9th New York State Legislature
Encyclopedia
The 9th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

 and the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

, met from January 12 to May 5, 1786, during the ninth year of George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...

's governorship
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

, at the Old Royal Exchange in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

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.

The 8th New York State Legislature
8th New York State Legislature
The 8th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from October 12, 1784, to April 27, 1785, during the eighth year of George Clinton's governorship, at New York City.-Background:...

 adjourned on April 27, 1785. At this time, the Senate voted that the next Legislature meet at Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...

 on a day set by the governor. The Assembly voted to meet at a time and place to be determined by the governor, to which the Senate then agreed. On November 16, 1785, Governor Clinton called the Legislature to meet on January 6, 1786, at the Exchange in New York City.

Elections

The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1785. Senator John Haring
John Haring
John Haring was an American lawyer from New York City. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress....

 (Middle D.) was re-elected; and Thomas Tredwell
Thomas Tredwell
Thomas Tredwell was an American lawyer and politician from Plattsburg, New York. He served in the New York State Senate and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1795....

 (Southern D.), Volkert P. Douw, Philip Schuyler
Philip Schuyler
Philip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...

 (both Western D.), and Assemblymen David Hopkins (Eastern D.) and Cornelius Humfrey (Middle D.), were elected to the Senate.

Sessions

The State Legislature met at the Old Royal Exchange in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the Assembly on January 12, the Senate on January 16, 1786; and both Houses adjourned on May 5.

When the Legislature eventually had assembled a quorum, Governor Clinton told them that, following the principle of Separation of Powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...

, the Governor could call the Legislature only for special sessions, but the Legislature should henceforth decide for themselves where and when to meet for the next ordinary session, and suggested to pass a law for this purpose. On March 13, 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. However, no general meeting place was determined, leaving it for the time being to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.

Districts

  • The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings
    Brooklyn
    Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

    , New York
    Manhattan
    Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

    , Queens
    Queens
    Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

    , Richmond
    Staten Island
    Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

    , Suffolk
    Suffolk County, New York
    Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

     and Westchester
    Westchester County, New York
    Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

     counties.
  • The Middle District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess
    Dutchess County, New York
    Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...

    , Orange
    Orange County, New York
    Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...

     and Ulster
    Ulster County, New York
    Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...

     counties.
  • The Eastern District (3 seats) consisted of Washington
    Washington County, New York
    Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

    , Cumberland
    Cumberland County, New York
    Cumberland County, New York was a county in the Province of New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was divided out of Albany County in New York in 1766, but eventually became part of Vermont in 1777...

     and Gloucester
    Gloucester County, New York
    Gloucester County, New York is a former county in New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was a part of Albany County in the Province of New York until 1770 and was lost to Vermont in 1777. At that time, Vermont was holding itself out as the Republic of Vermont and did not become a...

     counties.
  • The Western District (6 seats) consisted of Albany
    Albany County, New York
    Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...

     and Montgomery
    Montgomery County, New York
    As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...

     counties.


Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. 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. Cornelius Humfrey and David Hopkins changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
District Senators Term left Notes
Southern Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris was an American landowner and developer from Morrisania, New York. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continental Congress for New York....

*
1 year elected to the Council of Appointment
Council of Appointment
The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...

Isaac Roosevelt
Isaac Roosevelt (politician)
Isaac Roosevelt was an American merchant and Federalist politician. He served in the New York State Assembly and the state Constitutional Convention and achieved the most political success of any Roosevelt before Theodore Roosevelt. He was the great-great-grandfather of U.S...

*
1 year
Isaac Stoutenburgh* 2 years
Samuel Townsend* 2 years
Stephen Ward* 2 years
William Floyd
William Floyd
William Floyd was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a U.S. Representative from New York.-Biography:...

*
3 years
Ezra L'Hommedieu
Ezra L'Hommedieu
Ezra L'Hommedieu was an American lawyer and statesman from Southold, New York. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1779 to 1783 and again in 1788...

*
3 years
Alexander McDougall
Alexander McDougall
Alexander McDougall was an American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a major general in the Continental Army, and as a delegate to the Continental Congress...

*
3 years died on June 9, 1786
Thomas Tredwell
Thomas Tredwell
Thomas Tredwell was an American lawyer and politician from Plattsburg, New York. He served in the New York State Senate and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1795....

4 years
Middle William Allison* 1 year
Joseph Gasherie* 2 years
Jacobus Swartwout* 2 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Council of Appointment
The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...

Arthur Parks* 3 years
John Haring
John Haring
John Haring was an American lawyer from New York City. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress....

*
4 years
(Cornelius Humfrey)* 4 years did not attend
Eastern John Williams* 1 year
Ebenezer Russell* 3 years
David Hopkins* 4 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Council of Appointment
The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...

Western (Jacob G. Klock)* 1 year did not attend
Abraham Yates Jr.* 1 year
Andrew Finck* 2 years
Peter Van Ness* 3 years
Volkert P. Douw 4 years
Philip Schuyler
Philip Schuyler
Philip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...

4 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Council of Appointment
The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...


Districts

  • The City
    Albany, New York
    Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

     and County
    Albany County, New York
    Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...

     of Albany (10 seats)
  • Cumberland County
    Cumberland County, New York
    Cumberland County, New York was a county in the Province of New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was divided out of Albany County in New York in 1766, but eventually became part of Vermont in 1777...

     (3 seats)
  • Dutchess County
    Dutchess County, New York
    Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...

     (7 seats)
  • Gloucester County
    Gloucester County, New York
    Gloucester County, New York is a former county in New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was a part of Albany County in the Province of New York until 1770 and was lost to Vermont in 1777. At that time, Vermont was holding itself out as the Republic of Vermont and did not become a...

     (2 seats)
  • Kings County
    Brooklyn
    Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

     (2 seats)
  • Montgomery County
    Montgomery County, New York
    As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...

    ) (6 seats)
  • The City and County of New York
    Manhattan
    Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

     (9 seats)
  • Orange County
    Orange County, New York
    Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...

     (4 seats)
  • Queens County
    Queens
    Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

     (4 seats)
  • Richmond County
    Staten Island
    Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

     (2 seats)
  • Suffolk County
    Suffolk County, New York
    Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

     (5 seats)
  • Ulster County
    Ulster County, New York
    Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...

     (6 seats)
  • Washington County
    Washington County, New York
    Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

     (4 seats)
  • Westchester County
    Westchester County, New York
    Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

     (6 seats)


Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. 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
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...

Leonard Bronck
Henry Glen
Henry Glen
Henry Glen was an American merchant, county clerk, and politician from Schenectady, New York. He served in the state Assembly and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1793 until 1801....

James Gordon
James Gordon (New York)
James Gordon was an Irish-born American merchant, soldier, and politician.He was born in Killead, County Antrim, Ireland, and left in 1758, settling in Schenectady, New York. From that base and from Detroit, Michigan, he traded with various Native American tribes...

Lawrence Hogeboom
John Lansing Jr. elected Speaker
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party....

John Livingston
Jacobus Van Schoonhoven
John Tayler
John Tayler
John Tayler was a merchant and politician. He served nine years as Lieutenant Governor of New York, four months as Acting Governor of New York, and also in both houses of the New York State Legislature.-Life:...

Abraham J. Van Alstyne
Peter Vrooman
Cumberland
Cumberland County, New York
Cumberland County, New York was a county in the Province of New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was divided out of Albany County in New York in 1766, but eventually became part of Vermont in 1777...

none No election returns from these counties
Gloucester
Gloucester County, New York
Gloucester County, New York is a former county in New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was a part of Albany County in the Province of New York until 1770 and was lost to Vermont in 1777. At that time, Vermont was holding itself out as the Republic of Vermont and did not become a...

Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...

Dirck Brinckerhoff*
John DeWitt
Lewis DuBois
Lewis DuBois
Lewis DuBois was an American Revolutionary War commander. A descendant of Louis Dubois, who founded the early Huguenot settlement of New Paltz, which is preserved today as Historic Huguenot Street . DuBois was a carpenter from Poughkeepsie, New York...

Jacob Griffin
Henry Ludington
Henry Ludington
Colonel Henry Ludington was the commander of the 7th Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia, a volunteer regiment of local men who fought in the Battle of Ridgefield in April, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. His daughter, Sybil Ludington, is known as the female Paul Revere for her...

Brinton Paine*
Matthew Patterson*
Kings
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

Charles Doughty*
John Vanderbilt*
Montgomery
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...

Abraham Arndt
John Frey
William Harper*
James Livingston
James Livingston (American Revolution)
Colonel James Livingston was born in the French province of Canada to New York-born parents. He was living in Quebec when the American Revolutionary War broke out...

*
Abraham Van Horne
Volkert Veeder*
New York
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

Evert Bancker
Evert Bancker (speaker)
This article is about the Speaker of the NY Assembly. For the Mayor of Albany see Evert Bancker Evert Bancker was an American merchant and politician who was Speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1779 to 1783....

Robert Boyd
William Denning
William Denning
William Denning was a United States Representative from New York. Born probably in St. John's, Newfoundland in April 1740, he moved to New York City in early youth and engaged in mercantile pursuits...

*
William Duer
William Goforth*
William Malcom
Isaac Sears
Isaac Sears
Isaac Sears was an American merchant, sailor, Freemason, and political figure who played an important role in the American Revolution....

John Stagg
Robert Troup
Robert Troup
Robert Troup was an American soldier, lawyer and jurist.Born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, Troup attended King's College...

Orange
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...

John Bradner
Gilbert Cooper*
Nathaniel Satterly
Henry Wisner III
Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

Daniel Duryee
Samuel Jones
Samuel Jones (NY comptroller)
Samuel Jones was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Jones and Phoebe Jones ....

Daniel Whitehead Kissam
James Townsend
James Townsend (New York)
James Townsend was an American politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of Jacob Townsend and Phebe Townsend...

*
Richmond
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

John C. Dongan
Joshua Mersereau*
Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

Nathaniel Gardiner
John Nicoll Havens
David Hedges
Jeffrey Smith*
Thomas Youngs*
Ulster
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...

David Galatian
Joseph Hasbrouck
Thomas Jansen
Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
Cornelius Corneliusen Schoonmaker was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Shawangunk , Ulster County, New York), he received a limited schooling, became a surveyor and was engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the American Revolutionary War, he was a member of the committees...

*
Nathan Smith*
Johannis Snyder
Washington
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

Albert Baker*
Joseph McCracken
Ichabod Parker
Peter B. Tierce
Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

Samuel Drake
Abijah Gilbert*
Ebenezer Lockwood*
Philip Pell Jr.
Philip Pell
Philip Pell was an American politician and lawyer from Pelham Manor, New York. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress in 1788 and 1789....

*
Thomas Thomas*
Jonathan G. Tompkins

Sources

  • The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108 for Senate districts; pg. 113 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 162f for assemblymen]
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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