# 75th New York State Legislature

The 75th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 16, 1852, during the second year of Washington Hunt's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators were elected in single-seat senatorial districts for a two-year term, the whole Senate being renewed biennially. The senatorial districts (except those in New York City) were made up of entire counties. 128 Assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually. The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all in the same county. The City and County of New York was divided into four senatorial districts, and 16 Assembly districts.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

## Elections

The 1851 New York state election was held on November 4.
Of the eight statewide elective offices up for election, six were carried by the Democrats, and two by the Whigs.
16 Democrats and 16 Whigs were elected for a two-year term to the State Senate.
65 Whigs and 63 Democrats were elected to the State Assembly.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1852; and adjourned on April 16.
Jonas C. Heartt (Whig) was elected Speaker with 63 votes against 59 for Israel T. Hatch (Dem.).
Ira P. Barnes was elected Clerk of the Senate by resolution, with a vote of 16 to 15; Senator Dan S. Wright (W) did not vote. The same vote was given for Charles Lee as Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate. Doorkeeper of the Senate A. N. Beardsley was elected with the casting vote of Lt. Gov. Sanford E. Church.
On January 26, Edwin D. Morgan (W) was elected president pro tempore of the Senate.
On March 24, William McMurray (D) was elected president pro tempore of the Senate.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: Kings County
* 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th wards of New York City
* 4th District: 7th, 10th, 13th and 17th wards of New York City
* 5th District: 8th, 9th and 14th wards of New York City
* 6th District: 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd wards of New York City
* 7th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
* 8th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
* 9th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 10th District: Greene and Ulster counties
* 11th District: Albany and Schenectady counties
* 12th District: Rensselaer County
* 13th District: Saratoga and Washington counties
* 14th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 15th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
* 16th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer and Montgomery counties
* 17th District: Delaware and Schoharie counties
* 18th District: Chenango and Otsego counties
* 19th District: Oneida County
* 20th District: Madison and Oswego counties
* 21st District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
* 22nd District: Onondaga County
* 23rd District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties
* 24th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
* 25th District: Seneca, Tompkins and Yates counties
* 26th District: Chemung and Steuben counties
* 27th District: Monroe County
* 28th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
* 29th District: Livingston and Ontario counties
* 30th District: Allegany 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.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | James E. Cooley | Democrat | |
| 2nd | John Vanderbilt | Democrat | |
| 3rd | William McMurray | Democrat | on March 24, elected president pro tempore |
| 4th | Obadiah Newcomb | Whig | |
| 5th | James W. Beekman* | Whig | |
| 6th | Edwin D. Morgan* | Whig | on January 26, elected president pro tempore |
| 7th | Abraham B. Conger | Democrat | |
| 8th | John H. Otis | Democrat | |
| 9th | Nathaniel Jones | Democrat | |
| 10th | George T. Pierce | Democrat | |
| 11th | Azor Taber | Whig | |
| 12th | William H. Van Schoonhoven | Whig | |
| 13th | Dan S. Wright | Whig | |
| 14th | Eli W. Rogers | Democrat | |
| 15th | Henry B. Smith | Democrat | |
| 16th | Simeon Snow | Democrat | |
| 17th | Henry E. Bartlett | Democrat | |
| 18th | Harmon Bennett | Democrat | |
| 19th | Benjamin N. Huntington* | Whig | |
| 20th | James Platt | Whig | |
| 21st | Ashley Davenport | Democrat | |
| 22nd | James Munroe | Whig | |
| 23rd | Nathan Bristol | Democrat | |
| 24th | William Beach* | Whig | |
| 25th | Josiah B. Williams | Whig | |
| 26th | Francis R. E. Cornell | Democrat | |
| 27th | Micajah W. Kirby | Democrat | |
| 28th | Alonzo S. Upham* | Whig | |
| 29th | Myron H. Clark | Whig | |
| 30th | John A. McElwain | Whig | also Treasurer of Wyoming Co. |
| 31st | George R. Babcock* | Whig | |
| 32nd | Elisha Ward | Whig | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Ira P. Barnes
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles Lee
* Doorkeeper: A. N. Beardsley
* Assistant Doorkeeper: George Read

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote on Speaker.
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | Hugh Swift | Democrat | |
| Albany | 2nd | George M. Sayles | Whig | |
| Albany | 3rd | Teunis Van Vechten Jr. | Whig | |
| Albany | 4th | Robert Harper | Democrat | |
| Allegany | 1st | John Wheeler | Whig | |
| Allegany | 2nd | John R. Hartshorn | Democrat | |
| Broome | Broome | William L. Ford | Whig | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Stephen S. Cole | Whig | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Alexander Sheldon | Whig | |
| Cayuga | 1st | William Hayden | Whig | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | George Underwood* | Whig | |
| Cayuga | 3rd | Delos Bradley* | Whig | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Austin Smith* | Whig | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Jeremiah Ellsworth | Whig | |
| Chemung | Chemung | James B. Van Etten | Whig | |
| Chenango | 1st | Thompson White | Democrat | |
| Chenango | 2nd | Joseph P. Chamberlin | Democrat | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Jacob H. Holt | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 1st | Wesley R. Gallup | Democrat | |
| Columbia | 2nd | George Van Santvoord | Democrat | |
| Cortland | Cortland | George W. Bradford | Whig | |
| Delaware | 1st | Hezekiah Elwood | Democrat | |
| Delaware | 2nd | Lewis Mills | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 1st | John S. Emans | Democrat | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | John M. Keese | Whig | |
| Dutchess | 3rd | Augustus Martin | Democrat | |
| Erie | 1st | Israel T. Hatch | Democrat | |
| Erie | 2nd | Jasper B. Young | Whig | |
| Erie | 3rd | Aaron Riley | Whig | |
| Erie | 4th | Joseph Bennett | Whig | |
| Essex | Essex | Abraham Welden* | Whig | |
| Franklin | Franklin | Darius W. Lawrence | Democrat | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Alfred N. Haner | Whig | |
| Genesee | 1st | Albert Rowe* | Whig | |
| Genesee | 2nd | Levi Fisk* | Whig | |
| Greene | 1st | Norman H. Gray | Democrat | |
| Greene | 2nd | Thomas Bedell Jr. | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | 1st | John Hoover | Democrat | |
| Herkimer | 2nd | Charles Delong | Democrat | |
| Jefferson | 1st | William A. Gilbert* | Whig | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Merrill Coburn | Democrat | |
| Jefferson | 3rd | William Rouse | Whig | |
| Kings | 1st | John Berry | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | Waldo Hutchins | Whig | |
| Kings | 3rd | Samuel E. Johnson | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | John Benedict | Democrat | |
| Livingston | 1st | Alvin Chamberlin* | Whig | |
| Livingston | 2nd | Orrin D. Lake* | Whig | |
| Madison | 1st | George B. Rowe | Whig | |
| Madison | 2nd | Henry L. Webb | Whig | |
| Monroe | 1st | John Shoecraft | Whig | |
| Monroe | 2nd | Joel P. Milliner | Whig | |
| Monroe | 3rd | Caleb B. Corser* | Whig | |
| Montgomery | 1st | John I. Davis | Whig | |
| Montgomery | 2nd | William Clark | Whig | |
| New York | 1st | William Miner | Democrat | took his seat on February 25 |
| New York | 2nd | Patrick G. Maloney | Democrat | |
| New York | 3rd | Joseph Rose Jr. | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | Theodore A. Ward | Whig | |
| New York | 5th | John Brown | Democrat | |
| New York | 6th | Wyllis Blackstone* | Whig | |
| New York | 7th | Freeborn G. Luckey | Whig | |
| New York | 8th | Moses D. Gale | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | Aaron B. Rollins | Democrat | |
| New York | 10th | James Monroe | Whig | |
| New York | 11th | David O'Keefe Jr. | Democrat | |
| New York | 12th | Michael Walsh | Democrat | on November 2, 1852, elected to the U.S. Congress |
| New York | 13th | William Taylor | Whig | |
| New York | 14th | Andrew Leary | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | Thomas P. St. John | Democrat | |
| New York | 16th | Ephraim L. Snow | Whig | contested by Russell Smith (D); the seat was declared vacant on February 28, 1852 |
| Niagara | 1st | Abijah H. Moss* | Whig | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Jeptha W. Babcock* | Whig | |
| Oneida | 1st | George D. Williams | Whig | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Chauncey S. Butler | Whig | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Henry Sandford | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 4th | John J. Castle | Democrat | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Lyman Norton | Democrat | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | William E. Tallman | Whig | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | George Stevens* | Whig | |
| Onondaga | 4th | John Merritt | Democrat | |
| Ontario | 1st | William R. Pettit | Whig | |
| Ontario | 2nd | Elnathan U. Simmons | Democrat | |
| Orange | 1st | Hugh B. Bull | Whig | |
| Orange | 2nd | James B. Stevens | Democrat | |
| Orange | 3rd | Abraham J. Cuddeback | Democrat | |
| Orleans | Orleans | George M. Copeland | Whig | |
| Oswego | 1st | Edwin C. Hart | Democrat | |
| Oswego | 2nd | James T. Gibson | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 1st | Hanson Wright | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 2nd | Erastus King | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 3rd | Harvey Keyes | Democrat | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Nathan A. Howes | Democrat | |
| Queens | Queens | Sylvanus S. Smith | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | Jonas C. Heartt | Whig | elected Speaker |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Albert E. Richmond | Whig | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | William H. Herrick | Whig | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Lawrence H. Cortelyou | Whig | |
| Rockland | Rockland | John Demarest | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Smith Stilwell* | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Benjamin Smith | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | Parker W. Rose | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | 1st | Isaiah Blood | Democrat | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | Alexander H. Palmer | Whig | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | James Donnan | Whig | |
| Schoharie | 1st | Seymour Sornberger | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | 2nd | James Osterhout | Democrat | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Robert R. Steele | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | Robert B. Van Valkenburgh | Whig | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Benajah P. Bailey | Whig | |
| Steuben | 3rd | Nathaniel M. Perry | Democrat | |
| Suffolk | 1st | Henry P. Hedges | Whig | |
| Suffolk | 2nd | Zopher B. Oakley | Whig | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | Elisha P. Strong | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | William Pierson | Democrat | |
| Tompkins | 1st | Alvah Hurlbut | Whig | |
| Tompkins | 2nd | Stephen B. Cushing | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 1st | Jacob S. Freer | Democrat | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Jacob Westbrook Jr. | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by Job G. Elmore (W) |
| Warren | Warren | George Richards | Whig | |
| Washington | 1st | Elisha Billings | Whig | |
| Washington | 2nd | David Wilson | Whig | |
| Wayne | 1st | William Dutton | Whig | |
| Wayne | 2nd | Theron G. Yeomans* | Whig | |
| Westchester | 1st | George W. Lyon | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | Abraham Hatfield | Democrat | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Wolcott J. Humphrey* | Whig | |
| Yates | Yates | Charles S. Hoyt | Democrat | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Richard U. Sherman
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Joseph W. Caldwell
* Doorkeeper: Nathan Chamberlin
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: Archibald Smith
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Asa Baldwin