43rd New York State Legislature

43rd New York State Legislature
← 42nd 44th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York, United States
Term	July 1, 1819 – June 30, 1820
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov. John Tayler (Dem.-Rep.)
Party control	Bucktail
Assembly
Members	126
Speaker	John C. Spencer (Clint.)
Party control	Clintonian-Federalist
Sessions
1st January 4 – April 14, 1820

The 43rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 14, 1820, during the third year of DeWitt Clinton's governorship, in Albany.

Background[]

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four 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.

In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have met there since. In 1818, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

State Senator Darius Crosby died on November 18, 1818, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.^[1] The Democratic-Republican Party was split into two factions: the Clintonians (supporters of Gov. DeWitt Clinton) and the Bucktails (led by Martin Van Buren, and including the Tammany Hall organization in New York City).

Elections[]

The State election was held from April 27 to 29, 1819. The Federalists ran their own tickets in counties where they had a majority, but endorsed and supported the Clintonians in most places where they were a minority.

Senator Peter R. Livingston (Southern D.) was re-elected. Charles E. Dudley, John T. More (both Middle D.), Benjamin Mooers, (both Eastern D.), Gideon Granger, (both Western D.), and Assemblyman Duncan McMartin Jr. (Eastern D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. (Southern D.) was elected to fill the vacancy. Livingston, Dudley, More and Townsend were Bucktails, the other five Clintonians.

Sessions[]

The Legislature met at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1820, and adjourned on April 14.

John C. Spencer (Clint.) was elected Speaker by a combined Clintonian/Federalist majority with 64 votes against 50 for Peter Sharpe (Buckt.). Aaron Clark (Dem.-Rep.) was re-elected Clerk of the Assembly with 87 votes against 32 for (Fed.).

After resolutions for the call of a Constitutional convention had been rejected during the two previous sessions, Gov. DeWitt Clinton now recommended to call a convention with limited powers to amend the State Constitution. This convention should have the power to abolish the Council of Appointment, and consider such other amendments as designated by the Legislature.^[2] The Bucktails wanted a Convention with unlimited powers, and nothing came of it at this session either. The issue was pursued further by the Bucktails at the next session, and led to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821, and a new Constitution.

On January 8, the Legislature re-elected unanimously Rufus King (Fed.) as U.S. Senator from New York, to fill the vacancy caused by the failure to elect a successor during the previous session.

On January 18, a caucus of 64 Bucktail legislators nominated U.S. Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins for Governor and State Senator Benjamin Mooers for Lieutenant Governor.

State Senate[]

Districts[]

• The Southern District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Kings, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
• The Middle District (9 seats) consisted of Albany, Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties.
• The Eastern District (8 seats) consisted of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Montgomery, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties.
• The Western District (9 seats) consisted of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Genesee, Madison, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties.

Members[]

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Duncan McMartin Jr. changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Employees[]

• Clerk: John F. Bacon

State Assembly[]

Districts[]

Assemblymen[]

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Henry Seymour changed from the Senate to the Assembly.

Employees[]

• Clerk: Aaron Clark
• Doorkeeper: Henry Bates

Notes[]

Sources[]

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108f for Senate districts; pg. 124 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 195f for assemblymen]
• 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. 1, H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, 1846; pages 502–531)
• Election result Assembly, Albany Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes", compiled by Phil Lampi, hosted by Tufts University Digital Library
• Partial election result Assembly, Allegany and Steuben Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes of Allegany Co.]
• Partial election result Assembly, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Chautauqua Co.]
• Partial election result Assembly, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Niagara Co.]
• Election result Assembly, Chenango Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Clinton and Franklin Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Delaware Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Dutchess Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Essex Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Genesee Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Hamilton and Montgomery Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Herkimer Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Jefferson Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Kings Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Orange Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Queens Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Rockland Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, St. Lawrence Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Saratoga Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Schenectady Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Schoharie Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Seneca Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Sullivan and Ulster Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Tioga Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Tompkins Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Westchester Co.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Partial election result Senate, Southern D.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Dutchess, Kings, Queens, Rockland and Westchester Co.; gives wrong party affiliation for Tallmadge]
• Partial election result Senate, Middle D.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Albany, Chenango, Delaware, Orange, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster Co.]
• Partial election result Senate, Eastern D.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Clinton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Washington and Warren Co.]
• Partial election result Senate, Western D.^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes of Allegany, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins Co.; gives wrong party affiliations]
• Election result Speaker^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly Clerk^{[permanent dead link]} at project "A New Nation Votes"