61st New York State Legislature

{{Short description|New York state legislative session}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox New York Legislature |number = 61st |image = Old State Capitol at Albany NY.jpg |imagename = The Old State Capitol |imagedate = 1879 |start = January 1 |end = December 31, 1838 |vp = Lt. Gov. John Tracy (D) |pro tem = |speaker = Luther Bradish (W) |senators = 32 |reps = 128 |s-majority = Democratic (22-10) |h-majority = Whig (100-28) |sessionnumber1 = 1st |sessionstart1 = January 2 |sessionend1 = April 18, 1838 |previous = 60th |next = 62nd }}

The '''61st New York State Legislature''', consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 18, 1838, during the sixth year of William L. Marcy's governorship, in Albany.

==Background== Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.

At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

In May 1837, the Panic of 1837 broke out, and led to a severe financial crisis. The incumbent Democratic State government was blamed for it by the voters, and the opposing Whig Party won the election in November in a landslide.

==Elections== The State election was held from November 6 to 8, 1837. Gulian C. Verplanck (1st D.), Henry A. Livingston (2nd D.), Edward P. Livingston (3rd D.), Martin Lee (4th D.), Avery Skinner (5th D.), Laurens Hull (6th D.), John Maynard (7th D.) and William A. Moseley (8th D.) were elected to the Senate. Edward P. Livingston and Avery Skinner were Democrats, the other six were Whigs.

==Sessions== The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1838; and adjourned on April 18.

Luther Bradish (W) was elected Speaker.

On February 5, the Legislature elected Gamaliel H. Barstow (W) to succeed Abraham Keyser (D) as State Treasurer; and Orville L. Holley (W) to succeed William Campbell (D) as Surveyor General.

On September 12, the Whig state convention met at Utica, and nominated William H. Seward for Governor, and Speaker Luther Bradish for Lieutenant Governor. On the same day, the Democratic state convention met at Herkimer, and nominated Gov. Marcy and Lt. Gov. Tracy unanimously for re-election.

On October 3, a state convention of former Democrats (among them U.S. Senator Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, Congressman John C. Clark and Ex-Assemblyman Judah Hammond) met under the name of "Conservatives" at Syracuse, and endorsed the Whig nominees Seward and Bradish.

==State Senate== ===Districts=== * The First District (4 seats) consisted of Kings, New York and Richmond counties. * The Second District (4 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. * The Third District (4 seats) consisted of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties. * The Fourth District (4 seats) consisted of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. * The Fifth District (4 seats) consisted of Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and Otsego counties. * The Sixth District (4 seats) consisted of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Livingston, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties. * The Seventh District (4 seats) consisted of Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties. * The Eighth District (4 seats) consisted of Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans counties.

{{refbegin}}'''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.{{refend}}

===Members=== The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.

Senators who resided in counties which were transferred to a different district continued to represent the district in which they were elected.

{| class=wikitable ! District ! Senators ! Term left ! Party ! Notes |- | rowspan="4" | First |Coe S. Downing* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Henry Floyd-Jones* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |resided in Queens Co., elected in the old 1st D. |- |Frederick A. Tallmadge* |3 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Gulian C. Verplanck |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Second |John P. Jones* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |John Hunter* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Henry H. Van Dyck* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Henry A. Livingston |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Third |Abraham L. Lawyer* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |James Powers* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Noadiah Johnson* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Edward P. Livingston |4 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="4" | Fourth |Jabez Willes* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |David Spraker* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Samuel Young* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |also a Canal Commissioner and, <br>until February 13, 1838, First Judge of the Saratoga Co. Court |- |Martin Lee |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Fifth |Abijah Beckwith* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |resided in Herkimer Co., elected in the old 5th D. |- |Micah Sterling* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |David Wager* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Avery Skinner |4 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |also Postmaster of Union Square |- |rowspan="4" | Sixth |Levi Beardsley* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |resided in Otsego Co., elected in the old 6th D. |- |George Huntington* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Daniel S. Dickinson* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Laurens Hull |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Seventh |Chester Loomis* |1 year |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |also Postmaster of Rushville |- |John Beardsley* |2 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Samuel L. Edwards* |3 years |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |John Maynard |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Eighth |Isaac Lacey* |1 year |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Chauncey J. Fox* |2 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig |resided in Cattaraugus Co., elected in the old 8th D. |- |Samuel Works* |3 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |William A. Moseley |4 years |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |}

===Employees=== * Clerk: John F. Bacon

==State Assembly== ===Districts=== {{Div col|colwidth=22em}} * Albany County (3 seats) * Allegany County (2 seats) * Broome County (1 seat) * Cattaraugus County (2 seats) * Cayuga County (3 seats) * Chautauqua County (3 seats) * Chemung County (1 seat) * Chenango County (3 seats) * Clinton County (1 seat) * Columbia County (3 seats) * Cortland County (2 seats) * Delaware County (2 seats) * Dutchess County (3 seats) * Erie County (3 seats) * Essex County (1 seat) * Franklin County (1 seat) * Genesee County (4 seats) * Greene County (2 seats) * Hamilton and Montgomery counties (3 seats) * Herkimer County (2 seats) * Jefferson County (3 seats) * Kings County (2 seats) * Lewis County (1 seat) * Livingston County (2 seats) * Madison County (3 seats) * Monroe County (3 seats) * The City and County of New York (13 seats) * Niagara County (2 seats) * Oneida County (4 seats) * Onondaga County (4 seats) * Ontario County (3 seats) * Orange County (3 seats) * Orleans County (1 seat) * Oswego County (2 seats) * Otsego County (3 seats) * Putnam County (1 seat) * Queens County (1 seat) * Rensselaer County (3 seats) * Richmond County (1 seat) * Rockland County (1 seat) * St. Lawrence County (2 seats) * Saratoga County (2 seats) * Schenectady County (1 seat) * Schoharie County (2 seats) * Seneca County (1 seat) * Steuben County (3 seats) * Suffolk County (2 seats) * Sullivan County (1 seat) * Tioga County (1 seat) * Tompkins County (2 seats) * Ulster County (2 seats) * Warren County (1 seat) * Washington (2 seats) * Wayne County (2 seats) * Westchester County (2 seats) * Yates County (1 seat) {{colend}}

{{refbegin}}'''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.{{refend}}

===Assemblymen=== The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

Party affiliations follow the vote on State officers on February 5.<ref>see [https://books.google.com/books?id=uB8FpVy5db0C&pg=PA307 ''Journal of the Assembly'' (61st Session)] (1838; pg. 307ff)</ref>

{| class=wikitable ! District ! Assemblymen ! Party ! Notes |- |rowspan="3" | Albany |Daniel D. Barnard |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig |in November 1838 elected to the 26th U.S. Congress |- |Edmund Raynsford |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Paul Settle |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Allegany |Seth H. Pratt |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Samuel Russell |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Broome |James Stoddard |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Cattaraugus |Nelson Green |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Timothy H. Porter |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Cayuga |Henry R. Filley |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Isaac S. Miller | | |- |Nathan G. Morgan | | |- |rowspan="3" | Chautauqua |Thomas I. Allen |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |George A. French |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Abner Lewis |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Chemung |Hiram White |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="3" | Chenango |Henry Balcom |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Demas Hubbard, Jr. |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Justus Parce |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Clinton |Cornelius Halsey* |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="3" | Columbia |Abraham Bain |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |William A. Dean |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |William H. Tobey |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Cortland |David Matthews |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |John Osgood |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Delaware |Cornelius Bassett |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Darius Mapes | | |- |rowspan="3" | Dutchess |Cornelius Dubois |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Freeborn Garretson |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Jacob Sisson | | |- |rowspan="3" | Erie |Lewis F. Allen |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Asa Warren |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Cyrenus Wilbur |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Essex |Gideon Hammond* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Franklin |Luther Bradish* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig |elected Speaker; <br>in November 1838 elected Lieutenant Governor of New York |- |rowspan="4" | Genesee |Reuben Benham* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Andrew H. Green |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |John Head |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Leverett Seward* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Greene |Thomas B. Cooke |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Peter Hubbell |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Hamilton and <br>Montgomery |Jeremiah Nellis |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Abraham V. Putman | | |- |Marcellus Weston | | |- |rowspan="2" | Herkimer |Abijah Mann, Jr. |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Volney Owen | | |- |rowspan="3" | Jefferson |Charles B. Hoard |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat |also Postmaster of Antwerp |- |Richard Hulbert* |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Daniel Wardwell |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | Kings |Cornelius Bergen |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Benjamin D. Silliman |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Lewis |William Dominick |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | Livingston |George W. Patterson* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |William Scott* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Madison |William F. Bostwick |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |William Lord |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Onesimus Mead |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="3" | Monroe |John P. Patterson |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Ezra Sheldon Jr. |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Derick Sibley* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="13" | New York |Alfred Carhart |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Adoniram Chandler | | |- |Heman W. Childs |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Evan Griffith |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Willis Hall |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |William Harsell | | |- |John I. Labagh* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |David B. Ogden |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Samuel B. Ruggles |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |John B. Scoles |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Garret H. Stryker |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Anson Willis* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |George Zabriskie* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Niagara |Davis Hurd* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Peter B. Porter, Jr. |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Oneida |Russel Fuller |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Henry Hearsey |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |James S. T. Stranahan | | |- |Fortune C. White |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="4" | Onondaga |Victory Birdseye |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Phares Gould |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |James R. Lawrence |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Azariah Smith |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Ontario |Jonathan Buell |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |David Hudson |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Henry W. Taylor* |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Orange |Goldsmith Denniston |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Stephen W. Fullerton |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Hudson McFarlan |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Orleans |Horatio Reed |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Oswego |Arvin Rice |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |John M. Richardson |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="3" | Otsego |Samuel Betts Jr. |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |John Drake |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Jacob K. Lull |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Putnam |Saxton Smith |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Queens |John A. King |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- | rowspan="3" | Rensselaer |Hezekiah Hull |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Jacob A. Ten Eyck |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |James Wallace |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Richmond |Israel Oakley | | |- |Rockland |David Clark |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | St. Lawrence |Preston King* |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Myron G. Peck |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | Saratoga |Walter Van Veghten |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Calvin Wheeler |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Schenectady |Silas H. Marsh |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Schoharie |Jedediah Miller | | |- |Mitchell Sanford |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Seneca |Nathan Wakeman |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="3" | Steuben |Samuel Griggs |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |David Hall |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Manning Kelly |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | Suffolk |Charles A. Floyd |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Sidney L. Griffin |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Sullivan |John H. Bowers |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |Tioga |John Coryell |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Tompkins |Elbert Curtis | | |- |Robert Swartwout |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Ulster |Benjamin R. Bevier |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |James N. Mitchell |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Warren |Thomas A. Leggett |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat | |- |rowspan="2" | Washington |Erastus D. Culver |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |Leonard Gibbs |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Wayne |Esbon Blackmar |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |John M. Holley |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |rowspan="2" | Westchester |Francis Barretto | | |- |Nicholas Cruger | | |- |Yates |Miles Benham |{{Party shading/Whig}} | Whig | |- |}

===Employees=== * Clerk: Jarvis N. Lake * Sergeant-at-Arms: Harley R. Luddington * Doorkeeper: William C. Bloss * Assistant Doorkeeper: Frederick Lamb

==Notes== <references/>

==Sources== * [https://books.google.com/books?id=E3sFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA131 ''The New York Civil List''] compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 and 441 for Senate districts; pg. 131f for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 220f for assemblymen] * [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ij0OAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA479 ''The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to 1840''] by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 2, Phinney & Co., Buffalo, 1850; pg. 479 to 486)

{{NYLegislatures}}

061 Category:1838 in New York (state) Category:1838 U.S. legislative sessions