parts of the 1st and 2nd Assembly districts of Westchester County were annexed by New York City in 1895, and became part of the Borough of the Bronx in 1898.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Merton E. Lewis changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | William M. McKinney* | Republican | |
| 2nd | William W. Cocks* | Republican | |
| 3rd | Thomas H. Cullen* | Democrat | |
| 4th | Arthur J. Audett* | Republican | Chairman of Public Health |
| 5th | James H. McCabe* | Democrat | |
| 6th | Rudolph C. Fuller* | Republican | Chairman of Revision |
| 7th | Patrick H. McCarren* | Democrat | |
| 8th | Henry Marshall* | Republican | Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| 9th | Joseph Wagner* | Democrat | |
| 10th | John F. Ahearn* | Democrat | |
| 11th | Timothy D. Sullivan* | Democrat | on November 4, 1902, elected to the 58th U.S. Congress |
| 12th | Samuel J. Foley* | Democrat | |
| 13th | Bernard F. Martin* | Democrat | |
| 14th | Thomas F. Grady* | Democrat | Minority Leader |
| 15th | Nathaniel A. Elsberg* | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| 16th | Patrick F. Trainor* | Democrat | died on December 25, 1902 |
| 17th | George W. Plunkitt* | Democrat | |
| 18th | Victor J. Dowling* | Democrat | |
| 19th | Samuel S. Slater* | Republican | Chairman of Trades and Manufactures |
| 20th | Thomas F. Donnelly* | Democrat | |
| 21st | Joseph P. Hennessy* | Democrat | |
| 22nd | Isaac N. Mills* | Republican | |
| 23rd | Louis F. Goodsell* | Republican | Chairman of Miscellaneous Corporations |
| 24th | Henry S. Ambler* | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture |
| 25th | William S. C. Wiley* | Republican | |
| 26th | William L. Thornton* | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| 27th | Hobart Krum* | Republican | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
| 28th | Edgar T. Brackett* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
| 29th | James B. McEwan* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages |
| 30th | William D. Barnes | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Michael Russell; Chairman of Indian Affairs |
| 31st | Spencer G. Prime* | Republican | |
| 32nd | George R. Malby* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
| 33rd | James D. Feeter* | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs of Towns and Counties |
| 34th | Garry A. Willard* | Republican | |
| 35th | Elon R. Brown* | Republican | Chairman of Forest, Fish and Game Laws |
| 36th | Horace White* | Republican | Chairman of Codes |
| 37th | Nevada N. Stranahan* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Cities; seat vacated on April 3, upon taking office as Collector of the Port of New York |
| 38th | George E. Green* | Republican | |
| 39th | Benjamin M. Wilcox* | Republican | Chairman of Penal Institutions |
| 40th | Edwin C. Stewart* | Republican | |
| 41st | Franklin D. Sherwood* | Republican | Chairman of Public Printing |
| 42nd | John Raines* | Republican | Chairman of Railroads |
| 43rd | Merton E. Lewis* | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Cornelius R. Parsons; Chairman of Public Education |
| 44th | William W. Armstrong* | Republican | Chairman of Roads and Bridges |
| 45th | Timothy E. Ellsworth* | Republican | President pro tempore; Chairman of Rules |
| 46th | Lester H. Humphrey* | Republican | Chairman of Banks; died on March 17, 1902 |
| 47th | Henry W. Hill* | Republican | Chairman of Military Affairs |
| 48th | Samuel J. Ramsperger* | Democrat | |
| 49th | George Allen Davis* | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| 50th | Frank W. Higgins* | Republican | Chairman of Finance; on November 4, 1902, elected Lieutenant Governor |

### Employees

* Clerk: James S. Whipple
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles R. Hotaling
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: William W. Adams
* Doorkeeper: John E. Gorss
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: R. C. Duell
* Stenographer: A. B. Sackett
* Assistant Clerk: Lafayette B. Gleason
* Journal Clerk: Ernest A. Fay
* Index Clerk: A. Miner Wellman
* Clerk of the Finance Committee: Girvease A. Matteson

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | William L. Coughtry* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
| Albany | 2nd | Abram S. Coon* | Republican | |
| Albany | 3rd | Robert J. Higgins | Ind. Dem. | |
| Albany | 4th | Thomas G. Ross* | Republican | |
| Allegany | Allegany | Jesse S. Phillips* | Republican | |
| Broome | 1st | James T. Rogers* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
| Broome | 2nd | Fred E. Allen | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Myron E. Fisher* | Republican | Chairman of Public Health |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Albert T. Fancher* | Republican | Chairman of Indian Affairs |
| Cayuga | 1st | Ernest G. Treat* | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | Charles J. Hewitt | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | J. Samuel Fowler* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | S. Frederick Nixon* | Republican | re-elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules |
| Chemung | Chemung | Charles H. Knipp* | Republican | Chairman of Excise |
| Chenango | Chenango | Jotham P. Allds* | Republican | Majority Leader; Chairman of Ways and Means |
| Clinton | Clinton | John F. O'Brien* | Republican | on November 4, 1902, elected Secretary of State |
| Columbia | Columbia | Elbert Payne | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Henry A. Dickinson* | Republican | |
| Delaware | Delaware | James R. Cowan | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 1st | John T. Smith* | Republican | Chairman of Banks |
| Dutchess | 2nd | Francis G. Landon* | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | John H. Bradley* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | Edward R. O'Malley* | Republican | |
| Erie | 3rd | Anthony F. Burke | Democrat | |
| Erie | 4th | William Schneider* | Republican | |
| Erie | 5th | Charles F. Brooks* | Republican | |
| Erie | 6th | George Ruehl* | Republican | |
| Erie | 7th | John K. Patton* | Republican | Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies |
| Erie | 8th | Elijah Cook* | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| Essex | Essex | James M. Graeff* | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture |
| Franklin | Franklin | Halbert D. Stevens* | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Clarence W. Smith | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | S. Percy Hooker | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | William W. Rider* | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Samuel M. Allston* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Lewis W. Day | Democrat | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | James A. Outterson | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | John Hill Morgan* | Republican | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
| Kings | 2nd | John McKeown* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | James J. McInerney* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Charles H. Cotton* | Republican | Chairman of Military Affairs |
| Kings | 5th | George Langhorst | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Simon Ash | Republican | |
| Kings | 7th | Peter J. Lally | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | John C. L. Daly* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | William P. Fitzpatrick* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 10th | John Rainey* | Republican | |
| Kings | 11th | Waldo R. Blackwell* | Republican | |
| Kings | 12th | Howard L. Woody | Republican | |
| Kings | 13th | James M. Manee | Republican | |
| Kings | 14th | John B. Ferre | Democrat | |
| Kings | 15th | Harry H. Dale | Democrat | |
| Kings | 16th | Gustavus C. Weber* | Republican | |
| Kings | 17th | Harris Wilson* | Republican | Chairman of Claims |
| Kings | 18th | Jacob D. Remsen* | Republican | |
| Kings | 19th | John Wolf | Democrat | |
| Kings | 20th | William H. Pendry | Republican | |
| Kings | 21st | Joseph H. Adams* | Republican | Chairman of Federal Relations |
| Lewis | Lewis | Lewis H. Stiles | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Otto Kelsey* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Cities |
| Madison | Madison | Avery M. Hoadley | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Martin Davis | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | George H. Smith | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Richard Gardiner* | Republican | Chairman of Revision |
| Monroe | 4th | Isaac W. Salyerds* | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | John W. Candee | Republican | |
| New York | 1st | Thomas F. Baldwin | Democrat | |
| New York | 2nd | Joseph P. Bourke | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | Anthony J. Barrett | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | William H. Burns* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Edward R. Finch | Republican | |
| New York | 6th | Harry E. Oxford | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | James E. Duross* | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | Charles S. Adler* | Republican | Chairman of Trades and Manufactures |
| New York | 9th | James A. Allen | Republican | |
| New York | 10th | John F. McCullough | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | Clarence McAdam | Democrat | |
| New York | 12th | Leon Sanders* | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Richard S. Reilley* | Democrat | |
| New York | 14th | Henry W. Doll | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | James E. Smith* | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | Samuel Prince* | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | James J. Fitzgerald* | Democrat | |
| New York | 18th | George P. Richter* | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | Julius H. Seymour* | Republican | |
| New York | 20th | John H. Fitzpatrick | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | William S. Bennet* | Republican | |
| New York | 22nd | William F. Meeks | Democrat | |
| New York | 23rd | Josiah T. Newcomb | Republican | |
| New York | 24th | Leo P. Ulmann* | Democrat | |
| New York | 25th | John A. Weekes Jr.* | Republican | Chairman of Codes |
| New York | 26th | Myron Sulzberger | Democrat | |
| New York | 27th | Gherardi Davis* | Republican | Chairman of Public Lands and Forestry |
| New York | 28th | John T. Dooling* | Democrat | |
| New York | 29th | Bainbridge Colby | Republican | |
| New York | 30th | Gotthardt A. Litthauer | Democrat | |
| New York | 31st | Arthur L. Sherer* | Republican | |
| New York | 32nd | Matthew F. Neville | Democrat | |
| New York | 33rd | John J. Egan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 34th | John J. Scanlon* | Democrat | |
| New York | 35th | Franklin Grady | Ind. Dem. | |
| Niagara | 1st | John T. Darrison* | Republican | Chairman of Public Printing |
| Niagara | 2nd | John H. Leggett* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Michael J. McQuade* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Fred J. Brill* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Edward M. Marson* | Republican | Chairman of Fisheries and Game |
| Onondaga | 1st | James F. Williams | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Frederick D. Traub* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Martin L. Cadin* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 4th | Fred W. Hammond* | Republican | |
| Ontario | Ontario | Jean L. Burnett* | Republican | Chairman of General Laws |
| Orange | 1st | John Orr* | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | Louis Bedell* | Republican | Chairman of Railroads |
| Orleans | Orleans | William W. Phipps* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | Thomas D. Lewis* | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| Oswego | 2nd | Thomas M. Costello* | Republican | Chairman of Labor and Industries |
| Otsego | Otsego | John B. Conkling | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | John R. Yale | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | Luke A. Keenan* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | Francis X. Duer | Democrat | |
| Queens and Nassau | Queens and Nassau | George W. Doughty* | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs |
| Rensselaer | 1st | John M. Chambers | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | John F. Ahearn* | Republican | Chairman of Public Institutions |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | Charles W. Reynolds* | Republican | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Ferdinand C. Townsend | Republican | |
| Rockland | Rockland | George Dickey* | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Charles S. Plank* | Republican | Chairman of State Prisons |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Edwin A. Merritt Jr. | Republican | |
| Saratoga | Saratoga | William K. Mansfield* | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Andrew J. McMillan* | Republican | Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | George M. Palmer | Democrat | Minority Leader |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Olin T. Nye* | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Daniel W. Moran | Republican | |
| Steuben | 1st | Frank C. Platt* | Republican | Chairman of Soldiers' Home |
| Steuben | 2nd | Gordon M. Patchin | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 1st | Willis A. Reeve | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 2nd | George A. Robinson* | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Edwin R. Dusinbery* | Republican | Chairman of Unfinished Business |
| Tioga | Tioga | Edwin S. Hanford* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | George E. Monroe | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Robert A. Snyder* | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| Ulster | 2nd | Sands Haviland | Republican | |
| Warren | Warren | James L. Fuller | Republican | |
| Washington | Washington | William H. Hughes | Republican | |
| Wayne | Wayne | Frederick W. Griffith* | Republican | Chairman of Public Education |
| Westchester | 1st | John J. Sloane | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | J. Mayhew Wainwright | Republican | |
| Westchester | 3rd | James K. Apgar* | Republican | Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Henry J. McNair | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Ernest R. Bordwell | Democrat | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Archie E. Baxter
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Frank J. Johnston
* Doorkeeper: Jacob Kemple
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: Andrew Kehn
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles C. Gray
* Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert
* Assistant Clerk: Ray B. Smith
* Chief of the Engrossing Department: Charles H. Betts