# 34th New York State Legislature

The 34th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 29 to April 9, 1811, during the fourth year of Daniel D. Tompkins'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.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

## Elections

The State election was held from April 24 to 26, 1810. Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins and Lt. Gov. John Broome (both Dem.-Rep.) were re-elected.
Senator Nathan Smith (Western D.) was re-elected. Ebenezer White (Southern D.), Ex-Gov. Morgan Lewis, James W. Wilkin (both Middle D.), Henry Yates Jr. (Eastern D.), Reuben Humphrey, Philetus Swift and Henry A. Townsend (all three Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. All eight were Democratic-Republicans.

## Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 29, 1811; and adjourned on April 9.
Nathan Sanford (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Speaker with 64 votes against 33 for Samuel A. Barker (Fed.). Samuel North (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 64 votes against 37 for the incumbent James Van Ingen (Fed.). Sanford soon became ill, and could not attend the session anymore, and on February 12, William Ross (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Speaker for the remainder of the session with 65 votes against 24 for Barker (Fed.).
Lt. Gov. Broome died on August 8, 1810, leaving the presidency of the State Senate vacant. The senators elected John Tayler (Dem.-Rep.) as president pro tempore (vote: Tayler 21, Lewis 2, blank 2).
On January 30, the Dem.-Rep. Assembly majority elected a new Council of Appointment which removed almost all Federalist office-holders, most of whom had been appointed during the previous year.
At this session, the Legislature passed a bill incorporating the Mechanics and Farmers Bank of Albany, and Solomon Southwick became its first President.
On April 8, 1811, the Legislature appointed a new Erie Canal Commission to continue the planning and eventually the construction of the Erie Canal. The previous commissioners Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William North, Thomas Eddy, State Senator DeWitt Clinton, Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt and Congressman Peter B. Porter were re-appointed; and Ex-Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton, who were running a steamboat service between New York City and Albany, were added to the commission.

## State Senate
### Districts

* The Southern District (5 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
* The Middle District (7 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Columbia, Delaware, Rockland, Greene and Sullivan counties.
* The Eastern District (8 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Rensselaer, Albany, Saratoga, Essex, Montgomery, Franklin and Schenectady counties.
* The Western District (12 seats) consisted of Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Schoharie, Steuben, Chenango, Oneida, Cayuga, Genesee, Seneca, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Allegany, Broome, Madison, Niagara and Cortland 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 |
| Southern | DeWitt Clinton* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | also an Erie Canal Commissioner; from February 1, 1811, also Mayor of New York City |
| Southern | Benjamin Coe* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Southern | William W. Gilbert* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Israel Carll* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Ebenezer White | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Joshua H. Brett* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Robert Williams* | 1 year | none | |
| Middle | Edward P. Livingston* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Johannes Bruyn* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Samuel Haight* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Morgan Lewis | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | James W. Wilkin | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | Isaac Kellogg* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | John McLean* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | Charles Selden* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | John Tayler* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | elected President pro tempore |
| Eastern | David Hopkins* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Daniel Paris* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | John Stearns* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | Henry Yates Jr. | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Alexander Rea* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Francis A. Bloodgood* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Walter Martin* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Luther Rich* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Sylvanus Smalley* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Amos Hall* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Seth Phelps* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Jonas Platt* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Reuben Humphrey | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Nathan Smith* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Western | Philetus Swift | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Henry A. Townsend | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Sebastian Visscher

## State Assembly
### Districts

* Albany County (4 seats)
* Allegany and Steuben counties (1 seat)
* Broome County (1 seat)
* Cayuga County (3 seats)
* Chenango County (3 seats)
* Clinton and Franklin counties (1 seat)
* Columbia County (4 seats)
* Cortland County (1 seat)
* Delaware County (2 seats)
* Dutchess County (6 seats)
* Essex County (1 seat)
* Genesee County (1 seat)
* Greene County (2 seats)
* Herkimer County (3 seats)
* Jefferson County (2 seats)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Lewis County (1 seat)
* Madison County (3 seats)
* Montgomery County (5 seats)
* The City and County of New York (11 seats)
* Niagara County (1 seat)
* Oneida County (5 seats)
* Onondaga County (2 seats)
* Ontario County (5 seats)
* Orange County (4 seats)
* Otsego County (4 seats)
* Queens County (3 seats)
* Rensselaer County (4 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Rockland County (1 seat)
* St. Lawrence County (1 seat)
* Saratoga County (4 seats)
* Schenectady County (2 seats)
* Schoharie County (2 seats)
* Seneca County (1 seat)
* Suffolk County (3 seats)
* Sullivan and Ulster counties (4 seats)
* Tioga County (1 seat)
* Washington County (5 seats)
* Westchester County (3 seats)

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | Asa Colvard | Federalist | |
| Albany | David Delong | Federalist | |
| Albany | Johann Jost Dietz | Federalist | |
| Albany | Abraham Van Vechten* | Federalist | until February 1, 1811, also New York Attorney General |
| Allegany and Steuben | John Knox* | Federalist | |
| Broome | none | | no election returns from this county |
| Cayuga | Stephen Close* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Cayuga | Elisha Durkee | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Cayuga | Ebenezer Hewitt | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Chenango | Peter Betts | | |
| Chenango | Thompson Mead | | |
| Chenango | Joseph Simonds | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Clinton and Franklin | Gates Hoit* | Federalist | unsuccessfully contested by William Steward |
| Columbia | Thomas P. Grosvenor* | Federalist | until February 15, 1811, also District Attorney of the 3rd District |
| Columbia | Augustus Tremain | | |
| Columbia | James Vanderpoel | Federalist | |
| Columbia | Jacob R. Van Rensselaer | Federalist | |
| Cortland | Billy Trowbridge | | |
| Delaware | Daniel Fuller | | |
| Delaware | David St. John | | |
| Dutchess | Samuel A. Barker | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Lemuel Clift* | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Koert Dubois* | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Alexander Neely* | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Shadrach Sherman | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Isaac Van Wyck* | Federalist | |
| Essex | Delevan Delance Jr. | | |
| Genesee | Chauncey Loomis* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Greene | William Beach | | |
| Greene | Jonas Bronk | | |
| Herkimer | Christopher P. Bellinger* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Herkimer | Robert Burch | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Herkimer | Hosea Nelson | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Jefferson | Corlis Hinds | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Jefferson | Ethel Bronson* | Federalist | contested; seat vacated |
| Jefferson | William Hunter | | seated on February 4, 1811, in place of Ethel Bronson |
| Kings | John C. Vanderveer | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Lewis | Nathaniel Merriam | | |
| Madison | John W. Bulkley* | Federalist | |
| Madison | Henry Clark Jr. | | |
| Madison | Zebulon Douglass | | |
| Montgomery | Daniel Cady* | Federalist | |
| Montgomery | Jacob Eaker | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | Daniel Hurlbut | | |
| Montgomery | James McIntyre | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Montgomery | George H. Nellis | | |
| New York | Robert Bogardus | | |
| New York | Thomas Carpenter | Federalist | |
| New York | Thomas Farmar* | | |
| New York | John Gelston | | |
| New York | Samuel Lawrence | Dem.-Rep. | from February 19, 1811, also New York County Clerk |
| New York | Jonas Mapes | | |
| New York | Thomas R. Mercein | Federalist | |
| New York | Nathan Sanford | Dem.-Rep. | elected Speaker; did not attend after February 12; also United States Attorney for the District of New York |
| New York | Isaac Sebring | Federalist | |
| New York | Solomon Townsend* | | died March 27, 1811 |
| New York | John Vanderbilt Jr. | | |
| Niagara | Archibald S. Clarke* | Dem.-Rep. | also Surrogate of Niagara County |
| Oneida | Isaac Brayton | Federalist | |
| Oneida | George Doolittle | | |
| Oneida | George Huntington | Federalist | |
| Oneida | Henry McNeil | Federalist | |
| Oneida | John Storrs* | Federalist | |
| Onondaga | Robert Earll | | |
| Onondaga | Jasper Hopper | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Ontario | Septimus Evans | | |
| Ontario | Robert Hart | | |
| Ontario | Hugh McNair | | |
| Ontario | Stephen Phelps | | |
| Ontario | Asahel Warner | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | John Blake Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | Anthony Davis | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | Seth Marvin | | |
| Orange | William Ross | Dem.-Rep. | on February 12, elected Speaker |
| Otsego | Daniel Hawks | | |
| Otsego | Isaac Hayes | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Otsego | Elijah H. Metcalf | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Otsego | Robert Roseboom | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Queens | Stephen Carman* | Federalist | |
| Queens | Daniel Kissam | Federalist | |
| Queens | William Townsend* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | William M. Bliss | | |
| Rensselaer | Daniel Hull Jr. | | |
| Rensselaer | Cornelius I. Schermerhorn* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Cornelius Van Vechten | | |
| Richmond | James Guyon, Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | contested; seat vacated |
| Richmond | Richard Connor | Federalist | seated on March 21, 1811, in place of James Guyon, Jr. |
| Rockland | Peter S. Van Orden* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| St. Lawrence | Roswell Hopkins* | Federalist | |
| Saratoga | John Cramer | | |
| Saratoga | Jesse Mott | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | Jeremy Rockwell | | |
| Saratoga | David Rogers | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schenectady | James Boyd | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schenectady | John Young | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Schoharie | Henry Becker | Dem.-Rep./Fed. | Becker was a Democratic-Republican who ran on both tickets |
| Schoharie | Henry Hager | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Seneca | Robert S. Rose | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Jonathan S. Conklin | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Thomas S. Lester | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Tredwell Scudder* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Sullivan and Ulster | John Conklin* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Sullivan and Ulster | Samuel Hawkins | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Sullivan and Ulster | John Lounsbery | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Sullivan and Ulster | Nehemiah L. Smith | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Tioga | Thomas Floyd | | |
| Washington | John Baker | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | John Richards | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Isaac Sargent | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | Reuben Whallon | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington | David Woods | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Darius Crosby | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Abraham Miller | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Jacob Odell | Dem.-Rep. | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Samuel North
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas Donnelly
* Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple