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.
| 8th New York State Legislature | |||||
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 The Old New York City Hall, where the Legislature met in 1784. From January 1785 on, the Congress of the Confederation met here, and later it was the venue of the first two sessions of the 1st United States Congress. The building was then renamed Federal Hall and demolished in 1812. (1798) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | July 1, 1784 – June 30, 1785 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 24 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 70 (de facto 65) | ||||
| Speaker | David Gelston | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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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.
Elections
The State election was held from April 27 to 29, 1784. Senators William Floyd, Ezra L'Hommedieu, Alexander McDougall (all Southern D.), and Arthur Parks (Middle D.) were re-elected; and Assemblyman Peter Van Ness (Western D.) was elected to the Senate.
Sessions
The State Legislature first met at the Old City Hall in New York City, the Assembly on October 12, the Senate on October 18, 1784; and both Houses adjourned on November 29. In January 1785, the Congress of the Confederation met at the Old City Hall, New York City thus becoming the federal capital of the United States. When the Legislature met again, it moved to the Exchange[1] on the corner of Broad and Water streets in New York City; the Senate met on January 24, the Assembly on January 27, 1785; and both Houses adjourned on April 27.
State Senate
Districts
- The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
- The Middle District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.
- The Eastern District (3 seats) consisted of Washington, Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
- The Western District (6 seats) consisted of Albany and Montgomery counties.
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.
Senators
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Ebenezer Russell and Peter Van Ness changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | James Duane* | 1 year | also Mayor of New York City |
| Lewis Morris* | 2 years | ||
| Isaac Roosevelt* | 2 years | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Isaac Stoutenburgh* | 3 years | ||
| Samuel Townsend* | 3 years | ||
| Stephen Ward* | 3 years | ||
| William Floyd* | 4 years | ||
| Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 4 years | ||
| Alexander McDougall* | 4 years | ||
| Middle | John Haring* | 1 year | |
| Ephraim Paine* | 1 year | ||
| William Allison* | 2 years | ||
| Joseph Gasherie* | 3 years | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Jacobus Swartwout* | 3 years | ||
| Arthur Parks* | 4 years | ||
| Eastern | Alexander Webster* | 1 year | |
| John Williams* | 2 years | ||
| Ebenezer Russell* | 4 years | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Western | Henry Oothoudt* | 1 year | |
| William B. Whiting* | 1 years | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Jacob G. Klock* | 2 years | ||
| Abraham Yates Jr.* | 2 years | ||
| Andrew Finck* | 3 years | ||
| Peter Van Ness* | 4 years | ||
Employees
- Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker
State Assembly
Districts
- The City and County of Albany (10 seats)
- Cumberland County (3 seats)
- Dutchess County (7 seats)
- Gloucester County (2 seats)
- Kings County (2 seats)
- Montgomery County) (6 seats)
- The City and County of New York (9 seats)
- Orange County (4 seats)
- Queens County (4 seats)
- Richmond County (2 seats)
- Suffolk County (5 seats)
- Ulster County (6 seats)
- Washington County (4 seats)
- Westchester County (6 seats)
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.
| County | Assemblymen | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albany | Matthew Adgate* | |
| Abraham Becker* | ||
| Jacob Ford* | ||
| Walter Livingston | ||
| Dirck Swart* | ||
| Israel Thompson | ||
| Matthew Visscher | ||
| Christopher Yates* | ||
| Peter W. Yates | ||
| John Younglove | ||
| Cumberland | none | No election returns from these counties[2] |
| Gloucester | ||
| Dutchess | Abraham Brinckerhoff | |
| Dirck Brinckerhoff* | ||
| Ebenezer Cary | ||
| Cornelius Humfrey* | ||
| Brinton Paine | ||
| Matthew Patterson* | ||
| James Tallmadge | ||
| Kings | Charles Doughty | |
| John Vanderbilt | ||
| Montgomery | Frederick C. Fox | |
| William Harper* | ||
| James Livingston* | ||
| Isaac Paris* | ||
| Volkert Veeder* | ||
| Christopher P. Yates* | ||
| New York | Aaron Burr | |
| William Denning | ||
| Daniel Dunscomb | ||
| William Goforth | ||
| John Laurance | previously a member from Westchester Co. | |
| Peter Van Brugh Livingston | ||
| Thomas Randall | ||
| Henry Remsen | ||
| Comfort Sands | ||
| Orange | Jeremiah Clark* | |
| Gilbert Cooper* | ||
| John Hathorn* | ||
| William Sickles* | ||
| Queens | Joseph Lawrence | |
| John Sands | ||
| Abraham Skinner | ||
| James Townsend* | ||
| Richmond | Cornelius Corsen | |
| Joshua Mersereau | ||
| Suffolk | David Gelston* | elected Speaker[3] |
| Ebenezer Platt* | ||
| Jeffrey Smith* | ||
| John Smith | ||
| Thomas Youngs* | ||
| Ulster | John Cantine* | |
| Charles DeWitt* | ||
| Johannes G. Hardenbergh | ||
| John Nicholson* | ||
| Cornelius C. Schoonmaker* | ||
| Nathan Smith* | ||
| Washington | Albert Baker | |
| David Hopkins* | ||
| Edward Savage* | ||
| Abiel Sherwood | ||
| Westchester | Ebenezer S. Burling | |
| Abijah Gilbert* | ||
| Ebenezer Lockwood | ||
| Philip Pell Jr.* | ||
| Ebenezer Purdy* | ||
| Thomas Thomas* | ||
Employees
- Clerk: John McKesson
Notes
- Annual Report of the Regents (USNY, 1870; page 712)
- Cumberland and Gloucester counties seceded from the Province of New York in January 1777, and became part of the Vermont Republic, while the Constitutional Convention was still debating the new Constitution. The New York Constitution was approved in April 1777, not recognizing the secession. Neither county did file any election returns with the Secretary of State of New York in 1784.
- The Civil List of 1858 lists erroneously John Hathorn as Speaker for this Assembly, this was corrected in all subsequent editions of the Civil List, see The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; page 135)
Some confusion still exists as to Speaker; New York Packet of 10/25/1784 printed a letter to Clinton from the Assembly in response to his address, and Hathorn is shown as the author and title is Speaker.
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108 for Senate districts; pg. 112f for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 162 for assemblymen]
