# 55th New York State Legislature

The 55th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to July 2, 1832, during the fourth year of Enos T. Throop'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.
Canal Commissioner Henry Seymour (J) resigned in May 1831. Gov. Throop appointed Jonas Earll, Jr. (J) to fill the vacancy temporarily.
At this time, there were three political parties: the Jacksonian Democrats (supporting President Andrew Jackson; led by Martin Van Buren), the Anti-Masons, and the National Republicans (supporting Henry Clay for the presidency).

## Elections

The State election was held from November 7 to 9, 1831. Harman B. Cropsey (1st D.), Allan Macdonald (2nd D.), Josiah Fisk (4th D.), Robert Lansing (5th D.), Jehiel H. Halsey (7th D.); and Assemblymen John W. Edmonds (3rd D.), John G. McDowell (6th D.) and John Birdsall (8th D.) were elected to the Senate. Birdsall was an Anti-Mason, the other seven were Jacksonians.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1832; and adjourned on April 26.
Charles L. Livingston (J) was elected Speaker.
On January 9, the Legislature upheld Gov. Throop's recess appointment, electing Jonas Earll, Jr. as Canal Commissioner.
On February 6, the Legislature re-elected Secretary of State Azariah C. Flagg, State Comptroller Silas Wright, Jr., State Treasurer Abraham Keyser, Jr., Attorney General Greene C. Bronson and Surveyor General Simeon De Witt.
The Anti-Masonic state convention met on June 21, and nominated again Assemblyman Francis Granger for Governor and Samuel Stevens, of New York City, for Lieutenant Governor. They also nominated a full ticket of presidential electors, apparently composed of some supporters of William Wirt, and some of Henry Clay, but not pledged to any candidate.
The Legislature met for a special session on June 21; and the Assembly adjourned on June 30, the Senate on July 2. This session was called to re-apportion the congressional districts, and to direct sanitary measures concerning the cholera epidemic.
The National Republican state convention met on July 26, Ambrose Spencer was Chairman. They endorsed The Anti-Masonic nominees Granger and Stevens. They also endorsed the ticket of presidential electors nominated by the Anti-Masons, who—if they won the election—should vote for Henry Clay if this would help to defeat Jackson, otherwise for Wirt. In effect, both parties were in the process of merging, becoming eventually the Whig Party.
The Jacksonian state convention met on September 19 at Herkimer, Samuel Young was Chairman. They nominated U.S. Senator William L. Marcy for Governor, and Judge John Tracy for Lieutenant Governor.

## State Senate
### Districts

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

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. John W. Edmonds, John G. McDowell and John Birdsall changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| First | Stephen Allen* | 1 year | Jacksonian | |
| First | Alpheus Sherman* | 2 years | Jacksonian | |
| First | Jonathan S. Conklin* | 3 years | Jacksonian | |
| First | Harman B. Cropsey | 4 years | Jacksonian | |
| Second | Samuel Rexford* | 1 year | Jacksonian | |
| Second | Nathaniel P. Tallmadge* | 2 years | Jacksonian | |
| Second | David M. Westcott* | 3 years | Jacksonian | |
| Second | Allan Macdonald | 4 years | Jacksonian | also Postmaster of White Plains |
| Third | Lewis Eaton* | 1 year | Jacksonian | |
| Third | William Dietz* | 2 years | Jacksonian | in November 1832, elected a presidential elector |
| Third | Herman I. Quackenboss* | 3 years | Jacksonian | |
| Third | John W. Edmonds* | 4 years | Jacksonian | also Recorder of the City of Hudson |
| Fourth | John McLean Jr.* | 1 year | Jacksonian | |
| Fourth | Isaac Gere* | 2 years | Jacksonian | |
| Fourth | William I. Dodge* | 3 years | Jacksonian | |
| Fourth | Josiah Fisk | 4 years | Jacksonian | |
| Fifth | William H. Maynard* | 1 year | Anti-Mason | died on August 28, 1832 |
| Fifth | Alvin Bronson* | 2 years | Jacksonian | |
| Fifth | Henry A. Foster* | 3 years | Jacksonian | |
| Fifth | Robert Lansing | 4 years | Jacksonian | |
| Sixth | John F. Hubbard* | 1 year | Jacksonian | |
| Sixth | Levi Beardsley* | 2 years | Jacksonian | |
| Sixth | Charles W. Lynde* | 3 years | Anti-Mason | |
| Sixth | John G. McDowell* | 4 years | Jacksonian | also Postmaster of Chemung |
| Seventh | Hiram F. Mather* | 1 year | Anti-Mason | |
| Seventh | Thomas Armstrong* | 2 years | Jacksonian | also Supervisor of Butler |
| Seventh | William H. Seward* | 3 years | Anti-Mason | |
| Seventh | Jehiel H. Halsey | 4 years | Jacksonian | |
| Eighth | Philo C. Fuller* | 1 year | Anti-Mason | |
| Eighth | Albert H. Tracy* | 2 years | Anti-Mason | |
| Eighth | Trumbull Cary* | 3 years | Anti-Mason | |
| Eighth | John Birdsall* | 4 years | Anti-Mason | |

### Employees

* Clerk: John F. Bacon

## State Assembly
### Districts

* Albany County (3 seats)
* Allegany County (1 seat)
* Broome County (1 seat)
* Cattaraugus County (1 seat)
* Cayuga County (4 seats)
* Chautauqua County (2 seats)
* Chenango County (3 seats)
* Clinton County (1 seat)
* Columbia County (3 seats)
* Cortland County (2 seats)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (4 seats)
* Erie County (2 seats)
* Essex County (1 seat)
* Franklin County (1 seat)
* Genesee County (3 seats)
* Greene County (2 seats)
* Hamilton and Montgomery counties (3 seats)
* Herkimer County (3 seats)
* Jefferson County (3 seats)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Lewis County (1 seat)
* Livingston County (2 seats)
* Madison County (3 seats)
* Monroe County (3 seats)
* The City and County of New York (11 seats)
* Niagara County (1 seat)
* Oneida County (5 seats)
* Onondaga County (4 seats)
* Ontario County (3 seats)
* Orange County (3 seats)
* Orleans County (1 seat)
* Oswego County (1 seat)
* Otsego County (4 seats)
* Putnam County (1 seat)
* Queens County (1 seat)
* Rensselaer County (4 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Rockland County (1 seat)
* St. Lawrence County (2 seats)
* Saratoga County (3 seats)
* Schenectady County (1 seat)
* Schoharie County (2 seats)
* Seneca County (2 seats)
* Steuben County (2 seats)
* Suffolk County (2 seats)
* Sullivan County (1 seat)
* Tioga County (2 seats)
* Tompkins County (3 seats)
* Ulster County (2 seats)
* Warren County (1 seat)
* Washington (3 seats)
* Wayne County (2 seats)
* Westchester County (3 seats)
* Yates County (1 seat)

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
The party affiliations follow the vote on the state officers on January 9 and February 6; and participation in the Jacksonian caucus on February 2.
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | Abijah C. Disbrow | Jacksonian | |
| Albany | Philip Lennebacker | Jacksonian | |
| Albany | William Seymour | Jacksonian | |
| Allegany | John B. Collins | Anti-Mason | |
| Broome | Vincent Whitney | Anti-Mason | |
| Cattaraugus | George A. S. Crooker | Nat. Rep. | |
| Cayuga | John Beardsley | Jacksonian | |
| Cayuga | George H. Brinkerhoff | Jacksonian | |
| Cayuga | John W. Sawyer | Jacksonian | |
| Cayuga | George S. Tilford* | Jacksonian | |
| Chautauqua | Theron Bly | Anti-Mason | |
| Chautauqua | Squire White* | Anti-Mason | |
| Chenango | Noah Ely | Anti-Mason | |
| Chenango | Joseph Juliand* | Anti-Mason | |
| Chenango | Edmond G. Per Lee | Anti-Mason | |
| Clinton | John Walker* | Jacksonian | died on January 13 or 14, 1832. |
| Clinton | John Palmer | Jacksonian | elected to fill vacancy, seated on February 24, 1832 |
| Columbia | Medad Butler | Jacksonian | |
| Columbia | Tobias L. Hogeboom | Jacksonian | |
| Columbia | Leonard W. Ten Broeck | Jacksonian | |
| Cortland | Andrew Dickson | Jacksonian | |
| Cortland | Jonathan L. Woods | Jacksonian | |
| Delaware | James Coulter | Jacksonian | |
| Delaware | James Hughston | Jacksonian | |
| Dutchess | Robert Coffin | Jacksonian | |
| Dutchess | Ely Hamblin | Jacksonian | |
| Dutchess | Michael S. Martin | Jacksonian | |
| Dutchess | Israel Shadbolt | Jacksonian | |
| Erie | Horace Clark | Anti-Mason | |
| Erie | William Mills | Anti-Mason | |
| Essex | Isaac Vanderwarker | Jacksonian | |
| Franklin | James B. Spencer* | Jacksonian | |
| Genesee | Seth M. Gates | Anti-Mason | |
| Genesee | Henry Hawkins | Anti-Mason | |
| Genesee | James Sprague 2d | Anti-Mason | |
| Greene | Erastus Hamilton | Jacksonian | |
| Greene | Dumah Tuttle | Jacksonian | |
| Hamilton and Montgomery | Silas Philips | Jacksonian | |
| Hamilton and Montgomery | Jacob Van Arnum | Jacksonian | |
| Hamilton and Montgomery | Peter Wood | Jacksonian | |
| Herkimer | William C. Crain | Jacksonian | |
| Herkimer | Daniel Dygert | Jacksonian | |
| Herkimer | David Thorp | Jacksonian | |
| Jefferson | William H. Angel | Jacksonian | |
| Jefferson | Philip Maxwell | Jacksonian | |
| Jefferson | Nathan Strong | Jacksonian | |
| Kings | Coe S. Downing* | Jacksonian | |
| Lewis | Andrew W. Doig | Jacksonian | |
| Livingston | George W. Patterson | Anti-Mason | |
| Livingston | John Young | Anti-Mason | |
| Madison | Nehemiah Batcheler | Anti-Mason | |
| Madison | Daniel M. Gillet | Anti-Mason | |
| Madison | John Head 2d | Anti-Mason | |
| Monroe | Samuel G. Andrews* | Anti-Mason | |
| Monroe | Ira Bellows | Anti-Mason | |
| Monroe | William B. Brown | Anti-Mason | |
| New York | Nathan T. Arnold | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Judah Hammond | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Charles L. Livingston* | Jacksonian | elected Speaker |
| New York | John McKeon | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Philip E. Milledoler | Jacksonian | |
| New York | James Morgan* | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Mordecai Myers* | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Gideon Ostrander* | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Silas M. Stilwell* | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Myndert Van Schaick | Jacksonian | |
| New York | Isaac L. Varian* | Jacksonian | |
| Niagara | Henry Norton* | Anti-Mason | |
| Oneida | Nathaniel Fitch | Jacksonian | |
| Oneida | Lemuel Hough | Jacksonian | |
| Oneida | Rutger B. Miller | Jacksonian | |
| Oneida | David Moulton* | Jacksonian | in November 1832, elected a presidential elector |
| Oneida | Daniel Twitchell | Jacksonian | |
| Onondaga | Miles W. Bennett | Jacksonian | |
| Onondaga | Elijah W. Curtis | Jacksonian | |
| Onondaga | Elisha Litchfield* | Jacksonian | |
| Onondaga | Ichabod Ross | Jacksonian | |
| Ontario | Francis Granger | Anti-Mason | |
| Ontario | Jonathan Mason | Anti-Mason | |
| Ontario | Robert C. Nicholas | Anti-Mason | |
| Orange | John Barker | Jacksonian | |
| Orange | Isaac R. Van Duzer | Jacksonian | |
| Orange | Charles Winfield | Jacksonian | |
| Orleans | William J. Babbitt | Anti-Mason | |
| Oswego | Avery Skinner | Jacksonian | |
| Otsego | Samuel Colwell | Jacksonian | |
| Otsego | Gilbert Cone | Jacksonian | |
| Otsego | William Kirby | Jacksonian | |
| Otsego | Amasa Thompson | Jacksonian | |
| Putnam | Reuben D. Barnum | Jacksonian | |
| Queens | John A. King | Nat. Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Hosea Bennett | Jacksonian | |
| Rensselaer | Henry J. Genet | Jacksonian | |
| Rensselaer | John C. Kemble | Jacksonian | |
| Rensselaer | Nicholas M. Masters | Jacksonian | |
| Richmond | Jacob Mersereau | Jacksonian | |
| Rockland | Isaac I. Blauvelt | Jacksonian | |
| St. Lawrence | William Allen | Jacksonian | |
| St. Lawrence | Edwin Dodge | Jacksonian | |
| Saratoga | James Brisbin Jr. | Jacksonian | |
| Saratoga | Ebenezer Couch | Jacksonian | |
| Saratoga | Oran G. Otis* | Jacksonian | |
| Schenectady | Abraham Dorn | Jacksonian | |
| Schoharie | Alexander Crookshank | Jacksonian | |
| Schoharie | Jedediah Miller | Nat. Rep. | |
| Seneca | Reuben D. Dodge | Jacksonian | |
| Seneca | Erastus Woodworth | Jacksonian | |
| Steuben | Edward Howell | Jacksonian | also D.A. of Steuben County; in November 1832, elected to the 23rd U.S. Congress |
| Steuben | John McBurney | Jacksonian | |
| Suffolk | Samuel L'Hommedieu Jr. | Jacksonian | |
| Suffolk | John M. Williamson | Jacksonian | |
| Sullivan | Hiram Bennett | Nat. Rep. | |
| Tioga | Nathaniel Smith | Jacksonian | |
| Tioga | Joel Tallmadge Jr. | Jacksonian | |
| Tompkins | John Ellis* | Anti-Mason | |
| Tompkins | Horace Mack | Jacksonian | |
| Tompkins | John James Speed Jr. | Jacksonian | |
| Ulster | Leonard Hardenbergh | Jacksonian | |
| Ulster | Heman Landon | Jacksonian | |
| Warren | Allen Anderson | Jacksonian | |
| Washington | Isaac W. Bishop | Jacksonian | |
| Washington | John McDonald | Nat. Rep. | |
| Washington | James Stevenson | Nat. Rep. | |
| Wayne | James Humeston | Jacksonian | |
| Wayne | Ambrose Salisbury | Jacksonian | |
| Westchester | John W. Frost | Nat. Rep. | |
| Westchester | Thomas Smith | Nat. Rep. | |
| Westchester | Israel H. Watson | Jacksonian | |
| Yates | Aaron Remer* | Jacksonian | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Francis Seger
* Sergeant-at-Arms: James D. Scollard
* Doorkeeper: Alonzo Crosby
* Assistant Doorkeeper: James Courter (1st session)
** Oliver Scovil (2nd session)