67th New York State Legislature


The 67th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to May 7, 1844, during the second year of William C. Bouck'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 William Ruger died on May 21, 1843, leaving a vacancy in the Fifth District.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party. About this time began the split of the Democratic Party into Barnburners and Hunkers. The radical abolitionists appeared as the Liberty Party. In New York City the American Republican Party nominated a full ticket

Elections

The state election was held on November 7, 1843.
State Senator Morris Franklin was defeated for re-election.

Sessions

On January 1, the Democratic assemblymen met in caucus and nominated Elisha Litchfield for Speaker with 56 votes against 35 for Michael Hoffman.
The legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1844; and adjourned on May 7.
Elisha Litchfield was elected Speaker with 90 votes against 28 for Samuel Stevens. James R. Rose was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 89 votes against 33 for George W. Weed.
On February 5, the legislature re-elected State Treasurer Thomas Farrington.
On February 8, Henry A. Foster was elected President pro tempore of the Senate.
On May 6, the legislature enacted to reduce the number of canal commissioners from 6 to 4, and that the canal commissioners be elected statewide by popular ballot. This was the first time, since Independence, that any other office than governor and lieutenant governor was to be filled by a statewide popular election.
On June 17, U.S. Senator Nathaniel P. Tallmadge resigned his seat, and was appointed as Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
The Democratic state convention met on September 4 at Syracuse, Heman J. Redfield was chairman. They nominated U.S. Senator Silas Wright, Jr. for governor, Addison Gardiner for lieutenant governor; and an electoral ticket pledged to James K. Polk.
The Whig state convention met on September 11 at Syracuse, Francis Granger was chairman. They nominated Millard Fillmore for governor; Samuel J. Wilkin for lieutenant governor; and an electoral ticket pledged to Henry Clay.
U.S. Senator Silas Wright, Jr. was elected Governor of New York, and resigned his seat in November 1844. On November 30, Gov. Bouck appointed Lt. Gov. Daniel S. Dickinson and State Senator Henry A. Foster to fill the two vacancies temporarily.

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. David R. Floyd-Jones and Joshua B. Smith changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
FirstJohn B. Scott*1 yearDemocrat/Barnburner
FirstIsaac L. Varian*2 yearsDemocrat
FirstJohn A. Lott*3 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
FirstDavid R. Floyd-Jones*4 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
SecondRobert Denniston*1 yearDemocrat
SecondAbraham Bockee*2 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
SecondAbraham A. Deyo*3 yearsDemocrat
SecondJoshua B. Smith*4 yearsDemocrat
ThirdHenry W. Strong*1 yearDemocratresigned on December 3, 1844
ThirdErastus Corning*2 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
ThirdJohn C. Wright*3 yearsDemocrat
ThirdStephen C. Johnson4 yearsDemocrat
FourthSidney Lawrence*1 yearDemocrat
FourthEdmund Varney*2 yearsDemocrat
FourthThomas B. Mitchell*3 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
FourthOrville Clark4 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
FifthHenry A. Foster*1 yearDemocrat/Hunkeron November 30, 1844, appointed a U.S. Senator from New York
FifthGeorge C. Sherman2 yearsDemocrat/Barnburnerelected to fill vacancy, in place of William Ruger
FifthCarlos P. Scovil*3 yearsDemocrat
FifthThomas Barlow4 yearsDemocrat/Barnburneralso First Judge of the Madison County Court
SixthNehemiah Platt*1 yearWhig
SixthJames Faulkner*2 yearsDemocrat
SixthCalvin T. Chamberlain*3 yearsDemocrat
SixthClark Burnham4 yearsDemocrat
SeventhElijah Rhoades*1 yearWhig
SeventhWilliam Bartlit*2 yearsDemocrat/Hunker
SeventhJohn Porter*3 yearsDemocrat
SeventhAlbert Lester4 yearsDemocrat
EighthSamuel Works*1 yearWhig
EighthGideon Hard*2 yearsWhig
EighthHarvey Putnam*3 yearsWhig
EighthFrederick F. Backus4 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.
DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyLevi Shaw
AlbanySamuel StevensWhigpreviously a member from Washington Co.
AlbanySimon Veeder
AlleganyNathaniel CoeWhig
AlleganyHoratio R. Riddle
BroomeJohn B. Rogers
CattaraugusJames Burt
CattaraugusMarcus H. Johnson
CayugaAshbel Avery
CayugaBenjamin F. HallWhig
CayugaRobert Hume
ChautauquaForbes Johnson
ChautauquaMarcius Simons
ChautauquaElijah Waters
ChemungSylvester Hazen
ChenangoRensselaer W. ClarkDemocrat
ChenangoErastus Dickinson
ChenangoDaniel NoyesDemocrat
ClintonJulius C. Hubbell*Democrat
ColumbiaWilliam A. Carpenter
ColumbiaUriah Edwards
ColumbiaPeter P. Rossman
CortlandPlatt F. Grow
CortlandJohn Kingman Jr.
DelawareEdward I. BurhansDemocrat
DelawareJesse Palmer
DutchessAlexander H. Coffin
DutchessJohn K. Mead
DutchessAmbrose L. PinneyDemocrat
ErieDaniel Lee
ErieElisha Smith
ErieAmos Wright
EssexGideon HammondWhig
FranklinFrancis D. FlandersDemocrat
Fulton and HamiltonJames Harris
GeneseeCharles P. Brown
GeneseeChester HannumWhig
GreeneRobert C. FieldDemocrat
GreeneLemuel C. StimsonDemocrat
HerkimerMichael HoffmanDemocrat/Barnburner
HerkimerPeter H. Warren
JeffersonSamuel Bond
JeffersonWilliam Carlisle
JeffersonEli West
KingsWilliam Burbank
KingsJacob Rapelje
LewisAlburn Foster
LivingstonGardner Arnold
LivingstonDaniel D. Spencer*Whig
MadisonRalph I. Gates
MadisonThomas Keith
MadisonAlfred Medbery
MonroeAshley SampsonDemocrat
MonroeMoses Sperry
MonroeEdward Wadhams
MontgomeryClark B. CochraneDemocrat
MontgomeryMorgan L. Harris
New YorkJoseph S. BosworthDemocrat
New YorkMichael Burke
New YorkThomas N. Carr
New YorkAuguste DavezacDemocrat
New YorkJoshua Fleet
New YorkGeorge G. Glasier*Democrat
New YorkWilliam H. JansenDemocrat
New YorkThomas Jeremiah
New YorkGeorge S. Mann
New YorkJohn E. Ross
New YorkEdward Sanford*Democrat
New YorkJames H. Suydam
New YorkRichard S. Williams
NiagaraJohn Sweeney*Whig
NiagaraLuther Wilson
OneidaJustus Childs
OneidaJames Douglass
OneidaRichard Empey
OneidaHoratio SeymourDemocrat/Hunker
OnondagaWarner Abbott
OnondagaThomas G. AlvordDemocrat
OnondagaSeth Hutchinson
OnondagaElisha LitchfieldDemocrat/Hunkerelected Speaker
OntarioLorenzo Clark
OntarioIsrael HuntingtonWhig
OntarioHenry Pardee
OrangeLeonard Lee*Democrat/Barnburner
OrangeDavid H. SmithDemocrat
OrangeGeorge W. TuthillDemocrat
OrleansSands Cole
OswegoWilliam F. Allen*Democrat
OswegoAlban Strong*Democrat
OtsegoGeorge S. GorhamDemocrat
OtsegoWilliam W. SnowDemocrat
OtsegoNahum Thompson
PutnamSaxton SmithDemocrat
QueensSamuel Youngs*Democrat
RensselaerJohn L. Cole
RensselaerGeorge B. Warren
RensselaerJonathan E. Whipple
RichmondWilliam Nickles
RocklandJohn Haring Jr.
St. LawrenceCalvin T. Hulburd*Democrat/Barnburner
St. LawrenceGeorge Redington*Democrat
SaratogaJames Groom
SaratogaEzra Wilson
SchenectadyArchibald L. LinnWhig
SchoharieSeth Eldredge
SchoharieJohn Spickerman
SenecaHelim Sutton
SteubenJohn Jamison
SteubenAsa McConnell
SteubenJeffery Smith
SuffolkSilas Horton
SuffolkRichard W. Smith
SullivanAmos Y. Grant
TiogaNathaniel W. Davis
TompkinsPeter Lounsbury
TompkinsCharles M. Turner
UlsterAbraham D. Bevier
UlsterSamuel Reynolds
WarrenJohn F. Sherrill
WashingtonJohn Barker
WashingtonJohn W. Proudfit
WayneAustin Roe
WayneIsaac R. Sanford
WestchesterAndrew Findlay*Democrat
WestchesterCharles Wright
WyomingTruman Benedict*Whig
WyomingLeverett SpringWhig
YatesThomas Seamans

Employees