# 30th New York State Legislature

The 30th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 27 to April 7, 1807, during the third year of Morgan Lewis's governorship, 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 Ebenezer Purdy resigned on March 16, 1806, to avoid being expelled for bribery, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.
In 1806, three new counties were created: Allegany County was split from Genesee County, but remained with Genesee and Ontario County in one Assembly district. Broome County was split from Tioga County, but remained with Tioga in one Assembly district. Madison County was split from Chenango County, and was apportioned two seats in the Assembly, taken from Chenango.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
In 1805, the 28th Legislature had chartered the Merchant's Bank of New York which had been founded by Federalists in competition to the Democratic-Republican Bank of the Manhattan Company. The Democratic-Republican majority of the 27th Legislature had not only refused to grant a charter, but actually ordered the Merchant's Bank to shut down by May 1805. During the next session, the bank bribed enough legislators to have the charter approved, although the Democratic-Republican leaders advocated strongly against it. Gov. Morgan Lewis spoke out in favor of granting the charter what was resented by the party leaders DeWitt Clinton and Ambrose Spencer, and soon led to the split of the party into "Lewisites" and "Clintonians".

## Elections

The State election was held from April 29 to May 1, 1806. Senators James Burt (Middle D.) and Jacob Snell (Eastern D.) were re-elected. Jonathan Ward (Southern D.), Elisha Barlow (Middle D.), John Ballard, Salmon Buell, Jacob Gebhard and Nathan Smith (all four Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. Assemblyman Benjamin Coe (Southern D.) was elected to fill the vacancy. Burt, Barlow and Snell were Lewisites, the other six were Clintonians.

## Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 27, 1807; and adjourned on April 7.
Lewisite Andrew McCord was elected Speaker with the help of the Federalists, with 53 votes against 40 for Clintonian Alexander Sheldon, the Speaker of the previous session. Lewisite Gerrit Y. Lansing was elected Clerk of the Assembly, defeating the Clintonian incumbent Solomon Southwick by a majority of 6 votes. On February 2, Southwick was elected Clerk of the Senate.
On February 3, 1807, the Legislature re-elected John Smith (Dem.-Rep.) to a full term in the U.S. Senate.

## 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, Genesee, Seneca, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Allegany, Broome and Madison counties.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Benjamin Coe changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| Southern | DeWitt Clinton* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | until February 1807, also Mayor of New York City |
| Southern | William Denning* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Southern | Benjamin Coe* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Ebenezer Purdy |
| Southern | Thomas Thomas* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Southern | Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Southern | Jonathan Ward | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Middle | Joshua H. Brett* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Middle | Robert Johnston* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Middle | Samuel Brewster* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Stephen Hogeboom* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Peter C. Adams* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Middle | James G. Graham* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Middle | Elisha Barlow | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Middle | James Burt* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | Edward Savage* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | John Tayler* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Thomas Tredwell* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | John Woodworth* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | also New York Attorney General |
| Eastern | Stephen Thorn* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Eastern | Adam Comstock* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Eastern | John Veeder* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Eastern | Joseph C. Yates* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Eastern | Jacob Snell* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Western | Caleb Hyde* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Henry Huntington* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Western | Jedediah Peck* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Nathaniel Locke* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | John Nicholas* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | John Ballard | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Western | Salmon Buell | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Western | Jacob Gebhard | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Western | Nathan Smith | 4 years | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Henry I. Bleecker
** Solomon Southwick, from February 2, 1807

## State Assembly
### Districts

* Albany County (6 seats)
* Allegany, Genesee and Ontario counties (3 seats)
* Broome and Tioga counties (1 seat)
* Cayuga County (2 seats)
* Chenango County (2 seats)
* Clinton County (1 seat)
* Columbia County (4 seats)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (7 seats)
* Essex County (1 seat)
* Greene County (2 seats)
* Herkimer County (3 seats)
* Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties (1 seat)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Madison County (2 seats)
* Montgomery County (5 seats)
* The City and County of New York (9 seats)
* Oneida County (3 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)
* Seneca County (1 seat)
* Steuben County (1 seat)
* Suffolk County (3 seats)
* 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.
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | David Bogardus | Federalist | |
| Albany | Asa Colvard* | Federalist | |
| Albany | Johann Jost Dietz | Federalist | |
| Albany | Daniel Hale | Federalist | |
| Albany | Joseph Shurtleff* | Federalist | |
| Albany | Jacob Veeder | Federalist | |
| Allegany, Genesee and Ontario | Alexander Rea* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Allegany, Genesee and Ontario | Philetus Swift | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Allegany, Genesee and Ontario | Asahel Warner | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Broome and Tioga | John Miller* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Cayuga | John Grover Jr.* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Cayuga | Amos Rathbun* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Chenango | Obadiah German | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Chenango | Joseph Simonds | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Clinton | Nathaniel Z. Platt | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Columbia | Elisha Gilbert Jr. | Federalist | |
| Columbia | Peter Sharp | Federalist | |
| Columbia | Gainus Stebbins | Federalist | |
| Columbia | Anson Pratt | Federalist | |
| Delaware | John T. More | Federalist | |
| Delaware | Joshua Pine | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Dutchess | John Haight | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | Aaron Hazen | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | Theron Rudd | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | John Storm | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | Tobias L. Stoutenburgh | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | Martin E. Winchell | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Dutchess | Veniah Woolley* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Essex | Stephen Cuyler* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Greene | Samuel Haight | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Greene | James Thompson* | Federalist | |
| Herkimer | John Kennedy | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Herkimer | George Widrig* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Herkimer | Samuel Wright* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence | Moss Kent | Federalist | |
| Kings | John Hicks* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Madison | Erastus Cleaveland | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Madison | Sylvanus Smalley* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | previously a member from Chenango Co. |
| Montgomery | Lawrence Gros | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | James Lansing | | |
| Montgomery | Alexander Sheldon* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Montgomery | William Van Olinda | | |
| Montgomery | Harmanus A. Vedder | | |
| New York | John Bingham | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Francis Cooper* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Clarkson Crolius* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Benjamin Ferris* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | William W. Gilbert* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Henry Rutgers | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Samuel Russell* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | Arthur Smith* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| New York | James Warner* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Oneida | George Brayton* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Oneida | Uri Doolittle | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Oneida | Charles Z. Platt | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Onondaga | Ozias Burr | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Onondaga | Squire Manro | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Orange | William Crist* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Orange | Andrew McCord* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | elected Speaker |
| Orange | Abraham Shultz | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Orange | John Wood* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Otsego | Thomas Brooks | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Otsego | Gurdon Huntington* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Otsego | Robert Roseboom | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Otsego | Henry Scott | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Queens | Stephen Carman | Federalist | |
| Queens | William Mott | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Queens | John W. Seaman* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Rensselaer | Gilbert Eddy | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Asa Mann | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | William W. Reynolds* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Robert Woodworth | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Rensselaer | Adam Yates | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Richmond | David Mersereau | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Rockland | Samuel G. Verbryck | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Saratoga | Chauncey Belding | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Gideon Goodrich | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Jesse Mott* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | David Rogers | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schoharie | Henry Shafer | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Schoharie | Peter Swart Jr. | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Seneca | Cornelius Humfrey* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Steuben | John Wilson* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Suffolk | Israel Carll* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Suffolk | David Hedges* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Suffolk | David Warner | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Ulster | John Conklin | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Ulster | Jacob Marius Groeen | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Ulster | Jacob Rea | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Ulster | Peter P. Roosa* | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |
| Washington | Kitchel Bishop* | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Washington | Peleg Bragg | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | John Gray | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | James Hill | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Washington | Jason Kellogg | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | William Robards | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | William Barker | Federalist | |
| Westchester | Benjamin Isaacs | Federalist | |
| Westchester | Samuel Marvin | Dem.-Rep./Clintonian | |
| Westchester | Abraham Odell | Dem.-Rep./Lewisite | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Gerrit Y. Lansing
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas Donnelly
* Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple