72nd New York State Legislature

The 72nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 11, 1849, during the first year of Hamilton Fish's governorship, in Albany.

72nd New York State Legislature
←71st 73rd→
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJanuary 1 – December 31, 1849
Senate
Members32
PresidentLt. Gov. George W. Patterson (W)
Temporary PresidentSamuel J. Wilkin (W), from April 11
Party controlWhig (24-6-2)
Assembly
Members128
SpeakerAmos K. Hadley (W)
Party controlWhig (106-15-7)
Sessions
1stJanuary 2 – April 11, 1849

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators were elected in single-seat senatorial districts for a two-year term, the whole Senate being renewed biennially. The senatorial districts (except those in New York City) were made up of entire counties. 128 Assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually. The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all in the same county. The City and County of New York was divided into four senatorial districts, and 16 Assembly districts.

State Senator Allen Ayrault resigned on June 2, 1848, leaving a vacancy in the 29th District.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party. The Democratic Party was split into two factions: the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers." The Barnburners walked out of the 1848 Democratic state convention and formed with a small faction of anti-slavery Whigs and a part of the Liberty Party the Free Soil Party. The uncompromising radical abolitionists ran their own tickets as the Liberty Party.

Elections

The New York state election, 1848 was held on November 7.

Whigs Hamilton Fish and George W. Patterson were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor; and the other two statewide elective offices were also carried by the Whigs.

State Comptroller Millard Fillmore was elected United States Vice President.

106 Whigs, 15 Free Soilers and 7 Hunkers were elected to the State Assembly. One Whig was elected to fill the vacancy in the State Senate.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1849; and adjourned on April 11.

Amos K. Hadley (W) was re-elected Speaker with 101 votes against 13 for Frederick P. Bellinger (Barnb.) and 6 for Charles C. Noble (Hunker).

On January 31, State Comptroller Millard Fillmore sent a letter to the Legislature, resigning the office, to take effect on February 20.

On February 6, the Legislature elected William H. Seward (W) to succeed John A. Dix (Barnb.) as U.S. Senator, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1849.

On February 17, the Legislature elected Washington Hunt (W) to succeed Millard Fillmore as State Comptroller on February 20.

On April 11, Samuel J. Wilkin was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.

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.

District Senator Party Notes
1st John G. Floyd* Democrat/Barnburner
2nd David A. Bokee* Whig on November 7, 1848, elected to the 31st U.S. Congress[1]
3rd William Hall* Whig
4th John L. Lawrence* Whig
5th Samuel Frost* Whig
6th William Samuel Johnson* Whig
7th Saxton Smith* Democrat/Barnburner
8th Alexander J. Coffin* Whig
9th Samuel J. Wilkin* Whig on April 11, 1849, elected President pro tempore
10th Platt Adams* Democrat/Hunker
11th Valentine Treadwell* Whig
12th Albert R. Fox* Whig
13th James M. Cook* Whig
14th James S. Whallon* Democrat/Barnburner
15th John Fine* Democrat/Barnburner
16th Thomas Burch* Whig
17th John M. Betts* Democrat/Barnburner
18th David H. Little* Whig
19th Thomas E. Clark* Whig
20th Thomas H. Bond* Whig
21st John W. Tamblin* Democrat/Hunker
22nd George Geddes* Whig
23rd Samuel H. P. Hall* Whig
24th William J. Cornwell* Whig
25th Timothy S. Williams* Whig died on March 11, 1849
26th William M. Hawley* Democrat/Barnburner
27th Jerome Fuller* Whig
28th A. Hyde Cole* Whig
29th Charles Colt Whig elected to fill vacancy, in place of Allen Ayrault
30th John W. Brownson* Whig
31st John T. Bush* Whig
32nd Frederick S. Martin* Whig

Employees
  • Clerk: Andrew H. Calhoun

State Assembly

Assemblymen

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

Party affiliations follow the vote on Speaker, U.S. Senator and USNY Regent.[2]

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany 1st Hiram Barber[3] Democrat/Hunker
2nd David Van Auken Whig
3rd Robert H. Pruyn* Whig
4th Joel A. Wing Whig
Allegany 1st Orville Boardman Whig
2nd Erastus H. Willard Whig
Broome John O. Whittaker Whig
Cattaraugus 1st Seth R. Crittenden Whig
2nd Horace C. Young Whig
Cayuga 1st James D. Button Free Soil
2nd John I. Brinckerhoff* Whig
3rd Hector C. Tuthill* Whig
Chautauqua 1st Silas Terry Whig
2nd Ezekiel B. Gurnsey Whig
Chemung Alvan Nash Free Soil
Chenango 1st James Clark Whig
2nd Alonzo Johnson Whig
Clinton Albert G. Carver Whig
Columbia 1st James M. Strever Whig
2nd Daniel S. Curtis Whig
Cortland Ira Skeel Whig
Delaware 1st James E. Thompson Free Soil
2nd Luther Butts Democrat/Hunker
Dutchess 1st Edgar Vincent* Whig
2nd Wesley Butts Whig
3rd James Hammond* Whig
Erie 1st Benoni Thompson Whig
2nd Augustus Raynor Whig
3rd Marcus McNeal Whig
4th Luther Buxton Whig
Essex George W. Goff Whig
Franklin George B. R. Gove Whig
Fulton and Hamilton John Culbert Whig
Genesee 1st Tracy Pardee* Whig
2nd Martin C. Ward Whig
Greene 1st Alexander H. Bailey Whig
2nd Albert Tuttle Whig
Herkimer 1st Frederick P. Bellinger Free Soil
2nd Asa Wilcox Free Soil
Jefferson 1st George Gates Whig
2nd John L. Marsh Free Soil
3rd Bernard Bagley Whig
Kings 1st Joseph Boughton Whig
2nd Edwards W. Fiske* Whig
3rd John A. Cross* Whig
Lewis Diodate Pease Whig
Livingston 1st Archibald H. McLean Whig
2nd Philip Woodruff Whig
Madison 1st David Maine Whig
2nd Robert G. Stewart Whig
Monroe 1st Levi Kelsey Whig
2nd L. Ward Smith Whig
3rd Elisha Harmon Whig
Montgomery 1st Frothingham Fish Whig
2nd Lewis Averill Whig
New York 1st Ephraim H. Hudson Whig
2nd James Bowen* Whig
3rd Henry J. Allen Democrat/Hunker
4th George J. Cornell Whig
5th Samuel T. McKinney Whig
6th James W. Beekman Whig
7th Abraham Van Orden Whig
8th William Dodge Whig
9th Charles Perley Whig
10th Garret H. Striker Whig
11th Robert B. Folger Whig
12th Daniel B. Taylor Democrat/Hunker
13th Joseph B. Varnum, Jr. Whig
14th Robert G. Campbell* Whig
15th Merwin R. Brewer* Whig
16th Albert Gilbert Whig
Niagara 1st Hollis White Whig
2nd Morgan Johnson* Whig
Oneida 1st Oliver Prescott Whig
2nd Nehemiah N. Pierce Whig
3rd James M. Elwood Free Soil
4th Chauncey Stevens Free Soil
Onondaga 1st Joseph J. Glass Whig
2nd Myron Wheaton Free Soil
3rd Joseph Slocum Whig
4th Samuel Hart Whig
Ontario 1st Dolphin Stephenson Whig
2nd Josiah Porter Whig
Orange 1st David C. Bull Whig
2nd David H. Moffatt Jr. Whig
3rd Maurice Hoyt Whig
Orleans Reuben Roblee Whig
Oswego 1st Henry Fitzhugh Whig
2nd Edward W. Fox Free Soil
Otsego 1st L. Mortimer Gilbert Whig
2nd David B. St. John Democrat/Hunker
3rd Charles C. Noble Democrat/Hunker
Putnam James J. Smalley Democrat/Hunker
Queens Wessell S. Smith* Whig
Rensselaer 1st Amos K. Hadley* Whig re-elected Speaker
2nd Benajah Allen Whig
3rd William H. Budd Whig
Richmond Gabriel P. Disosway[4] Whig
Rockland Matthew D. Bogart Free Soil
St. Lawrence 1st Harlow Godard Free Soil
2nd Justus B. Picket Free Soil
3rd Noble S. Elderkin Free Soil
Saratoga 1st Roscius R. Kennedy Whig
2nd William W. Rockwell Whig
Schenectady Israel R. Green Whig
Schoharie 1st David B. Danforth Whig
2nd Austin Sexton Whig
Seneca Jacob G. Markell Whig
Steuben 1st Abraham J. Quackenboss Free Soil
2nd John G. Mersereau* Whig
3rd John K. Hale Whig
Suffolk 1st Edwin Rose* Whig
2nd Nathaniel Miller[5] Whig
Sullivan James F. Bush* Whig
Tioga Ezra S. Sweet Whig
Tompkins 1st Darius Hall Whig
2nd Charles J. Rounseville Whig
Ulster 1st Peter Crispell Jr. Whig
2nd James G. Graham Whig
Warren Reuben Wells Whig
Washington 1st LeRoy Mowry Whig
2nd Alexander Robertson Whig
Wayne 1st Isaac Leavenworth Whig
2nd Peter Boyce Whig
Westchester 1st William H. Robertson Whig
2nd Harvey Kidd Whig
Wyoming Paul Richards* Whig
Yates John Wisewell Whig

Employees
  • Clerk: Philander B. Prindle
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Samuel S. Blanchard
  • Doorkeeper: Robert Grant
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas E. Osborn
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Merclean

Notes
  1. Bokee's term in Congress began on March 4, 1849, but he remained in his seat in the State Senate until the end of the session on April 11. The 31st Congress actually met only on December 3, and Bokee then took his seat in Congress, vacating his seat in the State Senate.
  2. see Journal of the Assembly (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 6f and 355ff);
    see also incomplete election result given in the Geneva Courier (issue of November 22, 1848
  3. Hiram Barber (born 1820), of Westerlo, later moved to Richview, Illinois; see Hiram Barber at It's All Relative
  4. Gabriel Poillon Disosway (1798-1868); see Find a Grave entry
  5. Dr. Nathaniel Miller (1783–1863), physician, of Brookhaven

Sources
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gollark: " D&D/other tabletop games." is still in my IfPFAtMDaPIUStL list with a note about that, which I should possibly update.
gollark: Katy wanted us to play that, but that never went anywhere because [REDACTED].
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