The 86th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 25, 1863, during the first year of Horatio Seymour's second tenure as Governor of New York, in Albany.
| 86th New York State Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 The Old State Capitol (1879) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | January 1 – December 31, 1863 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 32 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. David R. Floyd-Jones (D) | ||||
| Temporary President | James A. Bell (R), from January 21 | ||||
| Party control | Republican (23-8) | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 128 | ||||
| Speaker | Theophilus C. Callicot (D) | ||||
| Party control | split (64-64) | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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Background
editUnder the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 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 (four districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats split over the civil war issue. The "War Democrats" and the Republicans formed a coalition known as the "Republican Union," and supported President Abraham Lincoln and the Union Army's war effort; the rump Democratic Party opposed the war, favoring a compromise with the South, and became known as "Peace Democrats" or "Copperheads." The Constitutional Union (consisting of former "Silver Gray" Whigs and Know Nothings) held a state convention and joined the Peace Democrats.
Elections
editThe 1862 New York state election was held on November 4. With a large contingent of soldiers at the Civil War front, who did not vote at the state election, surprisingly all five statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democrats, including Gov. Horatio Seymour and Lt. Gov. David R. Floyd-Jones. The approximate party strength at this election, expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats/Constitutional Union 307,000; Republican Union 296,000.
64 Union Republicans and 64 Democrats were elected to the Assembly, resulting in a split.
Sessions
editThe Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1863; and adjourned on April 25.
On January 21, James A. Bell (R) was re-elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.
On January 26, after three weeks of deadlock, Democrat Theophilus C. Callicot (D) was elected Speaker on the 92nd ballot, receiving the votes of the Republicans. Callicot had talked to the Republican leader Chauncey M. Depew, and offered a deal: the Republicans should elect him Speaker, and he would help them to elect a U.S. Senator.
| Ballot | Date | Gilbert Dean Dem. |
Henry Sherwood Rep. |
- | Ballot | Date | Gilbert Dean Dem. |
Henry Sherwood Rep. |
Theophilus C. Callicot Fusion |
Eliphaz Trimmer Dem. |
Chauncey M. Depew Rep. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jan. 6 | 63 | 63 | 47th | Jan. 10 | 41 | 41 | ||||
| 2nd | Jan. 6 | 63 | 63 | 48th | Jan. 10 | 41 | 41 | ||||
| 3rd | Jan. 6 | 63 | 63 | 49th | Jan. 12 | 40 | 40 | ||||
| 4th | Jan. 7 | 63 | 63 | 50th | Jan. 12 | 40 | 40 | ||||
| 5th | Jan. 7 | 63 | 63 | 51st | Jan. 12 | 39 | 39 | ||||
| 6th | Jan. 7 | 63 | 63 | 52nd | Jan. 12 | 39 | 39 | ||||
| 7th | Jan. 7 | 63 | 63 | 53rd | Jan. 12 | 39 | 39 | ||||
| 8th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 54th | Jan. 13 | 56 | 56 | ||||
| 9th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 55th | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 10th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 56th | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 11th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 57th | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 12th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 58th | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 13th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 59th | Jan. 13 | 54 | 54 | ||||
| 14th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 60th | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 15th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 61st | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 16th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 62nd | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 17th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 63rd | Jan. 13 | 55 | 55 | ||||
| 18th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 64th | Jan. 12 | 54 | 54 | ||||
| 19th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 65th | Jan. 13 | 54 | 54 | ||||
| 20th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 66th | Jan. 13 | 54 | 54 | ||||
| 21st | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 67th | Jan. 14 | 63 | 63 | ||||
| 22nd | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 68th | Jan. 14 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 23rd | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 69th | Jan. 14 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 24th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 70th | Jan. 12 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 25th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 71st | Jan. 14 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 26th | Jan. 8 | 63 | 63 | 72nd | Jan. 14 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 27th | Jan. 9 | 61 | 61 | 73rd | Jan. 14 | 60 | 60 | ||||
| 28th | Jan. 9 | 61 | 61 | 74th | Jan. 14 | 60 | 60 | ||||
| 29th | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 75th | Jan. 15 | 62 | 62 | ||||
| 30th | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 76th | Jan. 15 | 57 | 57 | ||||
| 31st | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 77th | Jan. 15 | 60 | 60 | ||||
| 32nd | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 78th | Jan. 15 | 58 | 58 | ||||
| 33rd | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 79th | Jan. 23 | 60 | 60 | 2 | |||
| 34th | Jan. 9 | 62 | 62 | 80th | Jan. 23 | 60 | 60 | 2 | |||
| 35th | Jan. 9 | 60 | 60 | 81st | Jan. 23 | 60 | 61 | 3 | |||
| 36th | Jan. 9 | 60 | 60 | 82nd | Jan. 23 | 61 | 61 | 2 | |||
| 37th | Jan. 9 | 60 | 60 | 83rd | Jan. 23 | 61 | 61 | 2 | |||
| 38th | Jan. 10 | 47 | 47 | 84th | Jan. 23 | 61 | 61 | 2 | |||
| 39th | Jan. 10 | 44 | 44 | 85th | Jan. 23 | 61 | 61 | 2 | |||
| 40th | Jan. 10 | 44 | 44 | 86th | Jan. 23 | 61 | 61 | 2 | |||
| 41st | Jan. 10 | 44 | 44 | 87th | Jan. 23 | 60 | 60 | 2 | |||
| 42nd | Jan. 10 | 43 | 43 | 88th | Jan. 23 | 60 | 60 | 2 | |||
| 43rd | Jan. 10 | 44 | 44 | 89th | Jan. 23 | 59 | 59 | 2 | |||
| 44th | Jan. 10 | 42 | 42 | 90th | Jan. 23 | 60 | 60 | 2 | |||
| 45th | Jan. 10 | 42 | 42 | 91st | Jan. 24 | 60 | 60 | 1 | |||
| 46th | Jan. 10 | 42 | 42 | 92nd | Jan. 26 | 61 | 59 |
On February 3, the Legislature elected Ex-Governor Edwin D. Morgan (R) to succeed Preston King (R) as U.S. Senator from New York for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1863.
State Senate
editDistricts
edit- 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
- 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th and 19th wards of the City of Brooklyn
- 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
- 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 14th wards of New York City
- 5th District: 10th, 11th, 13th and 17th wards of New York City
- 6th District: 9th, 15th, 16th and 18th wards of New York City
- 7th District: 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd wards of New York City
- 8th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
- 9th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
- 10th District: Greene and Ulster counties
- 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
- 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
- 13th District: Albany County
- 14th District: Delaware, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
- 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Saratoga counties
- 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
- 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
- 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
- 19th District: Oneida County
- 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
- 21st District: Oswego County
- 22nd District: Onondaga County
- 23rd District: Chenango, Cortland and Madison counties
- 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
- 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
- 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
- 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
- 28th District: Monroe County
- 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
- 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
- 31st District: Erie County
- 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
Members
editThe asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the vote for U.S. Senator.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Monroe Henderson* | due to ill health, did not take his seat at this session | |
| 2nd | Jesse C. Smith* | Republican | |
| 3rd | Henry C. Murphy* | Democrat | |
| 4th | Christian B. Woodruff* | Democrat | |
| 5th | Charles G. Cornell* | Democrat | also New York City Street Commissioner |
| 6th | John J. Bradley* | Democrat | |
| 7th | Richard B. Connolly* | Democrat | |
| 8th | Hezekiah D. Robertson* | Republican | |
| 9th | Henry R. Low* | Republican | |
| 10th | Jacob S. Freer* | Democrat | |
| 11th | William H. Tobey* | Republican | |
| 12th | Ralph Richards* | Republican | |
| 13th | John V. L. Pruyn* | Democrat | |
| 14th | Joseph H. Ramsey* | Republican | |
| 15th | William Clark | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of John Willard |
| 16th | Russell M. Little* | Republican | |
| 17th | Charles C. Montgomery* | Republican | |
| 18th | James A. Bell* | Republican | |
| 19th | Alexander H. Bailey* | Republican | |
| 20th | George A. Hardin* | Republican | |
| 21st | Richard K. Sanford* | Republican | |
| 22nd | Allen Munroe* | Republican | |
| 23rd | Henry A. Clark* | Republican | |
| 24th | Lyman Truman* | Republican | |
| 25th | Chauncey M. Abbott* | Republican | died on November 11, 1863 |
| 26th | Charles J. Folger* | Republican | |
| 27th | Charles Cook* | Republican | |
| 28th | Lysander Farrar* | Republican | |
| 29th | Almanzor Hutchinson* | Republican | |
| 30th | Wilkes Angel* | Republican | |
| 31st | John Ganson* | Democrat | on November 4, 1862, elected to the 38th U.S. Congress |
| 32nd | Horace C. Young* | Republican |
Employees
edit- Clerk: James Terwilliger
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard U. Owens
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Caleb S. Babcock
- Doorkeeper: Orville Griffin
- First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles Johnson
- Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Sanders Wilson
- Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Giles H. Holden
State Assembly
editAssemblymen
editThe asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Party affiliations follow the original vote for Speaker.
Employees
edit- Clerk: Joseph B. Cushman
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Levi M. Gano
- Doorkeeper: Charles E. Young
- First Assistant Doorkeeper: Alexander Frier
- Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Willard L. Cook
References
edit- ^ John Paulding, grandson of John Paulding (1758–1818)
- ^ "Death of the Honorable James Darcy". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 22, no. 212. Brooklyn, N.Y. September 2, 1863. p. 2 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
- ^ William Brown, son of William B. Brown, assemblyman in 1832
Sources
edit- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; see pg. 439 for Senate districts; pg. 443 for senators; pg. 450–463 for Assembly districts; and pg. 497ff for assemblymen)
- Journal of the Senate (86th Session) (1863)
- Journal of the Assembly (86th Session) (1863)
- Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and the Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1862 and '63 by William D. Murphy (1863)