# 63rd New York State Legislature

The 63rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, during the second year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.
State Senator Noadiah Johnson died on April 4, 1839; and State Senator Edward P. Livingston resigned on October 9, 1839; leaving two vacancies in the Third District.
At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

## Elections

The State election was held from November 4 to 6, 1839.
State Senator John Hunter (2nd D.) was re-elected.
1839 New York State Senate election result :
| District | Whig | Whig | Democrat | Democrat |
| First | Philip Hone | 21,396 | Minthorne Tompkins | 23,385 |
| Second | Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr. | 22,152 | John Hunter | 23,669 |
| Third | Friend Humphrey | 24,716 | William K. Wilson | 24,549 |
| Third | Mitchell Sanford | 24,675 | Henry W. Strong | 24,533 |
| Third | Erastus Root | 24,551 | Amasa J. Parker | 24,517 |
| Fourth | James G. Hopkins | 24,312 | Sidney Lawrence | 22,933 |
| Fifth | James Brackett | 21,150 | Sumner Ely | 22,792 |
| Sixth | Andrew B. Dickinson | 23,893 | William Maxwell | 23,517 |
| Seventh | Mark H. Sibley | 24,049 | Joshua Lee | 22,831 |
| Eighth | Abram Dixon | 21,927 | Isaac R. Elwood | 15,603 |

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1840; and adjourned on May 14.
George W. Patterson (W) was re-elected Speaker with 68 votes against 56 for Levi S. Chatfield (D).
Upon taking their seats in the Senate, Humphrey, Sanford and Root drew lots to decide which one of the three senators elected in the Third District would serve which term. Sanford drew the one-year term, Humphrey the two-year term, and Root the full term.
On January 14, the Legislature elected Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) to the seat in the U.S. Senate which he had vacated on March 4, 1839.
On January 20, Mayor of Rochester Samuel G. Andrews was elected Clerk of the Senate, to succeed John F. Bacon who had been Clerk since 1814.
The Legislature appointed Thurlow Weed to succeed Edwin Croswell as State Printer.
On February 3, Lt. Gov. Bradish did not attend the session, and Frederick A. Tallmadge was elected president pro tempore of the Senate. On the same day, Jacob Haight (W) was re-elected State Treasurer.
On February 22, the Legislature elected George H. Boughton, Simon Newton Dexter, Henry Hamilton, David Hudson and Asa Whitney to succeed William Baker, William C. Bouck, John Bowman, Jonas Earll, Jr. and State Senator Samuel Young as Canal Commissioners.
On September 2, the Democratic state convention met at Syracuse, and nominated William C. Bouck for Governor, and State Senator Daniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.
The Whig state convention nominated Gov. Seward and Lt. Gov. Bradish for re-election.

## State Senate
### Districts

* The First District (4 seats) consisted of Kings, New York and Richmond counties.
* The Second District (4 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.
* The Third District (4 seats) consisted of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties.
* The Fourth District (4 seats) consisted of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.
* The Fifth District (4 seats) consisted of Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and Otsego counties.
* The Sixth District (4 seats) consisted of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Livingston, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties.
* The Seventh District (4 seats) consisted of Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties.
* The Eighth District (4 seats) consisted of Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans counties.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| First | Frederick A. Tallmadge* | 1 year | Whig | on February 3, 1840, elected president pro tempore |
| First | Gulian C. Verplanck* | 2 years | Whig | |
| First | Gabriel Furman* | 3 years | Whig | |
| First | Minthorne Tompkins | 4 years | Democrat | |
| Second | Henry H. Van Dyck* | 1 year | Democrat | |
| Second | Henry A. Livingston* | 2 years | Whig | |
| Second | Daniel Johnson* | 3 years | Democrat | |
| Second | John Hunter* | 4 years | Democrat | |
| Third | Mitchell Sanford | 1 year | Whig | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Noadiah Johnson |
| Third | Friend Humphrey | 2 years | Whig | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Edward P. Livingston |
| Third | Alonzo C. Paige* | 3 years | Democrat | |
| Third | Erastus Root | 4 years | Whig | |
| Fourth | Samuel Young* | 1 year | Democrat | until February 13, 1840, also a Canal Commissioner |
| Fourth | Martin Lee* | 2 years | Whig | |
| Fourth | Bethuel Peck* | 3 years | Whig | |
| Fourth | James G. Hopkins | 4 years | Whig | |
| Fifth | David Wager* | 1 year | Democrat | |
| Fifth | Avery Skinner* | 2 years | Democrat | also Postmaster of Union Square |
| Fifth | Joseph Clark* | 3 years | Democrat | |
| Fifth | Sumner Ely | 4 years | Democrat | |
| Sixth | Daniel S. Dickinson* | 1 year | Democrat | |
| Sixth | Laurens Hull* | 2 years | Whig | |
| Sixth | Alvah Hunt* | 3 years | Whig | |
| Sixth | Andrew B. Dickinson | 4 years | Whig | |
| Seventh | Samuel L. Edwards* | 1 year | Democrat | |
| Seventh | John Maynard* | 2 years | Whig | in November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress |
| Seventh | Robert C. Nicholas* | 3 years | Whig | |
| Seventh | Mark H. Sibley | 4 years | Whig | |
| Eighth | Samuel Works* | 1 year | Whig | |
| Eighth | William A. Moseley* | 2 years | Whig | |
| Eighth | Henry Hawkins* | 3 years | Whig | |
| Eighth | Abram Dixon | 4 years | Whig | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John F. Bacon, until January 20, 1840
** Samuel G. Andrews, from January 20, 1840
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard M. Meigs
* Doorkeeper: Philip M. De Zeng
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Chauncey Dexter, from January 25, 1840

## State Assembly
### Districts

* Albany County (3 seats)
* Allegany County (2 seats)
* Broome County (1 seat)
* Cattaraugus County (2 seats)
* Cayuga County (3 seats)
* Chautauqua County (3 seats)
* Chemung County (1 seat)
* Chenango County (3 seats)
* Clinton County (1 seat)
* Columbia County (3 seats)
* Cortland County (2 seats)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (3 seats)
* Erie County (3 seats)
* Essex County (1 seat)
* Franklin County (1 seat)
* Fulton and Hamilton counties (1 seat)
* Genesee County (4 seats)
* Greene County (2 seats)
* Herkimer County (2 seats)
* Jefferson County (3 seats)
* Kings County (2 seats)
* Lewis County (1 seat)
* Livingston County (2 seats)
* Madison County (3 seats)
* Monroe County (3 seats)
* Montgomery County (2 seats)
* The City and County of New York (13 seats)
* Niagara County (2 seats)
* Oneida County (4 seats)
* Onondaga County (4 seats)
* Ontario County (3 seats)
* Orange County (3 seats)
* Orleans County (1 seat)
* Oswego County (2 seats)
* Otsego County (3 seats)
* Putnam County (1 seat)
* Queens County (1 seat)
* Rensselaer County (3 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Rockland County (1 seat)
* St. Lawrence County (2 seats)
* Saratoga County (2 seats)
* Schenectady County (1 seat)
* Schoharie County (2 seats)
* Seneca County (1 seat)
* Steuben County (3 seats)
* Suffolk County (2 seats)
* Sullivan County (1 seat)
* Tioga County (1 seat)
* Tompkins County (2 seats)
* Ulster County (2 seats)
* Warren County (1 seat)
* Washington (2 seats)
* Wayne County (2 seats)
* Westchester County (2 seats)
* Yates County (1 seat)

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the result given in The New Yorker.
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | Frederick Bassler Jr. | Whig | |
| Albany | Peter Flagler | Whig | |
| Albany | Henry G. Wheaton | Whig | |
| Allegany | Lorenzo Dana | Whig | |
| Allegany | William Welch* | Whig | |
| Broome | Cornelius Mersereau | Whig | |
| Cattaraugus | George A. S. Crooker* | Whig | |
| Cattaraugus | Timothy H. Porter | Whig | |
| Cayuga | Artemas Cady | Democrat | |
| Cayuga | John W. McFadden | Whig | |
| Cayuga | Andrews Preston | Democrat | |
| Chautauqua | Odin Benedict | Whig | |
| Chautauqua | George A. French | Whig | |
| Chautauqua | William Rice | Whig | |
| Chemung | Guy Hulett | Democrat | |
| Chenango | William Church | Whig | |
| Chenango | Demas Hubbard, Jr.* | Whig | |
| Chenango | Samuel Plumb | Whig | |
| Clinton | Abijah North* | Democrat | |
| Columbia | Robert McKinstry | Whig | |
| Columbia | Jonas H. Miller | Whig | |
| Columbia | Justin Niles | Whig | |
| Cortland | William Barnes | Whig | |
| Cortland | Jabez B. Phelps | Whig | |
| Delaware | Orson M. Allaben | Democrat | |
| Delaware | Nathan Bristol | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | Amos Bryan | Whig | |
| Dutchess | Henry Conklin* | Whig | |
| Dutchess | Daniel Toffey* | Whig | |
| Erie | Seth C. Hawley | Whig | |
| Erie | Stephen Osborn | Whig | |
| Erie | Aaron Salisbury | Whig | |
| Essex | George A. Simmons | Whig | |
| Franklin | John S. Eldridge | Whig | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Langdon I. Marvin | Whig | |
| Genesee | John W. Brownson | Whig | |
| Genesee | Horace Healy* | Whig | |
| Genesee | Alva Jefferson* | Whig | |
| Genesee | George W. Lay | Whig | |
| Greene | Gilbert Bedell | Democrat | |
| Greene | Sylvester Nichols | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Daniel Bellinger | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | George Burch | Democrat | |
| Jefferson | Calvin Clark* | Whig | |
| Jefferson | Charles E. Clarke* | Whig | |
| Jefferson | Stephen Johnson | Whig | |
| Kings | Jeremiah Johnson | Whig | |
| Kings | Adrian Hegeman | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Chester Buck | Whig | |
| Livingston | Elias Clark* | Whig | |
| Livingston | George W. Patterson* | Whig | re-elected Speaker |
| Madison | Daniel Barker | Democrat | |
| Madison | Daniel Dickey | Democrat | |
| Madison | Benjamin Enos* | Democrat | |
| Monroe | George Brown | Whig | |
| Monroe | Derick Sibley | Whig | |
| Monroe | Enoch Strong | Whig | |
| Montgomery | John S. Veeder | Democrat | |
| Montgomery | Peter Wood | Democrat | |
| New York | Cornelius H. Bryson | Democrat | |
| New York | Ulysses D. French | Democrat | |
| New York | Paul Grout | Democrat | |
| New York | Thomas Herttell | Democrat | |
| New York | Norman Hickok | Democrat | |
| New York | Francis W. Lasak | Democrat | |
| New York | William B. Maclay | Democrat | |
| New York | John J. Morgan | Democrat | |
| New York | Edmund J. Porter | Democrat | |
| New York | James J. Roosevelt Jr. | Democrat | in November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress |
| New York | Thomas Spofford | Democrat | |
| New York | Solomon Townsend | Democrat | |
| New York | George Weir | Democrat | |
| Niagara | Peter B. Porter, Jr.* | Whig | |
| Niagara | Francis O. Pratt | Whig | |
| Oneida | Nelson Dawley | Democrat | |
| Oneida | Anson Knibloe | Democrat | |
| Oneida | Charles A. Mann | Democrat | |
| Oneida | John F. Trowbridge | Democrat | |
| Onondaga | Victory Birdseye | Whig | in November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress |
| Onondaga | Phares Gould* | Whig | |
| Onondaga | James R. Lawrence* | Whig | |
| Onondaga | Azariah Smith* | Whig | |
| Ontario | Reynold Peck | Whig | |
| Ontario | Abraham A. Post | Whig | |
| Ontario | Henry W. Taylor* | Whig | |
| Orange | Benjamin Brown | Democrat | |
| Orange | Robert Denniston* | Democrat | |
| Orange | William S. Little | Democrat | |
| Orleans | John J. Walbridge | Whig | |
| Oswego | Peter Devendorf | Democrat | |
| Oswego | William Duer | Whig | |
| Otsego | Levi S. Chatfield* | Democrat | |
| Otsego | Charles Walker | Democrat | |
| Otsego | Arnold B. Watson | Democrat | |
| Putnam | Saxton Smith | Democrat | |
| Queens | John A. King | Whig | |
| Rensselaer | Garrardus Deyoe | Whig | |
| Rensselaer | Samuel W. Hoag | Whig | |
| Rensselaer | William H. Van Schoonhoven | Whig | |
| Richmond | Bornt P. Winant | Democrat | |
| Rockland | William F. Fraser | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | Zenas Clark | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | Asa Sprague* | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | Daniel Stewart | Whig | |
| Saratoga | John Stewart* | Whig | |
| Schenectady | Theodore W. Sanders | Whig | unsuccessfully contested by John I. De Graff (D) |
| Schoharie | Seymour Boughton | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | Charles Goodyear | Democrat | |
| Seneca | Orange W. Wilkinson | Democrat | |
| Steuben | Richard Brower | Democrat | |
| Steuben | Andrew G. Chatfield* | Democrat | |
| Steuben | Abram M. Lybolt* | Democrat | |
| Suffolk | David Halsey | Democrat | |
| Suffolk | John M. Williamson | Democrat | |
| Sullivan | Daniel B. St. John | Whig | |
| Tioga | Thomas Farrington | Democrat | until January 20, 1840, also Surrogate of Tioga Co. |
| Tompkins | William H. L. Bogart | Whig | |
| Tompkins | Robert Swartwout | Whig | |
| Ulster | David L. Bernard | Whig | |
| Ulster | John V. L. Overbagh | Whig | |
| Warren | Joseph Russell | Democrat | |
| Washington | John H. Boyd | Whig | |
| Washington | Anderson Simpson | Whig | |
| Wayne | Horace Morley | Whig | |
| Wayne | Durfee Osband | Whig | |
| Westchester | Samuel B. Ferris* | Democrat | |
| Westchester | Joseph Strang* | Democrat | |
| Yates | Samuel S. Ellsworth | Democrat | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Philander B. Prindle
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Minos McGowen
* Doorkeeper: Samuel Francis Jr.
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Abraham H. Grovesteen