7th New York State Legislature

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7th New York State Legislature
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Federal Hall-Archibald Robertson.jpg
The Old New York City Hall, where the Legislature met in 1784. It was later the venue for the 1st United States Congress and renamed Federal Hall (1798)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJuly 1, 1783 – June 30, 1784
Senate
Members24
PresidentLt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Assembly
Members70 (de facto 68)
SpeakerJohn Hathorn
Sessions
1stJanuary 21, 1784 – May 12, 1784

The 7th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 21 to May 12, 1784, during the seventh year of George Clinton's governorship, at New York City.

Background[]

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

On May 8, 1777, the Constitutional Convention had appointed the senators from the Southern District, and the assemblymen from Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties—the area which was under British control—and determined that these appointees serve in the Legislature until elections could be held in those areas, presumably after the end of the American Revolutionary War. The war ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783. The British forces left New York City on November 25, 1783, and subsequently a special election was held to fill the seats which had been occupied by appointment.

Elections[]

The State election was held from April 29 to May 1, 1783. Gov. George Clinton and Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt were re-elected again. , Jacobus Swartwout (both Middle D.) and Assemblyman (Western D.) were elected to the Senate.

Sessions[]

The State Legislature met in New York City from January 21 to May 12, 1784. On January 27, the newly elected State senators from the Southern District drew lots to define their term lengths. On April 2, the Legislature changed the name of Charlotte County to Washington County, and Tryon County to Montgomery County.

State Senate[]

Districts[]

  • The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
  • The Middle District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.
  • The Eastern District (3 seats) consisted of Charlotte (renamed Washington), Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
  • The Western District (6 seats) consisted of Albany and Tryon (renamed Montgomery counties.

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. Ezra L'Hommedieu, Jacobus Swartwout and Andrew Finck changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Notes
Southern William Floyd* 1 year
Ezra L'Hommedieu* 1 year elected to the Council of Appointment
Alexander McDougall 1 year
James Duane* 2 years from February 1784 also Mayor of New York City
Lewis Morris* 3 years
Isaac Roosevelt* 3 years
Isaac Stoutenburgh* 4 years
4 years
* 4 years
Middle * 1 year
John Haring* 2 years
Ephraim Paine* 2 years
* 3 years
4 years
Jacobus Swartwout* 4 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Eastern ()*[1] 1 year did not attend
Alexander Webster* 2 years elected to the Council of Appointment
John Williams* 3 years
Western Philip Schuyler* 1 year also New York State Surveyor General
Henry Oothoudt* 2 years
* 2 years
* 3 years
Abraham Yates Jr.* 3 years elected to the Council of Appointment
* 4 years

Employees[]

  • Clerk: until February 18, 1784

State Assembly[]

Districts[]

  • The City and County of Albany (10 seats)
  • Charlotte County (renamed Washington County (4 seats)
  • Cumberland County (3 seats)
  • Dutchess County (7 seats)
  • Gloucester County (2 seats)
  • Kings County (2 seats)
  • The City and County of New York (9 seats)
  • Orange County (4 seats)
  • Queens County (4 seats)
  • Richmond County (2 seats)
  • Suffolk County (5 seats)
  • Tryon County (renamed Montgomery County) (6 seats)
  • Ulster County (6 seats)
  • Westchester County (6 seats)

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.

County Assemblymen Notes
Albany *
Abraham Cuyler
Jacob Ford*
James Gordon
John Lansing Jr.*
*
*
*
Charlotte
(renamed Washington) 		*
*
Ebenezer Russell
Cumberland[2]
Dutchess Dirck Brinckerhoff
Anthony Hoffman
*
*
*
Thomas Storm*
Gloucester none No election returns from this county[3]
Kings
New York Robert Harpur*
John Lamb vacated his seat on March 22, 1784, upon
appointment as Collector of the Port of New York[4]
* previously member from Ulster County
Henry Rutgers
Isaac Sears
* previously member from Orange Co.
*
Marinus Willett seat declared vacant on February 10, 1784, upon
appointment as Sheriff of New York County
Orange *
*
John Hathorn* elected Speaker
Queens *
Samuel Riker
James Townsend
Richmond Adrian Bancker
Suffolk
David Gelston*
Tryon
(renamed Montgomery)
James Livingston
Ulster John Cantine
Charles DeWitt*
*
*
Cornelius C. Schoonmaker*
Westchester *
*
*
Philip Pell
*
*

Employees[]

  • Clerk:

Notes[]

  1. ^ Elkanah Day is not listed among the senators in any session in the Civil List of 1858, which means that he did not attend any session, but it is certain that election returns were filed with the Secretary of State of New York in 1780, since he was elected to the Council of Appointment in 1782; the History of Eastern Vermont by Benjamin Homer Hall (Civil list appendix, page 768) lists him as a New York State Senator and stating "Commencement of Session September 10, 1781"
  2. ^ The three members from Cumberland Co. were "Yorkers", a faction who opposed the Vermont government and advocated the seceded counties' remaining in the State of New York. See History of Eastern Vermont by Benjamin Homer Hall (Civil list appendix; page 768)
  3. ^ Cumberland and Gloucester counties seceded from the Province of New York in January 1777, and became part of the Vermont Republic, while the Constitutional Convention was still debating the new Constitution. The New York Constitution was approved in April 1777, not recognizing the secession. Gloucester county did not file any election returns with the Secretary of State of New York in 1783.
  4. ^ Memoir of the Life and Times of General John Lamb by (Bedford, Mass., 1857; page 297)

Sources[]

  • The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108 for Senate districts; pg. 112 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 161f for assemblymen]
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