85th New York State Legislature

The 85th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to April 23, 1862, during the fourth year of Edwin D. Morgan's governorship, in Albany.

85th New York State Legislature
←84th 86th→
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJanuary 1 – December 31, 1862
Senate
Members32
PresidentLt. Gov. Robert Campbell (R)
Temporary PresidentJames A. Bell (U), from February 11
Party controlUnion (25-7)
Assembly
Members128
SpeakerHenry J. Raymond (U)
Party controlUnion (90-38)
Sessions
1stJanuary 7 – April 23, 1862

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 (four districts) and Kings County (two 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 Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats split over the civil war issue. The War Democrats nominated an "Independent People's" ticket which was almost completely endorsed by the Republicans, and became known as the Union ticket; the rump Democratic Party, favoring a compromise with the South and later known as Copperheads, nominated an opposing ticket. In New York City the Democrats were split into two factions: Tammany Hall and Mozart Hall.

Elections

The New York state election, 1861 was held on November 5. Of the nine statewide elective offices up for election, eight were carried by Union men, and one by a Democrat. The approximate party strength at this election, as gathered from the vote for Secretary of State and the short-term Canal Commissioner was: Democrats 190,000; Republicans 180,000; and War Democrats 117,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1862; and adjourned on April 23.

Henry J. Raymond (U) was elected again Speaker with 88 votes against 36 for Horatio Seymour (D).

On January 30, the Legislature elected Victor M. Rice to succeed Henry H. Van Dyck as Superintendent of Public Instruction.

On February 11, James A. Bell 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. Richard B. Connolly, Hezekiah D. Robertson, Joseph H. Ramsey, Charles C. Montgomery, James A. Bell, Allen Munroe and Lyman Truman were re-elected. Christian B. Woodruff, Richard K. Sanford and Wilkes Angel changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Party affiliations as published by the New York Tribune;[1] those marked "Republican" were elected in opposition to "Union" candidates. Senate officers and a Regent of USNY were elected without opposition.

District Senator Party Notes
1st Monroe Henderson Union due to ill health, absent from January 31
2nd Jesse C. Smith Union
3rd Henry C. Murphy Fusion elected unopposed
4th Christian B. Woodruff* Democrat
5th Charles G. Cornell Democrat from December 3, 1862, also New York City Street Commissioner
6th John J. Bradley Democrat
7th Richard B. Connolly* Democrat
8th Hezekiah D. Robertson* Union
9th Henry R. Low Union
10th Jacob S. Freer Democrat
11th William H. Tobey Union
12th Ralph Richards Union
13th John V. L. Pruyn Democrat
14th Joseph H. Ramsey* Union
15th John Willard Fusion elected unopposed; died on August 31, 1862
16th Russell M. Little Union
17th Charles C. Montgomery* Union
18th James A. Bell* Union on February 11, elected President pro tempore
19th Alexander H. Bailey Union
20th George A. Hardin Republican
21st Richard K. Sanford* Fusion elected unopposed
22nd Allen Munroe* Republican
23rd Henry A. Clark Union
24th Lyman Truman* Union
25th Chauncey M. Abbott Republican
26th Charles J. Folger Union
27th Charles Cook Union
28th Lysander Farrar Fusion elected unopposed
29th Almanzor Hutchinson Union
30th Wilkes Angel* Republican
31st John Ganson Democrat on November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress
32nd Horace C. Young Republican

Employees
  • Clerk: James Terwilliger
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard U. Owens
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Caleb S. Babcock
  • Doorkeeper: Orville Griffin
  • First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles Johnson
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Sanders Wilson
  • Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Giles H. Holden

State Assembly

Assemblymen

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

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany 1st vacant Assemblyman-elect John Vanderzee died on December 3, 1861
Willet Serls[2] Democrat elected to fill vacancy; seated on February 6
2nd Almerin J. Cornell Union
3rd A. Bleecker Banks Democrat
4th William Doyle Democrat
Allegany 1st Alvah E. Cruttenden Union
2nd Edward D. Loveridge Union
Broome George Bartlett Union
Cattaraugus 1st Andrew L. Allen Union
2nd Addison G. Rice Union
Cayuga 1st William A. Halsey Union
2nd Smith Anthony* Union
Chautauqua 1st Emry Davis Union
2nd Henry C. Lake Union
Chemung Tracy Beadle Union
Chenango 1st David B. Parce Union
2nd Francis B. Fisher Union
Clinton Lemuel Stetson Union
Columbia 1st Jacob Ten Broeck Democrat
2nd Samuel Wilbor Union
Cortland Thomas Barry Union
Delaware 1st Nelson K. Wheeler Union
2nd Daniel Waterbury* Union
Dutchess 1st John B. Dutcher* Union
2nd Edmund Green Union
Erie 1st John W. Murphy Democrat
2nd Horatio Seymour Democrat
3rd Ezra P. Goslin Union
4th John A. Case Union
Essex Palmer E. Havens Union
Franklin Albert Andrus Union
Fulton and Hamilton James H. Burr* Union
Genesee Benjamin Pringle Union
Greene Jonathan B. Cowles Democrat
Herkimer 1st Orson Moore Union
2nd George Springer Union
Jefferson 1st Jonathan M. Ackley Union
2nd George W. Hazelton Union
3rd William Dewey Union
Kings 1st Andrew J. Provost* Union
2nd Richard J. Lalor Democrat
3rd William M. Thomas Union
4th James Darcy* Democrat
5th Charles L. Benedict Union
6th Samuel T. Maddox Union
7th Edgar McMullen Union
Lewis Henry D. H. Snyder Jr. Union
Livingston 1st Matthew Wiard* Union
2nd Samuel Skinner Union
Madison 1st William H. Brand Union
2nd Albert G. Purdy Union
Monroe 1st George E. McGonegal Union
2nd Eliphaz Trimmer Democrat
3rd Benjamin R. Wells* Union
Montgomery Nicholas Newkirk Democrat
New York 1st John Callahan* Democrat
2nd Daniel Leamy Democrat
3rd George L. Loutrel Democrat
4th William J. C. Kenny* Democrat
5th James W. Bush Union
6th William J. Coey Democrat
7th Henry J. Raymond Union elected Speaker
8th William G. Olvany Democrat
9th Alexander McLeod Union
10th Daniel M. O'Brien Democrat
11th Noah A. Childs Union
12th Andrew Smith Democrat
13th Alexander Ward Democrat
14th Royal Phelps Union
15th David S. Coddington Democrat
16th Dennis McCabe Union
17th Edward Jones[3] Democrat
Niagara 1st Benjamin H. Fletcher Democrat
2nd Peter A. Porter Union
Oneida 1st Charles M. Scholefield Union
2nd Eli Avery Union
3rd Thomas D. Penfield Union
4th Jeremiah Sweet Union
Onondaga 1st Frederick A. Lyman Union
2nd Thomas G. Alvord Union
3rd R. Nelson Gere Union
Ontario 1st David Picket Union
2nd Francis O. Mason Union
Orange 1st Daniel R. Hudson Union
2nd John Van Etten Jr. Democrat
Orleans Nicholas E. Darrow Union
Oswego 1st Elias Root Union
2nd Willard Johnson Democrat
3rd Benjamin E. Bowen Union
Otsego 1st LeRoy E. Bowe Union
2nd Cornelius A. Church Union
Putnam Thomas H. Reed Union
Queens 1st Isaac Coles Union
2nd Henry D. Hall Democrat
Rensselaer 1st Charles J. Saxe* Democrat
2nd David G. Maxon Union
3rd Sylvester Waterbury Democrat
Richmond Smith Ely[4] Democrat
Rockland James S. Haring Democrat
St. Lawrence 1st Elias P. Townsley Union
2nd James Redington Union
3rd Calvin T. Hulburd Union on November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress
Saratoga 1st John Fulton* Union
2nd Nathaniel M. Houghton Union
Schenectady Simon J. Schermerhorn Union
Schoharie William Lamont Democrat
Schuyler Alvin C. Hause Union
Seneca Peter J. Van Vleet Democrat
Steuben 1st Daniel B. Bryan* Union
2nd Henry Sherwood Union
3rd Samuel M. Alley Union
Suffolk 1st John C. Davis Union
2nd John S. Havens Democrat
Sullivan Benjamin L. Ludington Union
Tioga Benjamin F. Tracy Union
Tompkins Ezra Cornell Union
Ulster 1st Jesse F. Bookstaver Democrat
2nd George T. Pierce* Union
3rd Ebenezer Westbrook Democrat
Warren Thomas S. Gray Democrat
Washington 1st George H. Taylor Union
2nd Philip H. Neher Union
Wayne 1st Eron N. Thomas Union
2nd Abram Pryne Union
Westchester 1st Pierre C. Talman Democrat
2nd Newberry D. Halsted Democrat
3rd Chauncey M. Depew Union
Wyoming Lucius Peck Union
Yates Darius A. Ogden Union

Employees
  • Clerk: Joseph B. Cushman
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Levi M. Gano
  • Doorkeeper: Norman B. Sprague
  • First Assistant Doorkeeper: William H. Creed
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas Miller

Notes
  1. see results in The Tribune Almanac (1862; pg. 58)
  2. Willet Serls (in Assembly Journal "Willett Searles"), Postmaster of Indian Fields, see Post Office Directory (1856; pg. 108)
  3. Edward Jones (born c. 1825 Roxbury, Mass.), brother of Jay Jarvis Jones, his predecessor in the Assembly
  4. Smith Ely (born c. 1802 New Jersey), uncle of Smith Ely, Jr.

Sources
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