# 93rd New York State Legislature

The 93rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 26, 1870, during the 2nd year term of John T. Hoffman governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 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 (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a 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 1869 New York state election was held on November 3. All nine statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democrats. All amendments proposed by the Constitutional Convention, except the re-organization of the judicial system, were rejected by the voters. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Democrats 331,000 and Republicans 310,000.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1870; and adjourned on April 26.
William Hitchman (D) was again elected Speaker with 72 votes against 51 for James W. Husted (R).
On January 17, Henry C. Murphy (D) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.
On February 10, the Legislature re-elected Joseph S. Bosworth (D) as a Metropolitan Police Commissioner, for a term of eight years beginning on March 1, 1870.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn
* 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
* 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th wards of New York City
* 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City
* 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City
* 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City
* 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City
* 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
* 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
* 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
* 13th District: Albany County
* 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties
* 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
* 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
* 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
* 19th District: Oneida County
* 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
* 21st District: Madison and Oswego counties
* 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
* 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties
* 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
* 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
* 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
* 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
* 28th District: Monroe County
* 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
* 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
* 31st District: Erie County
* 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Senate Clerk and Police Commissioner.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | Samuel H. Frost | Democrat | |
| 2nd | James F. Pierce* | Democrat | re-elected; took his seat on January 11 |
| 3rd | Henry C. Murphy* | Democrat | re-elected; on January 17, elected president pro tempore |
| 4th | William M. Tweed* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 5th | Michael Norton* | Democrat | re-elected; also an Alderman of New York City |
| 6th | Thomas J. Creamer* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 7th | John J. Bradley* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 8th | Henry W. Genet* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 9th | William Cauldwell* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 10th | William M. Graham* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 11th | George Morgan | Democrat | also Mayor of Poughkeepsie |
| 12th | Francis S. Thayer* | Republican | re-elected |
| 13th | A. Bleecker Banks* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 14th | Jacob Hardenbergh | Democrat | took his seat on January 6 |
| 15th | Isaiah Blood | Democrat | died on November 29, 1870 |
| 16th | Christopher F. Norton | Democrat | |
| 17th | Abraham X. Parker* | Republican | re-elected |
| 18th | Norris Winslow | Republican | |
| 19th | George H. Sanford | Democrat | |
| 20th | Augustus R. Elwood | Republican | |
| 21st | William H. Brand | Republican | |
| 22nd | George N. Kennedy* | Republican | re-elected |
| 23rd | John F. Hubbard Jr.* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 24th | Orlow W. Chapman* | Republican | re-elected |
| 25th | William B. Woodin | Republican | also Surrogate of Cayuga County |
| 26th | Abraham V. Harpending | Republican | took his seat on January 11 |
| 27th | Theodore L. Minier | Republican | |
| 28th | Jarvis Lord | Democrat | |
| 29th | George Bowen | Republican | |
| 30th | James Wood | Republican | |
| 31st | Loran L. Lewis | Republican | |
| 32nd | Allen D. Scott | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Hiram Calkins
* Sergeant-at-Arms: George Graham
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Abraham J. Meyers
* Doorkeeper: Alexander H. Waterman
* Assistant Doorkeeper: W. W. McKinney
* Assistant Doorkeeper: John Drew
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Orson Root
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Cornelius V. Simpkins
* Stenographer: Andrew Devine, from February 10

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | William D. Murphy | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by Stephen Springsted |
| Albany | 2nd | Thomas J. Lanahan | Democrat | |
| Albany | 3rd | Edward D. Ronan | Democrat | |
| Albany | 4th | John Tighe* | Democrat | |
| Allegany | Allegany | Charles N. Flenagin | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | William M. Ely* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | George N. West | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Stephen C. Green | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | William H. Eaker | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | Stephen S. Hewitt | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Matthew P. Bemus* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Orange S. Winans | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Edward L. Patrick* | Democrat | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Samuel L. Brown | Democrat | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Daniel G. Dodge | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 1st | Edward Sturges* | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | Daniel D. Barnes | Democrat | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Charles Foster | Republican | |
| Delaware | 1st | Alpheus Bolt | Republican | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Orson M. Allaben | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 1st | James A. Seward | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | David H. Mulford | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | George J. Bamler* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | James Franklin | Republican | |
| Erie | 3rd | Albert H. Blossom | Republican | |
| Erie | 4th | Harry B. Ransom | Democrat | |
| Erie | 5th | Lyman Oatman | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | Clayton H. DeLano | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | James H. Pierce | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | John F. Empie | Democrat | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Edward C. Walker* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Hiram Van Steenburgh | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Daniel A. Northup | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Jay Dimick* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | William W. Butterfield* | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | Hugh M. Clark* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | Henry J. Cullen Jr.* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | Dennis O'Keeffe* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | William W. Moseley* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | William C. Jones | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by William W. Goodrich (R) |
| Kings | 6th | Bernard Haver | Democrat | |
| Kings | 7th | Samuel T. Maddox | Republican | |
| Kings | 8th | Joseph Droll | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Jay A. Pease | Democrat | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Richard Johnson | Republican | |
| Madison | 1st | Joseph W. Merchant | Republican | |
| Madison | 2nd | Leonard C. Kilham* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Charles S. Wright* | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | James S. Graham | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Volney P. Brown | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | James Shanahan | Democrat | |
| New York | 1st | Michael C. Murphy* | Democrat | |
| New York | 2nd | Dennis Burns* | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | Owen Cavanagh* | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | John J. Blair | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Peter Mitchell* | Democrat | |
| New York | 6th | Timothy J. Campbell* | Democrat | |
| New York | 7th | John Carey | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | Martin Nachtmann* | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | William G. Bergen* | Democrat | |
| New York | 10th | Owen Murphy | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | John H. White | Republican | |
| New York | 12th | William W. Cook | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | Richard Flanagan | Democrat | |
| New York | 14th | John R. Hennessey | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | Alexander Frear* | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | James Irving* | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | George W. Plunkitt* | Democrat | |
| New York | 18th | Lawrence D. Kiernan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | Thomas C. Fields | Democrat | |
| New York | 20th | John Brown | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | William Hitchman* | Democrat | elected Speaker |
| Niagara | 1st | Lewis S. Payne | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Lee R. Sanborn | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Samuel S. Lowery | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | David Morse Miner | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | St. Pierre Jerred | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 4th | James Roberts | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Thomas G. Alvord | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Nathan R. Tefft | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Gustavus Sniper | Republican | |
| Ontario | 1st | Henry Ray* | Republican | |
| Ontario | 2nd | David E. Wilson | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | Odell S. Hathaway | Democrat | |
| Orange | 2nd | Thomas J. Lyon* | Democrat | |
| Orleans | Orleans | John Berry | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | DeWitt C. Littlejohn | Republican | |
| Oswego | 2nd | Abraham Howe | Democrat | |
| Oswego | 3rd | John Parker | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | James Young | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 2nd | William W. Snow | Democrat | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Morgan Horton* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 1st | James B. Pearsall* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | Francis B. Baldwin | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | John L. Flagg* | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Eugene Hyatt | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | J. Thomas Davis | Republican | unsuccessfully contested by F. S. Fairchild |
| Richmond | Richmond | John Decker | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | James M. Nelson | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | George M. Gleason* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Julius M. Palmer* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | William Bradford | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | Isaiah Fuller | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | Seymour Ainsworth | Democrat | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Gershom Banker | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Silas Sweet | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | William C. Coon | Democrat | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Robert R. Steele | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | James G. Bennett | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 2nd | John Davis | Democrat | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Brinley D. Sleight | Democrat | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | James L. La Moree* | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | John H. Deming | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | John H. Selkreg* | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Patrick J. Flynn* | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Abraham E. Hasbrouck* | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 3rd | Charles H. Krack | Democrat | |
| Warren | Warren | Godfrey R. Martine | Democrat | |
| Washington | 1st | Thomas Stevenson | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | Isaac V. Baker Jr.* | Republican | |
| Wayne | 1st | Anson S. Wood | Republican | unsuccessfully contested by Eran N. Thomas |
| Wayne | 2nd | Amasa Hall | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | James J. Mooney | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | Edward D. Lawrence* | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by Howard C. Cady |
| Westchester | 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Marcus A. Hull* | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | William T. Remer | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Cornelius W. Armstrong
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Jeriah G. Rhoads
* Doorkeeper: James C. Pierce
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: M. W. Wall
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Hugh Ryan
* Stenographer: George Wakeman