144th New York State Legislature

The 144th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 16, 1921, during the first year of Nathan L. Miller's governorship, in Albany.

144th New York State Legislature
←143rd 145th→
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJanuary 1 – December 31, 1921
Senate
Members51
PresidentLt. Gov. Jeremiah Wood (R)
Temporary PresidentClayton R. Lusk (R)
Party controlRepublican (39–11–1)
Assembly
Members150
SpeakerH. Edmund Machold (R)
Party controlRepublican (120–28–3)
Sessions
1stJanuary 5 – April 16, 1921

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, 51 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Socialist Party, the Farmer–Labor Party, the Prohibition Party and the Socialist Labor Party also nominated tickets. The Prohibition Party endorsed the "dry" candidates for the Legislature, mostly Republicans, and nominated own candidates only where the major parties' candidates where "wet". In most of the Socialist strongholds in New York City, Democrats and Republicans nominated fusion candidates.

Elections

The New York state election, 1920, was held on November 2. Nathan L. Miller and Jeremiah Wood were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, both Republicans. The incumbent Governor Al Smith ran on the Democratic ticket for re-election, but was defeated by Miller with a plurality of about 75,000 votes out of more than two and a half million.

The other eight statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for governor, was: Republicans 1,335,000; Democrats 1,260,000; Socialists 172,000; Farmer-Labor 68,000; Prohibition 36,000; and Socialist Labor 5,000.

Only one woman was elected to the State Assembly: Marguerite L. Smith (Rep.), an athletics teacher, of Harlem, became the first woman to serve a second term in the Assembly.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1921.

H. Edmund Machold (Rep.) was elected Speaker with 114 votes against 25 for Charles D. Donohue (Dem.) and 2 for Charles Solomon (Soc.).

Clayton R. Lusk (Rep.) was elected Temporary President of the State Senate with 38 votes against 8 for Jimmy Walker (Dem.) and one for Edmund Seidel (Soc.).

At the beginning of the session, resolutions were offered to expel Henry Jager, Samuel Orr and Charles Solomon from the Assembly for being Socialists and thus unfit to sit, which were referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.[1] On January 12, another resolution was offered, contesting the eligibility of Henry Jager because he was alleged to be a resident of New Jersey.[2]

On March 29, the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary presented its final report in the matter of the eligibility of Henry Jager. The majority (Rowe, Lown, T. K. Smith and Everett) concluded that Jager was a resident of Maywood, New Jersey, and therefore was ineligible for office under the provisions of the Public Officers Law of New York. A minority—in one report by Bloch and McKee, and another by Stitt and Ullman—concluded that Jager was a resident of Brooklyn.[3] On the next day, Jager's seat was declared vacant by a vote of 77 to 62.[4]

On April 4, the members who had offered the resolutions against Orr and Solomon attempted to call the resolutions up, which was voted down. Thus the resolutions remained on the table of the Committee on the Judiciary until the end of the session, without any action taken.[5]

State Senate

Districts

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. William T. Simpson, Martin G. McCue, Frank L. Wiswall, Warren T. Thayer, George R. Fearon, Allen J. Bloomfield and DeHart H. Ames changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

District Senator Party Notes
1st George L. Thompson* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Conservation
2nd John L. Karle* Republican re-elected; Chairman of Commerce and Navigation
3rd Peter J. McGarry* Democrat re-elected
4th Maxwell S. Harris Republican
5th Daniel F. Farrell* Democrat re-elected
6th William T. Simpson* Republican Chairman of Penal Institutions
7th Charles C. Lockwood* Republican re-elected; Chairman of Public Education
8th Alvah W. Burlingame, Jr.* Republican re-elected; Chairman of Judiciary
9th George M. Reischmann Republican
10th Jeremiah F. Twomey* Democrat re-elected
11th Abraham L. Katlin Republican unsuccessfully contested by Daniel J. Carroll (D)
12th Jimmy Walker* Democrat re-elected; Minority Leader
13th John J. Boylan* Democrat re-elected
14th Bernard Downing* Dem./Rep. re-elected
15th Nathan Straus, Jr. Democrat
16th Martin G. McCue* Democrat resigned on June 17, to accept an appointment as
Clerk of the New York Co. Surrogate's Court[6]
17th Schuyler M. Meyer Republican Chairman of Privileges and Elections
18th Salvatore A. Cotillo* Democrat re-elected
19th William Duggan Republican
20th Ward V. Tolbert Republican
21st Henry G. Schackno* Democrat re-elected
22nd Edmund Seidel Socialist
23rd George H. Taylor Republican contested; seat vacated on February 15[7]
John J. Dunnigan Democrat took his seat on February 17
24th C. Ernest Smith Republican
25th George T. Burling* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Revision
26th Holland S. Duell Republican Chairman of Labor and Industry
27th Caleb H. Baumes* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills
28th James E. Towner* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Insurance
29th Charles W. Walton* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Codes
30th Frank L. Wiswall* Republican
31st Frederick E. Draper Republican
32nd Frederick W. Kavanaugh Rep./Proh.
33rd Mortimer Y. Ferris* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Agriculture
34th Warren T. Thayer* Rep./Proh.
35th Theodore Douglas Robinson Republican Chairman of Civil Service
36th Frederick M. Davenport* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment
37th Fred B. Pitcher* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Banks
38th George R. Fearon* Republican Chairman of Public Printing
39th Allen J. Bloomfield* Rep./Proh.
40th Clayton R. Lusk* Rep./Proh. re-elected; elected Temporary President; Chairman of Rules
41st Seymour Lowman* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Internal Affairs
42nd Charles J. Hewitt* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Finance
43rd William A. Carson* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Affairs of Villages
44th John Knight* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Public Service
45th James L. Whitley* Republican re-elected; Chairman of Canals
46th John B. Mullan* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Affairs of Cities;
resigned on July 28 to become Postmaster of Rochester
47th William W. Campbell Rep./Proh.
48th Parton Swift* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Military Affairs
49th William E. Martin Rep./Proh.
50th Leonard W. H. Gibbs* Rep./Proh. re-elected; Chairman of Public Health
51st DeHart H. Ames* Rep./Proh.

Employees
  • Clerk: Ernest A. Fay
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles R. Hotaling
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Henry Witbeck, Jr.
  • Principal Doorkeeper: Lee V. Gardner
  • First Assistant Doorkeeper: Frank Heilbron
  • Stenographer: John K. Marshall

State Assembly

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Assemblymen
District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany 1st Edgar C. Campbell* Republican
2nd John T. Merrigan Democrat
3rd James M. Gaffers Republican
Allegany William Duke, Jr.* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Codes
Bronx 1st Albert H. Henderson* Democrat
2nd Edward J. Flynn* Democrat on November 8, 1921, elected Sheriff of Bronx Co.
3rd Benjamin Antin Dem./Rep.
4th Samuel Orr* Socialist
5th William Lyman Dem./Rep.
6th Thomas J. McDonald* Democrat unsuccessfully contested by Henry V. Beecher (R)[8]
7th Joseph V. McKee* Democrat unsuccessfully contested by Charles Tremonti (R)[9]
8th Edward J. Walsh Democrat unsuccessfully contested by Charles A. Conner (R)[10]
Broome 1st Edmund B. Jenks* Rep./Proh.
2nd Forman E. Whitcomb* Rep./Proh.
Cattaraugus Leigh G. Kirkland Rep./Proh.
Cayuga L. Ford Hager* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Penal Institutions
Chautauqua 1st Judson S. Wright Rep./Proh.
2nd Joseph A. McGinnies* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Ways and Means
Chemung John J. Richford* Rep./Proh. Chairman of General Laws
Chenango Bert Lord* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Soldiers' Home;
resigned on July 1, 1921, to take office as Director
of the New York State Motor Vehicle Bureau
Clinton Charles M. Harrington* Rep./Proh.
Columbia George H. Finch Rep./Proh./Soc.
Cortland Irving F. Rice* Rep./Proh.
Delaware Lincoln R. Long* Rep./Proh.
Dutchess 1st J. Griswold Webb* Rep./Proh.
2nd Frank L. Gardner* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Insurance
Erie 1st George E. D. Brady* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Labor and Industries
2nd John W. Slacer* Rep./Proh.
3rd August Seelbach* Rep./Proh.
4th Andrew T. Beasley* Democrat
5th Ansley B. Borkowski Rep./Proh.
6th George H. Rowe* Rep./Proh.
7th Herbert A. Zimmerman* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Canals
8th Nelson W. Cheney* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Banks
Essex Fred L. Porter Rep./Proh.
Franklin Anson H. Ellsworth Rep./Proh.
Fulton and Hamilton Eberly Hutchinson* Rep./Proh.
Genesee Charles P. Miller* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills
Greene Frank G. Jacobs* Rep./Proh.
Herkimer James A. Evans Republican
Jefferson H. Edmund Machold* Rep./Proh./Soc. elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules
Kings 1st John A. Warren Republican
2nd James J. Mullen* Republican
3rd Frank J. Taylor* Democrat
4th Peter A. McArdle* Democrat
5th James H. Caulfield, Jr.* Republican Chairman of Commerce and Navigation
6th John R. Crews Republican
7th John J. Kelly* Democrat
8th Michael J. Reilly* Democrat
9th James T. Carroll* Republican
10th Leo V. Doherty* Republican
11th James F. Bly* Republican
12th James G. Moore Republican
13th John J. Wackerman Democrat
14th Henry Jager Socialist seat vacated on March 30[11]
15th John J. McLoughlin* Democrat
16th Leon G. Moses Republican
17th Frederick A. Wells* Republican Chairman of Military Affairs
18th Theodore Stitt* Republican
19th Francis X. Giaccone Republican
20th John O. Gempler* Republican
21st Walter F. Clayton Republican
22nd Louis J. Druss Republican
23rd Charles Solomon* Socialist Socialist Leader
Lewis Miller B. Moran Republican
Livingston George F. Wheelock* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Internal Affairs
Madison J. Arthur Brooks Rep./Proh.
Monroe 1st James A. Harris* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Public Education
2nd Simon L. Adler* Rep./Proh. Majority Leader
3rd Harry B. Crowley* Republican
4th Gilbert L. Lewis Republican
5th Franklin W. Judson* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment
Montgomery Samuel W. McCleary Rep./Proh.
Nassau 1st Thomas A. McWhinney* Republican Chairman of Affairs of Villages
2nd Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.* Republican resignation announced on March 15, after
appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy[12]
New York 1st Peter J. Hamill* Democrat
2nd Frank R. Galgano Democrat
3rd Thomas F. Burchill* Democrat
4th Samuel Dickstein* Dem./Rep.
5th Charles D. Donohue* Democrat Minority Leader
6th Sol Ullman* Rep./Dem.
7th Noel B. Fox* Republican
8th Morris D. Reiss Rep./Dem.
9th Edward R. Rayher Republican
10th Bernard Aronson Republican
11th Frederick H. Nichols Republican
12th John J. O'Connor Democrat
13th Robert B. Wallace* Republican
14th Frederick L. Hackenburg Democrat
15th Joseph Steinberg* Republican Chairman of Claims
16th Maurice Bloch* Democrat
17th Nathan Lieberman Rep./Dem.
18th Owen M. Kiernan* Democrat
19th Marguerite L. Smith* Republican Chairwoman of Social Welfare
20th Mario G. DiPirro Republican
21st John Clifford Hawkins* Republican
22nd Michael E. Reiburn Democrat
23rd George N. Jesse* Republican
Niagara 1st David E. Jeffery* Rep./Proh.
2nd Nicholas V. V. Franchot II Republican
Oneida 1st Hartwell W. Booth* Rep./Proh.
2nd Louis M. Martin* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Judiciary
3rd Chauncey J. Williams* Rep./Proh.
Onondaga 1st Manuel J. Soule* Republican
2nd Gardner J. Chamberlin* Republican
3rd Thomas K. Smith Republican
Ontario Charles C. Sackett Rep./Proh.
Orange 1st Arthur E. Brundage* Republican
2nd Charles L. Mead* Republican Chairman of Public Institutions
Orleans Frank H. Lattin* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Public Health
Oswego Ezra A. Barnes Republican
Otsego Julian C. Smith Rep./Proh.
Putnam John R. Yale Republican
Queens 1st Peter A. Leininger* Democrat
2nd Bernard Schwab* Democrat
3rd Edward J. Neary* Republican
4th Nicholas M. Pette* Republican resigned on May 2
5th Ralph Halpern* Republican
6th Henry Baum* Republican
Rensselaer 1st Hugh C. Morrissey* Republican
2nd Arthur Cowee* Rep./Proh.
Richmond 1st Thomas F. Cosgrove* Democrat
2nd Ernest V. Frerichs Republican
Rockland Gordon H. Peck* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies;
died on February 18, 1921[13]
St. Lawrence 1st Frank L. Seaker* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Railroads
2nd Edward A. Everett* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Conservation
Saratoga Clarence C. Smith* Rep./Proh.
Schenectady 1st Harold E. Blodgett* Rep./Proh.
2nd William W. Campbell Rep./Proh.
Schoharie Harry M. Greenwald Republican
Schuyler Clarence W. Hausner* Rep./Proh.
Seneca George A. Dobson* Republican
Steuben 1st Ernest E. Cole* Rep./Proh./Soc.
2nd Delevan C. Hunter* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Revision
Suffolk 1st John G. Downs* Rep./Proh.
2nd Paul Bailey Republican
Sullivan John G. Gray Republican
Tioga Daniel P. Witter* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Agriculture
Tompkins Casper Fenner* Republican Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply
Ulster Simon B. Van Wagenen* Republican
Warren Stewart MacFarland* Rep./Proh.
Washington Herbert A. Bartholomew Republican
Wayne Charles H. Betts* Republican Chairman of Public Printing
Westchester 1st Thomas Channing Moore* Republican
2nd Walter W. Westall* Republican
3rd Seabury C. Mastick Republican
4th Mitchell A. Trahan, Jr.* Republican
5th George Blakely* Republican Chairman of Affairs of Cities
Wyoming Bert P. Gage* Rep./Proh. Chairman of Excise
Yates James M. Lown* Republican

Employees
  • Clerk: Fred W. Hammond
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry W. Haines
  • Principal Doorkeeper: James B. Hulse
  • First Assistant Doorkeeper: Walter S. Gay
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles H. Jackson
  • Stenographer: George Munson

Notes
  1. see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 19ff
  2. see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 57ff
  3. see Assembly Journal, Vol. II, pg. 1380–1391
  4. see Assembly Journal, Vol. II, pg. 1463
  5. see Assembly Journal, Vol. II, pg. 1606f
  6. McCUE SURROGATE'S CLERK in NYT on June 19, 1921
  7. see Senate Journal, pg. 217ff
  8. see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 470–476
  9. see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 481–487
  10. see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 476–481
  11. On March 14, his defeated opponent Andrew B. Yacenda (D) belatedly sent a notice of contest to the Assembly, but no action was taken, and he was not seated; see Assembly Journal, Vol I., pg. 874; and Vol. II, pg. 1463
  12. see Assembly Journal, Vol. I, pg. 959
  13. Assemblyman Gordon H. Peck in NYT on February 19, 1921

Sources
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