63rd New York State Legislature


The 63rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, during the second year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.
State Senator Noadiah Johnson died on April 4, 1839; and State Senator Edward P. Livingston resigned on October 9, 1839; leaving two vacancies in the Third District.
At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

Elections

The State election was held from November 4 to 6, 1839.
State Senator John Hunter was re-elected.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1840; and adjourned on May 14.
George W. Patterson was re-elected Speaker with 68 votes against 56 for Levi S. Chatfield.
Upon taking their seats in the Senate, Humphrey, Sanford and Root drew lots to decide which one of the three senators elected in the Third District would serve which term. Sanford drew the one-year term, Humphrey the two-year term, and Root the full term.
On January 14, the Legislature elected Nathaniel P. Tallmadge to the seat in the U.S. Senate which he had vacated on March 4, 1839.
On January 20, Mayor of Rochester Samuel G. Andrews was elected Clerk of the Senate, to succeed John F. Bacon who had been Clerk since 1814.
The Legislature appointed Thurlow Weed to succeed Edwin Croswell as State Printer.
On February 3, Lt. Gov. Bradish did not attend the session, and Frederick A. Tallmadge was elected President pro tempore of the Senate. On the same day, Jacob Haight was re-elected State Treasurer.
On February 22, the Legislature elected George H. Boughton, Simon Newton Dexter, Henry Hamilton, David Hudson and Asa Whitney to succeed William Baker, William C. Bouck, John Bowman, Jonas Earll, Jr. and State Senator Samuel Young as Canal Commissioners.
On September 2, the Democratic state convention met at Syracuse, and nominated William C. Bouck for Governor, and State Senator Daniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.
The Whig state convention nominated Gov. Seward and Lt. Gov. Bradish for re-election.

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
FirstFrederick A. Tallmadge*1 yearWhigon February 3, 1840, elected President pro tempore
FirstGulian C. Verplanck*2 yearsWhig
FirstGabriel Furman*3 yearsWhig
FirstMinthorne Tompkins4 yearsDemocrat
SecondHenry H. Van Dyck*1 yearDemocrat
SecondHenry A. Livingston*2 yearsWhig
SecondDaniel Johnson*3 yearsDemocrat
SecondJohn Hunter*4 yearsDemocrat
ThirdMitchell Sanford1 yearWhigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Noadiah Johnson
ThirdFriend Humphrey2 yearsWhigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Edward P. Livingston
ThirdAlonzo C. Paige*3 yearsDemocrat
ThirdErastus Root4 yearsWhig
FourthSamuel Young*1 yearDemocratuntil February 13, 1840, also a Canal Commissioner
FourthMartin Lee*2 yearsWhig
FourthBethuel Peck*3 yearsWhig
FourthJames G. Hopkins4 yearsWhig
FifthDavid Wager*1 yearDemocrat
FifthAvery Skinner*2 yearsDemocratalso Postmaster of Union Square
FifthJoseph Clark*3 yearsDemocrat
FifthSumner Ely4 yearsDemocrat
SixthDaniel S. Dickinson*1 yearDemocrat
SixthLaurens Hull*2 yearsWhig
SixthAlvah Hunt*3 yearsWhig
SixthAndrew B. Dickinson4 yearsWhig
SeventhSamuel L. Edwards*1 yearDemocrat
SeventhJohn Maynard*2 yearsWhigin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress
SeventhRobert C. Nicholas*3 yearsWhig
SeventhMark H. Sibley4 yearsWhig
EighthSamuel Works*1 yearWhig
EighthWilliam A. Moseley*2 yearsWhig
EighthHenry Hawkins*3 yearsWhig
EighthAbram Dixon4 yearsWhig

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.
Party affiliations follow the result given in The New Yorker.
DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyFrederick Bassler Jr.Whig
AlbanyPeter FlaglerWhig
AlbanyHenry G. WheatonWhig
AlleganyLorenzo DanaWhig
AlleganyWilliam Welch*Whig
BroomeCornelius MersereauWhig
CattaraugusGeorge A. S. Crooker*Whig
CattaraugusTimothy H. PorterWhig
CayugaArtemas CadyDemocrat
CayugaJohn W. McFaddenWhig
CayugaAndrews PrestonDemocrat
ChautauquaOdin BenedictWhig
ChautauquaGeorge A. FrenchWhig
ChautauquaWilliam RiceWhig
ChemungGuy HulettDemocrat
ChenangoWilliam ChurchWhig
ChenangoDemas Hubbard, Jr.*Whig
ChenangoSamuel PlumbWhig
ClintonAbijah North*Democrat
ColumbiaRobert McKinstryWhig
ColumbiaJonas H. MillerWhig
ColumbiaJustin NilesWhig
CortlandWilliam BarnesWhig
CortlandJabez B. PhelpsWhig
DelawareOrson M. AllabenDemocrat
DelawareNathan BristolDemocrat
DutchessAmos BryanWhig
DutchessHenry Conklin*Whig
DutchessDaniel Toffey*Whig
ErieSeth C. HawleyWhig
ErieStephen OsbornWhig
ErieAaron SalisburyWhig
EssexGeorge A. SimmonsWhig
FranklinJohn S. EldridgeWhig
Fulton and HamiltonLangdon I. MarvinWhig
GeneseeJohn W. BrownsonWhig
GeneseeHorace Healy*Whig
GeneseeAlva Jefferson*Whig
GeneseeGeorge W. LayWhig
GreeneGilbert BedellDemocrat
GreeneSylvester NicholsDemocrat
HerkimerDaniel BellingerDemocrat
HerkimerGeorge BurchDemocrat
JeffersonCalvin Clark*Whig
JeffersonCharles E. Clarke*Whig
JeffersonStephen JohnsonWhig
KingsJeremiah JohnsonWhig
KingsAdrian HegemanDemocrat
LewisChester BuckWhig
LivingstonElias Clark*Whig
LivingstonGeorge W. Patterson*Whigre-elected Speaker
MadisonDaniel BarkerDemocrat
MadisonDaniel DickeyDemocrat
MadisonBenjamin Enos*Democrat
MonroeGeorge BrownWhig
MonroeDerick SibleyWhig
MonroeEnoch StrongWhig
MontgomeryJohn S. VeederDemocrat
MontgomeryPeter WoodDemocrat
New YorkCornelius H. BrysonDemocrat
New YorkUlysses D. FrenchDemocrat
New YorkPaul GroutDemocrat
New YorkThomas HerttellDemocrat
New YorkNorman HickokDemocrat
New YorkFrancis W. LasakDemocrat
New YorkWilliam B. MaclayDemocrat
New YorkJohn J. MorganDemocrat
New YorkEdmund J. PorterDemocrat
New YorkJames J. Roosevelt Jr.Democratin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress
New YorkThomas SpoffordDemocrat
New YorkSolomon TownsendDemocrat
New YorkGeorge WeirDemocrat
NiagaraPeter B. Porter, Jr.*Whig
NiagaraFrancis O. PrattWhig
OneidaNelson DawleyDemocrat
OneidaAnson KnibloeDemocrat
OneidaCharles A. MannDemocrat
OneidaJohn F. TrowbridgeDemocrat
OnondagaVictory BirdseyeWhigin November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress
OnondagaPhares Gould*Whig
OnondagaJames R. Lawrence*Whig
OnondagaAzariah Smith*Whig
OntarioReynold PeckWhig
OntarioAbraham A. PostWhig
OntarioHenry W. Taylor*Whig
OrangeBenjamin BrownDemocrat
OrangeRobert Denniston*Democrat
OrangeWilliam S. LittleDemocrat
OrleansJohn J. WalbridgeWhig
OswegoPeter DevendorfDemocrat
OswegoWilliam DuerWhig
OtsegoLevi S. Chatfield*Democrat
OtsegoCharles WalkerDemocrat
OtsegoArnold B. WatsonDemocrat
PutnamSaxton SmithDemocrat
QueensJohn A. KingWhig
RensselaerGarrardus DeyoeWhig
RensselaerSamuel W. HoagWhig
RensselaerWilliam H. Van SchoonhovenWhig
RichmondBornt P. WinantDemocrat
RocklandWilliam F. FraserDemocrat
St. LawrenceZenas ClarkDemocrat
St. LawrenceAsa Sprague*Democrat
SaratogaDaniel StewartWhig
SaratogaJohn Stewart*Whig
SchenectadyTheodore W. SandersWhigunsuccessfully contested by John I. De Graff
SchoharieSeymour BoughtonDemocrat
SchoharieCharles GoodyearDemocrat
SenecaOrange W. WilkinsonDemocrat
SteubenRichard BrowerDemocrat
SteubenAndrew G. Chatfield*Democrat
SteubenAbram M. Lybolt*Democrat
SuffolkDavid HalseyDemocrat
SuffolkJohn M. WilliamsonDemocrat
SullivanDaniel B. St. JohnWhig
TiogaThomas FarringtonDemocratuntil January 20, 1840, also Surrogate of Tioga Co.
TompkinsWilliam H. L. BogartWhig
TompkinsRobert SwartwoutWhig
UlsterDavid L. BernardWhig
UlsterJohn V. L. OverbaghWhig
WarrenJoseph RussellDemocrat
WashingtonJohn H. BoydWhig
WashingtonAnderson SimpsonWhig
WayneHorace MorleyWhig
WayneDurfee OsbandWhig
WestchesterSamuel B. Ferris*Democrat
WestchesterJoseph Strang*Democrat
YatesSamuel S. EllsworthDemocrat

Employees