# 109th New York State Legislature

The 109th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 20, 1886, during the second year of David B. Hill's 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 (seven districts) and Kings County (three 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 Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In New York City the Democrats were split into three factions: Tammany Hall, "Irving Hall" and the "County Democrats". The Prohibition Party and the Greenback Party also nominated tickets.

## Elections

The 1885 New York state election was held on November 3. Governor David B. Hill was re-elected; and Edward F. Jones was elected lieutenant governor. The other five statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 501,000; Republicans 490,000; Prohibition 31,000; and Greenback 2,000.

## Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1886; and adjourned on May 20.
James W. Husted (R) was again elected Speaker, against William F. Sheehan (D).
Edmund L. Pitts (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

## State Senate
### Districts

* 1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties
* 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Gravesend and New Utrecht in Kings County
* 3rd District: 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 23rd Ward of the City of Brooklyn
* 4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of New Lots and Flatlands in Kings County
* 5th District: Richmond County and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 14th and parts of the 4th and 9th Ward of New York City
* 6th District: 7th, 11th, 13th and part of the 4th Ward of NYC
* 7th District: 10th, 17th and part of the 15th, 18th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 8th District: 16th and part of the 9th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 9th District: Part of the 18th, 19th and 21st Ward of NYC
* 10th District: Part of the 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Ward of NYC
* 11th District: 23rd and 24th, and part of the 12th, 20th and 22nd Ward of NYC
* 12th District: Rockland and Westchester counties
* 13th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
* 14th District: Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties
* 15th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
* 16th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
* 17th District: Albany County
* 18th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
* 19th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
* 20th District: Franklin, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
* 21st District: Oswego and Jefferson counties
* 22nd District: Oneida County
* 23rd District: Herkimer, Madison and Otsego counties
* 24th District: Chenango, Delaware and Broome counties
* 25th District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
* 26th District: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Tioga counties
* 27th District: Allegany, Chemung and Steuben counties
* 28th District: Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and Yates counties
* 29th District: Monroe and Orleans counties
* 30th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara and Wyoming counties
* 31st District: Erie County
* 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Edward F. Reilly, Francis Hendricks, Charles F. Barager and John Raines changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
| 1st | Edward F. Fagan | Democrat | |
| 2nd | James F. Pierce | Democrat | |
| 3rd | Stephen M. Griswold | Republican | |
| 4th | Jacob Worth | Republican | |
| 5th | Michael C. Murphy* | County Dem. | re-elected |
| 6th | Edward F. Reilly* | Tammany Dem. | |
| 7th | James Daly* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 8th | Thomas C. Dunham | Democrat | |
| 9th | John J. Cullen* | Tam./Irv. H. Dem. | re-elected |
| 10th | William C. Traphagen | Democrat | |
| 11th | George W. Plunkitt* | Tammany Dem. | re-elected |
| 12th | Henry C. Nelson* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 13th | Henry R. Low* | Republican | re-elected |
| 14th | Henry C. Connelly | Republican | |
| 15th | Jacob W. Hoysradt | Republican | |
| 16th | Albert C. Comstock* | Republican | re-elected |
| 17th | Amasa J. Parker Jr. | Democrat | |
| 18th | Edward Wemple | Democrat | |
| 19th | Rowland C. Kellogg | Republican | |
| 20th | Charles L. Knapp | Republican | |
| 21st | George B. Sloan | Republican | |
| 22nd | Henry J. Coggeshall* | Republican | re-elected |
| 23rd | John E. Smith | Republican | |
| 24th | Matthew W. Marvin | Republican | |
| 25th | Francis Hendricks* | Republican | |
| 26th | Charles F. Barager* | Republican | |
| 27th | J. Sloat Fassett* | Republican | re-elected |
| 28th | John Raines* | Republican | |
| 29th | Edmund L. Pitts | Republican | elected President pro tempore |
| 30th | Edward C. Walker | Republican | |
| 31st | Daniel H. McMillan | Republican | |
| 32nd | Commodore P. Vedder* | Republican | re-elected |

### Employees

* Clerk: John W. Vrooman
* Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Murray
* Doorkeeper: John H. Houck
* Stenographer: Harris A. Corell

## State Assembly
### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
| District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| Albany | 1st | John Bowe | Democrat | |
| Albany | 2nd | Smith O'Brien | Republican | |
| Albany | 3rd | Norton Chase | Democrat | |
| Albany | 4th | Terence I. Hardin* | Democrat | |
| Allegany | Allegany | William R. McEwen* | Republican | |
| Broome | Broome | Isaac C. Edson | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Frederick W. Kruse* | Republican | |
| Cattaraugus | 2nd | Erastus S. Ingersoll | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 1st | Frank M. Parsons | Republican | |
| Cayuga | 2nd | Michael B. Van Buskirk* | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 1st | Jerome Babcock | Republican | |
| Chautauqua | 2nd | Newell Cheney | Republican | |
| Chemung | Chemung | Robert P. Bush | Democrat | |
| Chenango | Chenango | Truman I. Matterson | Republican | |
| Clinton | Clinton | George W. Palmer* | Republican | |
| Columbia | Columbia | John C. Hogeboom* | Republican | |
| Cortland | Cortland | Milfred M. Brown | Republican | |
| Delaware | Delaware | Charles J. Knapp | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 1st | Joseph H. Storm* | Republican | |
| Dutchess | 2nd | John I. Platt | Republican | |
| Erie | 1st | William F. Sheehan* | Democrat | Minority Leader |
| Erie | 2nd | Frank M. Giese* | Democrat | |
| Erie | 3rd | Edward Gallagher | Republican | |
| Erie | 4th | John Kraus | Republican | |
| Erie | 5th | Amos H. Baker* | Republican | |
| Essex | Essex | Wesley Barnes* | Republican | |
| Franklin | Franklin | Floyd J. Hadley | Republican | |
| Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Alden W. Berry* | Republican | |
| Genesee | Genesee | Charles A. Seaver | Republican | |
| Greene | Greene | Stephen T. Hopkins* | Republican | on November 2, 1886, elected to the 50th U.S. Congress |
| Herkimer | Herkimer | John M. Budlong* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 1st | Allen E. Kilby* | Republican | |
| Jefferson | 2nd | Edward B. Bulkley | Republican | |
| Kings | 1st | Moses J. Wafer* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 2nd | William H. McLaughlin | Democrat | |
| Kings | 3rd | Peter K. McCann* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 4th | Henry F. Haggerty* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 5th | James A. McMahon | Democrat | |
| Kings | 6th | Thomas F. Farrell* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 7th | George H. Lindsay* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 8th | Robert E. Connelly* | Democrat | |
| Kings | 9th | James A. Brown | Republican | |
| Kings | 10th | John B. Longley | Democrat | |
| Kings | 11th | Henry D. Hotchkiss | Democrat | |
| Kings | 12th | Richard V. B. Newton | Democrat | |
| Lewis | Lewis | Rutson Rea | Republican | |
| Livingston | Livingston | William Y. Robinson | Republican | |
| Madison | Madison | William S. Leete | Republican | |
| Monroe | 1st | Frank Gardner | Republican | |
| Monroe | 2nd | Charles R. Pratt | Republican | |
| Monroe | 3rd | George W. Sime | Republican | |
| Montgomery | Montgomery | Thomas Liddle* | Republican | |
| New York | 1st | Daniel E. Finn* | County/Irv. H. Dem. | |
| New York | 2nd | Thomas Maher | Tammany Dem. | |
| New York | 3rd | James E. Power | County Dem. | |
| New York | 4th | Jeremiah Hayes | Tam./Irv. H. Dem. | |
| New York | 5th | Michael Brennan* | County Dem. | |
| New York | 6th | Philip Kiernan | Ind./Tam./Irv. H. Dem. | Assemblyman-elect William Hall died November 30, 1885; Kiernan elected to fill vacancy on December 29, 1885 |
| New York | 7th | Lucas L. Van Allen* | Republican | |
| New York | 8th | Charles Smith* | Republican | |
| New York | 9th | John D. Naugle | Tam./County Dem. | |
| New York | 10th | Charles A. Binder | Republican | |
| New York | 11th | Robert Ray Hamilton | Republican | |
| New York | 12th | Moses Dinkelspiel | County Dem. | |
| New York | 13th | John P. Windolph* | Republican | |
| New York | 14th | Lewis J. Conlan | Tam./Irv. H. Dem. | |
| New York | 15th | Werner Bruns | Tammany Dem. | |
| New York | 16th | Edward P. Hagan* | County Dem. | |
| New York | 17th | William Dalton | Democrat | |
| New York | 18th | William J. Hill | Tammany Dem. | |
| New York | 19th | John McManus | Ind. Dem. | |
| New York | 20th | James Haggerty* | Ind. Dem. | |
| New York | 21st | George W. Lyon | Republican | |
| New York | 22nd | Edward J. Shelley | Tam./Irv. H. Dem. | |
| New York | 23rd | Jacob A. Cantor* | Tammany Dem. | |
| New York | 24th | John B. Shea* | County/Irv. H. Dem. | unsuccessfully contested |
| Niagara | 1st | Lewis P. Gordon | Democrat | |
| Niagara | 2nd | Peter A. Porter | Republican | |
| Oneida | 1st | Benjamin Hall | Republican | |
| Oneida | 2nd | Robert W. Evans | Republican | |
| Oneida | 3rd | Israel J. White | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 1st | Wallace Tappan* | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 2nd | Alfred E. Stacey | Republican | |
| Onondaga | 3rd | Thomas McCarthy | Republican | |
| Ontario | Ontario | Edward P. Babcock | Republican | |
| Orange | 1st | Robert H. Smith | Republican | |
| Orange | 2nd | George W. Greene* | Democrat | |
| Orleans | Orleans | Samuel A. Bates | Republican | |
| Oswego | 1st | Henry C. Howe* | Republican | |
| Oswego | 2nd | Danforth E. Ainsworth | Republican | |
| Otsego | 1st | Lowell S. Henry | Democrat | |
| Otsego | 2nd | Frank B. Arnold* | Republican | |
| Putnam | Putnam | Henry Mabie | Republican | |
| Queens | 1st | Joseph Fitch | Democrat | |
| Queens | 2nd | James S. Allen | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 1st | Michael F. Collins | Democrat | |
| Rensselaer | 2nd | Eugene L. Demers* | Republican | |
| Rensselaer | 3rd | Thomas Dickson | Republican | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Edward P. Doyle | Democrat | |
| Rockland | Rockland | George Dickey | Democrat | |
| St. Lawrence | 1st | N. Martin Curtis* | Ind. Rep. | |
| St. Lawrence | 2nd | Andrew Tuck* | Republican | |
| St. Lawrence | 3rd | George Z. Erwin* | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 1st | William M. Donald | Republican | |
| Saratoga | 2nd | George S. Batcheller | Republican | |
| Schenectady | Schenectady | Edward D. Cutler* | Democrat | |
| Schoharie | Schoharie | Charles Brewster | Democrat | |
| Schuyler | Schuyler | Fremont Cole* | Republican | |
| Seneca | Seneca | Stephen Duncan Leverich | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 1st | Franz S. Wolf | Democrat | |
| Steuben | 2nd | Charles D. Baker* | Republican | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | Henry E. Huntting | Republican | |
| Sullivan | Sullivan | James D. Decker* | Democrat | |
| Tioga | Tioga | Adolphus G. Allen | Republican | |
| Tompkins | Tompkins | Charles M. Titus | Republican | |
| Ulster | 1st | Benjamin M. Freligh | Republican | |
| Ulster | 2nd | Herman Craft | Republican | |
| Ulster | 3rd | Cornelius A. J. Hardenbergh* | Democrat | |
| Warren | Warren | John Peart Jr. | Republican | |
| Washington | 1st | Daniel M. Westfall | Republican | |
| Washington | 2nd | James H. Manville | Republican | |
| Wayne | 1st | William Wood | Democrat | |
| Wayne | 2nd | Barnet H. Davis | Republican | |
| Westchester | 1st | Charles P. McClelland* | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 2nd | Norman A. Lawlor | Democrat | |
| Westchester | 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | elected Speaker |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Edward A. Pierce | Republican | |
| Yates | Yates | Clark E. Smith* | Republican | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Charles A. Chickering
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward H. Talbott
* Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
* Stenographer: Emory P. Close