129th New York State Legislature


The 129th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to May 3, 1906, during the second year of Frank W. Higgins's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 Senators and 150 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, Kings County, Erie County and Monroe County. The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county,.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. In New York City, the Municipal Ownership League also nominated candidates.

Elections

The New York state election, 1905, was held on November 7. No statewide elective offices were up for election this time. Special elections were held to fill the vacancies in the 16th and 24th senatorial districts.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1906; and adjourned on May 3.
James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. was elected Speaker with 106 votes against 34 for George M. Palmer and 6 for Thomas F. Long.
On April 27, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts, increasing the number to 51. The apportionment was then contested in the courts.
The Legislature also re-apportioned the number of assemblymen per county. Nassau County was separated from the remainder of Queens County; Albany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego and Rensselaer counties lost one seat each; Erie, Monroe and Westchester gained one each; and Kings and Queens counties gained two each.
On August 13, the new Senate apportionment was upheld by Supreme Court Justice Howard.
On April 3, 1907, the new Senate and Assembly apportionment was declared unconstitutional by the New York Court of Appeals.

State Senate

Districts

Note: In 1897, New York County, Kings County, Richmond County and the Western part of Queens County were consolidated into the present-day City of New York. The Eastern part of Queens County was separated in 1899 as Nassau County. Parts of the 1st and 2nd Assembly districts of Westchester County were annexed by New York City in 1895, and became part of the Borough of the Bronx in 1898.

Members

The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
DistrictSenatorPartyNotes
1stCarll S. Burr, Jr.*Republican
2ndLuke A. Keenan*Democrat
3rdThomas H. Cullen*Democrat
4thJohn Drescher, Jr.*Republican
5thJames J. Kehoe*Democrat
6thFrank J. Gardner*Republican
7thPatrick H. McCarren*Democrat
8thCharles Cooper*Republican
9thConrad Hasenflug*Democrat
10thDaniel J. Riordan*Democraton November 6, 1906, elected to the 59th U.S. Congress
11thJohn C. Fitzgerald*Democrat
12thSamuel J. Foley*Democrat
13thBernard F. Martin*Democrat
14thThomas F. Grady*DemocratMinority Leader
15thNathaniel A. Elsberg*Republican
16thJohn M. QuinnDemocratelected to fill vacancy, in place of Peter J. Dooling
17thMartin Saxe*Republican
18thJacob Marks*Democrat
19thAlfred R. Page*Republican
20thJames J. Frawley*Democrat
21stJohn A. Hawkins*Democrat
22ndFrancis M. Carpenter*Republican
23rdLouis F. Goodsell*Republican
24thSanford W. SmithRepublicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Henry S. Ambler
25thJohn N. Cordts*Republican
26thJotham P. Allds*Republican
27thSpencer K. Warnick*Republican
28thEdgar T. Brackett*Republican
29thJames B. McEwan*Republican
30thWilliam D. Barnes*Republican
31stSpencer G. Prime*Republican
32ndGeorge R. Malby*Republican
33rdWalter L. Brown*Republican
34thHenry J. Coggeshall*Republican
35thGeorge H. Cobb*Republican
36thHorace White*Republican
37thFrancis H. Gates*Republican
38thHarvey D. Hinman*Republican
39thBenjamin M. Wilcox*Republican
40thOwen Cassidy*Republican
41stWilliam J. Tully*Republican
42ndJohn Raines*RepublicanPresident pro tempore
43rdMerton E. Lewis*Republican
44thWilliam W. Armstrong*Republican
45thIrving L'Hommedieu*Republican
46thFrederick C. Stevens*Republican
47thHenry W. Hill*Republican
48thLouis Fechter, Sr.*Republican
49thGeorge Allen Davis*Republican
50thAlbert T. Fancher*Republican

Employees

Assemblymen

Employees