22nd New York State Legislature

The 22nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from August 9, 1798, to April 3, 1799, during the fourth year of John Jay's governorship, in Albany.

22nd New York State Legislature
←21st 23rd→
The Old Albany City Hall (undated)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJuly 1, 1798 – June 30, 1799
Senate
Members43
PresidentLt. Gov. Stephen Van Rensselaer (Fed.)
Party controlFederalist (32-11)
Assembly
Members108
SpeakerDirck Ten Broeck (Fed.)
Party controlFederalist[1]
Sessions
1stAugust 9 – 27, 1798
2ndJanuary 2 – April 3, 1799

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the re-apportionment of March 4, 1796, Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year about one fourth of the 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 March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since.

On April 26, 1797, State Senator Joshua Sands was appointed as Collector of the Port of New York; and on September 24, 1797, State Senator Andrew Onderdonk died; leaving two vacancies in the Southern District.

U.S. Senator John Sloss Hobart (Fed.) vacated his seat on April 16, 1798, when he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New York, and on May 5, Gov. John Jay appointed William North (Fed.) to fill the vacancy temporarily.

In 1798, Chenango County was created from parts of Herkimer and Tioga counties, and was apportioned two seats in the Assembly, one each taken from Herkimer and Tioga. Oneida County was created from Herkimer, and was apportioned three seats in the Assembly, taken from Herkimer. Rockland County was created from Orange County, and was apportioned one seat in the Assembly, taken from Orange. Besides, two seats from Ulster Co. and one seat from Albany Co. were transferred to Orange Co.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[2]

Elections

The State election was held from April 24 to 26, 1798. Gov. John Jay and Lt. Gov. Stephen Van Rensselaer (both Fed.) were re-elected.

Senators Ambrose Spencer (Middle D.), Leonard Gansevoort (Eastern D.), John Frey and Thomas R. Gold (both Western D.) were re-elected. David Gelston, John Schenck (both Southern D.), Ebenezer Foote (Middle D.), John Sanders (Eastern D.); and Assemblymen DeWitt Clinton (Southern D.) and Frederick Gettman (Western D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. Senator Richard Hatfield (Southern D.) was re-elected, but only to a one-year term to fill a vacancy. Assemblyman William Denning (Southern D.) was elected to the Senate to a two-year term, to fill the other vacancy.

Sessions

Gov. Jay called a special session of the Legislature when it seemed that a war with France was likely to break out, and he deemed it necessary to prepare the State for defence.[3] The Legislature met on August 9, 1798, at the Old City Hall in Albany, New York; and adjourned on August 27.

Federalist Dirck Ten Broeck was re-elected Speaker with 58 votes against 37 for Dem.-Rep. John Swartwout.

On August 17, 1798, the Legislature elected James Watson (Fed.) to fill the vacancy in the U.S. Senate.

The Legislature met for the regular session on January 2, 1799; and both Houses adjourned on April 3.

Near the end of the session, an "Act for Supplying the City of New-York with Pure and Wholesome Water" was passed, which contained hidden in its text the charter to set up the Bank of the Manhattan Company.

State Senate

Districts
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. William Denning, DeWitt Clinton and Frederick Gettman changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern Samuel Jones* 1 year Federalist also New York State Comptroller
Richard Hatfield* 1 year Federalist elected to fill vacancy, in place of Joshua Sands
Samuel Haight* 2 years Federalist
William Denning* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to fill vacancy, in place of Andrew Onderdonk;
elected to the Council of Appointment
Selah Strong* 2 years Federalist
Ezra L'Hommedieu* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
DeWitt Clinton* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
David Gelston 4 years Dem.-Rep. also Surrogate of New York County
John Schenck 4 year Dem.-Rep.
Middle Abraham Schenck* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Christopher Tappen* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Tillotson* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Robert Sands*[4] 2 years Federalist
James Savage* 2 years Federalist
Peter Silvester* 2 years Federalist
William Thompson* 2 years Federalist
John Addison* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Peter Cantine Jr.* 3 years Federalist
James G. Graham* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Foote 4 years Federalist also Delaware County Clerk;
elected to the Council of Appointment
Ambrose Spencer* 4 years Dem.-Rep.[5] also Assistant Attorney General (3rd D.)
Eastern Zina Hitchcock* 1 year Federalist
Ebenezer Russell* 1 year Federalist
Moses Vail* 1 year Federalist
Leonard Bronck* 2 years Federalist
James Gordon* 2 years Federalist
Ebenezer Clark* 3 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Anthony Ten Eyck* 3 years Federalist
Jacobus Van Schoonhoven* 3 years Federalist
Abraham Van Vechten* 3 years Federalist also Recorder of the City of Albany
Leonard Gansevoort* 4 years Federalist
John Sanders 4 years Federalist
Western Vincent Mathews* 1 year Federalist
Joseph White* 1 year Federalist
Jacob Morris* 2 years Federalist
Jedediah Sanger* 2 years Federalist also First Judge of the Oneida County Court
Thomas Morris* 3 years Federalist
Michael Myers* 3 years Federalist
Seth Phelps* 3 years Federalist
William Beekman 4 years Federalist
John Frey* 4 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Frederick Gettman* 4 years Federalist
Thomas R. Gold* 4 years Federalist also Assistant Attorney General (7th D.)

Employees
  • Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker

State Assembly

Districts
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.

Assemblymen

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

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Thomas E. Barker* Federalist
James Bill
Johann Jost Dietz* Federalist
Prince Doty Federalist
Andrew N. Heermance*
Jeremiah Lansingh
Philip P. Schuyler*
Joseph Shurtleff Federalist
Dirck Ten Broeck* Federalist re-elected Speaker
Chenango Obadiah German Federalist[6]
Nathaniel King
Clinton Asa Adgate Dem.-Rep.
Columbia Elisha Gilbert
Killian Hogeboom* Dem.-Rep.
Charles McKinstry Federalist
John McKinstry
Peter B. Ten Broeck
Samuel Ten Broeck* Dem.-Rep.
Delaware Elias Butler
Erastus Root Dem.-Rep.
Dutchess Abraham Adriance Dem.-Rep.
Lemuel Clift* Federalist
Henry Dodge Federalist
Robert Johnston Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Mott
William Pearce
Platt Smith
Jonathan Soule
William Taber Dem.-Rep.
John Van Benthuysen Dem.-Rep.
Herkimer Ludwick Campbell*
John Cummins Jr.
Phineas Gates
Kings Johannes I. Lott
Montgomery Archibald McIntyre Dem.-Rep.
Henry Pawling
Stephen Reynolds
Jacob Snell* Dem.-Rep.
Simon Veeder
Peter Voorhis
New York Philip I. Arcularius* Dem.-Rep.
William Boyd* Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer S. Burling* Dem.-Rep.
Aaron Burr* Dem.-Rep.
James Fairlie Dem.-Rep.
Richard Furman Federalist
James Hunt* Dem.-Rep.
Elias Nexsen Dem.-Rep.
John B. Prevost Dem.-Rep.
Ezekiel Robins Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Storm Dem.-Rep.
John Swartwout Dem.-Rep.
John A. Wolfe Dem.-Rep.
Oneida Abel French Federalist
Henry McNeil* Federalist previously a member from Herkimer Co.
David Ostrom Federalist
Onondaga Edward Paine
John Richardson Federalist
Ontario and
Steuben		 Amos Hall* Federalist
Charles Williamson*
Orange John Blake Jr. Dem.-Rep.
James Burt* Dem.-Rep.
Moses Philips
Hendrick Smith
David M. Westcott
Otsego Joshua Dewey*
Benjamin Gilbert
Francis Henry* Federalist
Jedediah Peck Federalist[7] also judge of the Otsego County Court
until March 9, 1799, when he was removed[8]
Queens Robert Moore Federalist
William Mott Federalist
John I. Skidmore* Dem.-Rep.
John M. Smith Federalist
Rensselaer Jacob A. Fort* Federalist
Daniel Gray* Federalist
Jonathan Hoag
Cornelius Lansing
John W. Schermerhorn
John I. Van Rensselaer
Richmond Paul I. Micheau* Federalist
Rockland Benjamin Coe* previously a member from Orange Co.
Saratoga Seth C. Baldwin*
Samuel Clark*
Adam Comstock* Dem.-Rep.
Henry Corl Jr.
James Warren
Schoharie Peter Swart Dem.-Rep.
Suffolk Nicoll Floyd
Jared Landon Dem.-Rep.
John Smith Dem.-Rep.
Joshua Smith Jr.
Tioga Matthew Carpenter
Ulster Gerrit Abeel
Jacobus S. Bruyn* Dem.-Rep.
John A. DeWitt*
Peter Lefevre Jr.
Martin G. Schuneman Dem.-Rep.
Washington Seth Crocker
David Hopkins Dem.-Rep.
Charles Kane*
Edward Savage* Dem.-Rep.
Philip Smith
David Thomas Dem.-Rep.
Westchester William Adams*
Israel Honeywell
Elijah Lee*
Abel Smith* Dem.-Rep.
Charles Teed* Federalist

Employees
  • Clerk: James Van Ingen
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Robert Hunter
  • Doorkeeper: Peter Hansen

Notes
  1. The Assembly had a nominal majority of Federalists, the party strength being 57 to 48 as shown by the vote for U.S. Senator. However there were "8 to 10 members elected as Federalists who voted on political issues with the Dem.-Reps., among them Obadiah German, Jedediah Peck and McKinstry." The existence of this group of waverers explains also the election of Dem.-Rep. William Denning to the Council of Appointment by a vote of 49 to 47 over Fed. Samuel Haight, while Fed. Ebenezer Foote was elected 49 to 47 over Dem.-Rep. John Addison. See: Hammond, pg. 123
  2. The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
  3. The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constition to 1840 by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 1, H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, 1846; page 121)
  4. Original owner of Robert Sands Estate in Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co.
  5. Spencer changed sides in 1798. It was believed that the change was caused by his disappointment when he was not appointed New York State Comptroller in 1797, but Spencer denied this. See: Hammond, pg. 125f
  6. see note on Assembly majority
  7. see note on Assembly majority
  8. See Hammond, pg. 127

Sources
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