# 138th New York State Legislature

The 138th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 24, 1915, during the first year of Charles S. Whitman's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1906 and 1907, 51 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (eight districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Assemblyman William Sulzer, who had been removed from the office of governor in 1913, founded an American Party and ran also on the Prohibition Party ticket for governor. The Independence League, the Progressive Party, the Socialist Party and the Socialist Labor Party also nominated tickets.

## Elections

The 1914 New York state election, was held on November 3. D.A. of New York County Charles S. Whitman and Edward Schoeneck were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor; both Republicans. Of the other seven statewide elective offices, six were carried by Republicans and one by a Democrat. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for governor, was: Republicans 687,000; Democrats 412,000; Independence League 125,000; American 71,000; Prohibition 54,000; Progressives 46,000; Socialists 38,000; and Socialist Labor 2,000.
Also elected were 34 Republicans and 17 Democrats to the State Senate; 99 Republicans, 49 Democrats and two Progressives to the State Assembly; and 168 delegates (15 at-large; and three per senatorial district) to the Constitutional Convention.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1915; and adjourned on April 24.
Thaddeus C. Sweet (R) was re-elected Speaker,
Elon R. Brown (R) was elected Temporary President of the Senate.
On April 6, the Constitutional Convention met at the State Capitol in Albany; and adjourned on September 4. All proposed amendments to the Constitution were rejected by the voters at the state election on November 2, 1915.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: Queens County, i.e the Borough of Queens
* 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
* 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the Borough of Manhattan
* 21st and 22nd District: Parts of Bronx County, i.e. the Borough of the Bronx
* 23rd District: Richmond and Rockland counties
* 24th District: Westchester County
* 25th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 26th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties
* 27th District: Greene and Ulster counties
* 28th District: Albany County
* 29th District: Rensselaer County
* 30th District: Saratoga and Washington counties
* 31st District: Montgomery, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
* 32nd District: Lewis, Fulton, Hamilton and Herkimer counties
* 33rd District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 34th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
* 35th District: Jefferson and Oswego counties
* 36th District: Oneida County
* 37th District: Chenango, Madison and Otsego counties
* 38th District: Onondaga County
* 39th District: Broome and Delaware counties
* 40th District: Cayuga, Cortland and Seneca counties
* 41st District: Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties
* 42nd District: Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties
* 43rd District: Steuben and Livingston counties
* 44th District: Allegany, Genesee and Wyoming counties
* 45th and 46th District: Monroe County
* 47th District: Niagara and Orleans counties
* 48th, 49th and 50th District: Erie County
* 51st District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

### Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Charles C. Lockwood, Alvah W. Burlingame Jr., Jimmy Walker, Franklin W. Cristman, Samuel A. Jones, Clinton T. Horton and William P. Greiner changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | George L. Thompson | Republican | |
| 2nd | Bernard M. Patten* | Democrat | contested by Christian Weiland |
| 3rd | Thomas H. Cullen* | Democrat | |
| 4th | Charles C. Lockwood* | Republican | Chairman of Public Education |
| 5th | William J. Heffernan* | Democrat | |
| 6th | William B. Carswell* | Democrat | |
| 7th | Daniel J. Carroll* | Democrat | |
| 8th | Alvah W. Burlingame Jr.* | Republican | Chairman of Revision |
| 9th | Robert R. Lawson | Republican | Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| 10th | Alfred J. Gilchrist | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| 11th | Christopher D. Sullivan* | Democrat | |
| 12th | Henry W. Doll | Democrat | |
| 13th | Jimmy Walker* | Democrat | |
| 14th | James A. Foley* | Democrat | also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention |
| 15th | John J. Boylan* | Democrat | |
| 16th | Robert F. Wagner* | Democrat | Minority Leader; also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention |
| 17th | Ogden L. Mills | Rep./Progr. | |
| 18th | William M. Bennett | Rep./Progr. | |
| 19th | George W. Simpson* | Democrat | |
| 20th | Irving J. Joseph | Democrat | |
| 21st | John J. Dunnigan | Democrat | |
| 22nd | James A. Hamilton | Democrat | |
| 23rd | George Cromwell | Republican | |
| 24th | George A. Slater | Republican | |
| 25th | John D. Stivers* | Republican | Chairman of Military Affairs |
| 26th | James E. Towner* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
| 27th | Charles W. Walton | Republican | |
| 28th | Henry M. Sage* | Republican | Chairman of Finance |
| 29th | Walter A. Wood Jr. | Republican | Chairman of Conservation; died on October 8, 1915 |
| 30th | George H. Whitney* | Republican | Chairman of Public Health |
| 31st | Arden L. Norton | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| 32nd | Franklin W. Cristman* | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| 33rd | James A. Emerson* | Republican | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
| 34th | N. Monroe Marshall | Republican | Chairman of Banks |
| 35th | Elon R. Brown* | Republican | elected Temporary President; Chairman of Rules |
| 36th | Charles W. Wicks | Republican | |
| 37th | Samuel A. Jones* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages |
| 38th | J. Henry Walters* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
| 39th | William H. Hill | Rep./Progr. | |
| 40th | Charles J. Hewitt* | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs |
| 41st | Morris S. Halliday | Republican | Chairman of Penal Institutions |
| 42nd | Thomas B. Wilson* | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture |
| 43rd | Charles D. Newton | Republican | Chairman of Codes |
| 44th | Archie D. Sanders | Republican | |
| 45th | George F. Argetsinger* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Cities |
| 46th | John B. Mullan | Republican | Chairman of Public Printing |
| 47th | George F. Thompson* | Republican | Chairman of Public Service |
| 48th | Clinton T. Horton* | Republican | Chairman of Civil Service |
| 49th | Samuel J. Ramsperger* | Democrat | |
| 50th | William P. Greiner* | Democrat | |
| 51st | George E. Spring | Republican | Chairman of Labor and Industry |

### Employees

* Clerk: Ernest A. Fay
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles R. Hotaling
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Samuel Russell
* Principal Doorkeeper: Lee V. Gardner
* First Assistant Doorkeeper: George W. Van Hyning
* Stenographer: John K. Marshall (also Stenographer of the Constitutional Convention)

## State Assembly

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

### Assemblymen

| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | Harold J. Hinman* | Republican | Majority Leader; also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention |
| Albany | 2nd | John G. Malone* | Republican | Chairman of Excise |
| Albany | 3rd | William C. Baxter* | Republican | Chairman of Villages |
| Allegany | Allegany | Elmer E. Ferry* | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Simon P. Quick* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | Cattaraugus | DeHart H. Ames | Republican | |
| Cayuga | Cayuga | William F. Whitman | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | A. Morelle Cheney* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | John Leo Sullivan* | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs |
| Chemung | Chemung | Horace K. Walker | Rep./Progr. | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Bert Lord | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | Alexander W. Fairbank* | Republican | |
| Columbia | Columbia | William Wallace Chace | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | George H. Wiltsie | Republican | |
| Delaware | Delaware | Edwin A. Mackey* | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 1st | James C. Allen | Rep./Progr. | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | Francis G. Landon | Republican | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
| Erie | 1st | Allen Keeney | Republican | |
| Erie | 2nd | Ross Graves | Republican | |
| Erie | 3rd | Nicholas J. Miller | Republican | Chairman of Public Institutions |
| Erie | 4th | James M. Mead | Democrat | |
| Erie | 5th | Arthur G. McElroy | Democrat | |
| Erie | 6th | Peter C. Jezewski | Rep./Progr. | |
| Erie | 7th | John F. Heim | Republican | |
| Erie | 8th | Leonard W. H. Gibbs | Republican | |
| Erie | 9th | Frank B. Thorn* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
| Essex | Essex | Raymond T. Kenyon* | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | Alexander Macdonald* | Republican | Chairman of Ways and Means |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | James H. Wood* | Republican | Chairman of Claims |
| Genesee | Genesee | Louis H. Wells* | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | George H. Chase* | Republican | |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | Selden C. Clobridge | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | H. Edmund Machold* | Republican | Chairman of Conservation |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Willard S. Augsbury | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | R. Hunter McQuistion* | Rep./Progr. | |
| Kings | 2nd | William J. Gillen* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | Frank J. Taylor* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Peter A. McArdle | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | Fred G. Milligan Jr. | Republican | |
| Kings | 6th | Nathan D. Shapiro | Republican | |
| Kings | 7th | Daniel F. Farrell* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | John J. McKeon* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | Frederick S. Burr | Democrat | |
| Kings | 10th | Fred M. Ahern* | Rep./Progr. | Chairman of General Laws |
| Kings | 11th | George R. Brennan* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
| Kings | 12th | William T. Simpson* | Republican | |
| Kings | 13th | Herman Kramer* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 14th | John Peter La Frenz* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 15th | James J. Phelan* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 16th | Samuel R. Green* | Republican | |
| Kings | 17th | Frederick A. Wells | Republican | |
| Kings | 18th | Almeth W. Hoff* | Republican | Chairman of Cities |
| Kings | 19th | William A. Bacher | Democrat | |
| Kings | 20th | August C. Flamman* | Rep./Progr. | Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills |
| Kings | 21st | Isaac Mendelsohn | Democrat | |
| Kings | 22nd | Charles H. Duff | Republican | |
| Kings | 23rd | Nathan B. Finkelstein | Rep./Progr. | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Henry L. Grant* | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | Edward M. Magee* | Republican | Chairman of Revision |
| Madison | Madison | Morell E. Tallett* | Republican | Chairman of Education |
| Monroe | 1st | James A. Harris | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | Simon L. Adler* | Republican | Chairman of Banks |
| Monroe | 3rd | John R. Powers | Republican | |
| Monroe | 4th | Frank Dobson | Republican | |
| Monroe | 5th | Franklin W. Judson | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Erastus Corning Davis | Republican | |
| Nassau | Nassau | Thomas A. McWhinney | Republican | |
| New York | 1st | John J. Ryan | Democrat | |
| New York | 2nd | Al Smith* | Democrat | Minority Leader; also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention; on November 2, 1915, elected Sheriff of New York Co. |
| New York | 3rd | Carmine J. Marasco | Democrat | |
| New York | 4th | Henry S. Schimmel* | Democrat | |
| New York | 5th | Maurice McDonald | Democrat | |
| New York | 6th | Nathan D. Perlman | Rep./Progr. | |
| New York | 7th | Peter P. McElligott* | Democrat | |
| New York | 8th | Sidney Scharlin | Democrat | |
| New York | 9th | Charles D. Donohue* | Democrat | |
| New York | 10th | Walter M. Friedland | Democrat | |
| New York | 11th | John Kerrigan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 12th | Joseph D. Kelly* | Democrat | |
| New York | 13th | James C. Campbell* | Democrat | |
| New York | 14th | Robert Lee Tudor* | Democrat | |
| New York | 15th | Abram Ellenbogen* | Republican | |
| New York | 16th | Martin G. McCue* | Democrat | |
| New York | 17th | Martin Bourke | Republican | |
| New York | 18th | Mark Goldberg* | Democrat | |
| New York | 19th | Patrick F. Cotter | Democrat | |
| New York | 20th | Frank Aranow | Democrat | |
| New York | 21st | Harold C. Mitchell | Republican | |
| New York | 22nd | Maurice Bloch | Democrat | |
| New York | 23rd | Daniel C. Oliver | Democrat | |
| New York | 24th | Owen M. Kiernan* | Democrat | |
| New York | 25th | Francis R. Stoddard Jr.* | Republican | Chairman of Military Affairs |
| New York | 26th | Joseph Steinberg* | Progr./Rep. | |
| New York | 27th | Charles E. Rice Jr. | Republican | |
| New York | 28th | Salvatore A. Cotillo | Democrat | |
| New York | 29th | Howard Conkling* | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| New York | 30th | Dennis G. Donovan | Democrat | |
| New York | 31st | Aaron A. Feinberg | Republican | |
| Bronx | 32nd | William S. Evans | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 33rd | Earl H. Miller | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 34th | M. Maldwin Fertig | Democrat | |
| Bronx | 35th | Joseph M. Callahan | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 1st | William Bewley* | Republican | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Alan V. Parker | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Fred Frank Emden* | Democrat | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Charles J. Fuess* | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | John Brayton Fuller* | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
| Onondaga | 1st | Edward Arnts* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | J. Leslie Kincaid | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Jacob R. Buecheler* | Republican | |
| Ontario | Ontario | Heber E. Wheeler* | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | James B. Montgomery* | Republican | Chairman of Soldiers' Home |
| Orange | 2nd | Charles J. Boyd* | Republican | |
| Orleans | Orleans | A. Allen Comstock | Republican | |
| Oswego | Oswego | Thaddeus C. Sweet* | Rep./Progr. | re-elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules |
| Otsego | Otsego | Allen J. Bloomfield | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Hamilton Fish III* | Progr./Dem. | |
| Queens | 1st | Nicholas Nehrbauer Jr.* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | Peter J. McGarry* | Democrat | |
| Queens | 3rd | William H. O'Hare | Democrat | |
| Queens | 4th | George E. Polhemus | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | John F. Shannon | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Edwin S. Comstock | Republican | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Stephen D. Stephens | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | Frederick George Grimme | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Frank L. Seaker* | Republican | Chairman of Railroads |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Edward A. Everett | Republican | |
| Saratoga | Saratoga | Gilbert T. Seelye* | Republican | Chairman of Health |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Walter S. McNab | Republican | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Edward A. Dox* | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Henry S. Howard* | Republican | Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies |
| Seneca | Seneca | William J. Maier* | Republican | Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply |
| Steuben | 1st | Reuben B. Oldfield | Republican | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Richard M. Prangen | Republican | |
| Suffolk | 1st | DeWitt C. Talmage* | Republican | Chairman of Labor |
| Suffolk | 2nd | Henry A. Murphy* | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | H. Blake Stratton | Dem./Progr. | |
| Tioga | Tioga | Wilson S. Moore* | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | John W. Preswick* | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Henry R. DeWitt* | Republican | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Abram P. Lefevre* | Republican | |
| Warren | Warren | Henry E. H. Brereton* | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| Washington | Washington | Charles O. Pratt* | Republican | |
| Wayne | Wayne | Riley A. Wilson* | Republican | Chairman of Printing |
| Westchester | 1st | George Blakely* | Republican | |
| Westchester | 2nd | William S. Coffey | Republican | |
| Westchester | 3rd | Walter W. Law Jr.* | Republican | Chairman of Penal Institutions |
| Westchester | 4th | Floy D. Hopkins* | Republican | Chairman of Social Welfare |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | John Knight* | Republican | Chairman of Codes |
| Yates | Yates | Edward C. Gillett* | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture |

### Employees

* Clerk: Fred W. Hammond
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry W. Haines (also Sergeant-at-Arms of the Constitutional Convention)
* Principal Doorkeeper:
* First Assistant Doorkeeper:
* Second Assistant Doorkeeper:
* Stenographer:
* Postmaster: James H. Underwood