29th New York State Legislature


The 29th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 28 to April 7, 1806, during the second year of Morgan Lewis'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 been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.
State Senator John Broome had been elected lieutenant governor, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.
In 1805, Jefferson and Lewis counties were split from Oneida County. In 1802, St. Lawrence had been formed from parts of Clinton, Herkimer and Montgomery counties, but had not been sufficiently organized to hold separate elections. Now these three counties were joined in one Assembly district which was apportioned one seat, taken from Oneida.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
In 1805, the 28th Legislature had chartered the Merchant's Bank of New York which had been founded by Federalists in competition to the Democratic-Republican Bank of the Manhattan Company. The Democratic-Republican majority of the 27th Legislature had not only refused to grant a charter, but actually ordered the Merchant's Bank to shut down by May 1805. During the next session, the bank bribed enough legislators to have the charter approved, although the Democratic-Republican leaders advocated strongly against it. Gov. Morgan Lewis spoke out in favor of granting the charter what was resented by the party leaders DeWitt Clinton and Ambrose Spencer, and soon led to the split of the party into "Lewisites" and "Clintonians".

Elections

The State election was held from April 30 to May 2, 1805. Senator Ezra L'Hommedieu was re-elected. Peter C. Adams, James G. Graham, Adam Comstock, John Veeder, Joseph C. Yates, Nathaniel Locke and John Nicholas were also elected to full terms in the Senate. DeWitt Clinton was elected to fill the vacancy. All nine were Democratic-Republicans.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 28, 1806; and adjourned on April 7.
Clintonian Alexander Sheldon was re-elected Speaker.
On March 15, 1806, DeWitt Clinton offered a resolution in the Senate for the expulsion of Ebenezer Purdy for the reason that he had been bribed and that he had attempted to bribe Stephen Thorn and Obadiah German during the controversial chartering of the Merchant's Bank of New York during the previous session. Purdy resigned his seat on the next day, before the Senate could take a vote on the issue.

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.
DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
SouthernJohn Schenck*1 yearDem.-Rep.
SouthernDeWitt Clinton2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to fill vacancy, in place of John Broome;
elected to the Council of Appointment;
also Mayor of New York City
SouthernWilliam Denning*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernEbenezer Purdy*3 yearsDem.-Rep.resigned on March 16, 1806, to avoid expulsion for bribery
SouthernThomas Thomas*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernEzra L'Hommedieu*4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleAbraham Adriance*1 yearDem.-Rep.
MiddleJames Burt*1 yearDem.-Rep.
MiddleJoshua H. Brett*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleRobert Johnston*2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
MiddleSamuel Brewster*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleStephen Hogeboom*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddlePeter C. Adams4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJames G. Graham4 yearsDem.-Rep.
Eastern1 yearDem.-Rep.did not attend
EasternEdward Savage*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternJohn Tayler*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternThomas Tredwell*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternJohn Woodworth*2 yearsDem.-Rep.also New York Attorney General
EasternStephen Thorn*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternAdam Comstock4 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
EasternJohn Veeder4 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternJoseph C. Yates4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternJoseph Annin*1 yearDem.-Rep.
WesternAsa Danforth*1 yearDem.-Rep.
Westernvacant1 yearMatthias B. Tallmadge was appointed to the
United States District Court for the District of New York
WesternGeorge Tiffany*1 yearDem.-Rep.
WesternCaleb Hyde*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternHenry Huntington*3 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
WesternJedediah Peck*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternNathaniel Locke4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternJohn Nicholas4 yearsDem.-Rep.

Employees

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.

Assemblymen

The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Abraham Van Vechten changed from the Senate to the Assembly.
DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyDavid Burhans*Federalist
AlbanyAsa ColvardFederalist
AlbanyAdam Dietz Jr.*Federalist
AlbanyStephen Lush*Federalist
AlbanyJoseph Shurtleff*Federalist
AlbanyAbraham Van Vechten*Federalist
CayugaJohn Grover Jr.*Dem.-Rep.
CayugaAmos Rathbun*Dem.-Rep.unsuccessfully contested by Salmon Buell
ChenangoBenjamin Jones
ChenangoJonathan Morgan
ChenangoSamuel Payne*
ChenangoSylvanus SmalleyDem.-Rep.
ClintonWilliam Bailey
ColumbiaMoncrief Livingston*Federalist
ColumbiaPeter Silvester*Federalist
ColumbiaWilliam W. Van Ness*Federalist
ColumbiaJason Warner*Federalist
DelawareAnthony Marvine*Federalist
DelawareGabriel NorthDem.-Rep.
DutchessBarnabas CarverDem.-Rep.
DutchessJoseph C. FieldDem.-Rep.
DutchessBenjamin HerrickDem.-Rep.
DutchessAbraham H. Schenck*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessJohn Van Benthuysen*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessWilliam D. WilliamsDem.-Rep.
DutchessVeniah WoolleyDem.-Rep.
EssexTheodorus Ross*Dem.-Rep.
Genesee
and Ontario		Daniel W. Lewis*Federalist
Genesee
and Ontario		Ezra Patterson
Genesee
and Ontario		Alexander Rea*Dem.-Rep.
GreeneJohn Ely
GreeneJames ThompsonFederalist
HerkimerEldad CorbetDem.-Rep.
HerkimerGeorge Widrig*Dem.-Rep.
HerkimerSamuel Wright*Dem.-Rep.
Jefferson,
Lewis and
St. Lawrence		Henry Coffeen
KingsJohn Hicks*Dem.-Rep.
MontgomeryJohn HerkimerDem.-Rep./Clintonian
MontgomerySamuel JacksonDem.-Rep./Clintonian
MontgomeryJames McIntyre*Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
MontgomeryAlexander Sheldon*Dem.-Rep./Clintonianre-elected Speaker
MontgomeryJoseph WaggonerDem.-Rep./Clintonian
New YorkFrancis CooperDem.-Rep.
New YorkClarkson CroliusDem.-Rep.
New YorkBenjamin FerrisDem.-Rep.
New YorkWilliam W. Gilbert*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkRichard RikerDem.-Rep.also District Attorney of the First District
New YorkSamuel RussellDem.-Rep.
New YorkPeter A. Schenck*
New YorkArthur SmithDem.-Rep.
New YorkJames WarnerDem.-Rep.
OneidaGeorge Brayton*Dem.-Rep.
OneidaThomas Hart
OneidaJoseph Jennings*
OnondagaJasper HopperDem.-Rep.
OnondagaWilliam I. Vredenbergh*Dem.-Rep.
OrangeWilliam CristDem.-Rep.
OrangeDavid DillDem.-Rep.
OrangeAndrew McCordDem.-Rep./Lewisite
OrangeJohn WoodDem.-Rep.
OtsegoDaniel Hawks
OtsegoGurdon Huntington*Dem.-Rep.
OtsegoLuther RichDem.-Rep.
OtsegoRufus Steere
QueensBenjamin Coe*Dem.-Rep.
QueensHenry O. Seaman*Dem.-Rep.
QueensJohn W. SeamanDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJonathan Niles
RensselaerWilliam W. ReynoldsDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJohn Ryan*Dem.-Rep.
RensselaerNicholas StaatsDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJacob YatesDem.-Rep.
RichmondJohn Dunn*Federalist
RocklandJohn HaringDem.-Rep.
SaratogaJohn Cramer
SaratogaJohn McClelland
SaratogaJesse MottDem.-Rep.
SaratogaAsahel Porter*Federalist
SchoharieHenry Bellinger
SchoharieHenry ShaferDem.-Rep.
SenecaCornelius HumfreyDem.-Rep.
SteubenJohn Wilson*Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkIsrael Carll*Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkDavid HedgesDem.-Rep.
SuffolkJared Landon*Dem.-Rep.
TiogaJohn Miller*Dem.-Rep.
UlsterJosiah HasbrouckDem.-Rep.
UlsterJohn LounsberyDem.-Rep.
UlsterPeter P. RoosaDem.-Rep.
UlsterElnathan SearsDem.-Rep.
WashingtonKitchel Bishop
WashingtonWilliam Livingston*
WashingtonJohn McLean*Dem.-Rep.
WashingtonNathaniel PitcherDem.-Rep.
WashingtonDaniel Shepherd
Washingtonvacant
WestchesterJoel FrostDem.-Rep.
WestchesterPhilip Honeywell
WestchesterEzra Lockwood
WestchesterCaleb Tompkins*Dem.-Rep.

Employees