161st New York State Legislature
← 160th 162nd →
New York State Capitol (2009)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1938
Senate
Members	51
President	Lt. Gov.M. William Bray (D)
Temporary President	John J. Dunnigan (D)
Party control	Democratic (29–22)
Assembly
Members	150
Speaker	Oswald D. Heck (R)
Party control	Republican (84–61–5)
Sessions
1st January 5 – March 19,[1] 1938

The161st New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 5 to March 19, 1938, during the sixth year ofHerbert H. Lehman'sgovernorship, inAlbany.

Under the provisions of theNew York Constitution of 1894, as re-apportioned in 1917, 51 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators served a two-year term, while assemblymen served 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: theDemocratic Party and theRepublican Party. TheAmerican Labor Party and theSocialist Party also nominated tickets. In New York City, a "Trades Union", an "Anti-Communist", and a "City Fusion" ticket were also nominated.

The1937 New York state election was held on November 2. The only statewide elective office up for election was a judgeship on theNew York Court of Appeals. The Democratic incumbent, Gov.Herbert H. Lehman's brotherIrving Lehman, was re-elected with Republican and American Labor endorsement.

At the same time, an amendment to the State Constitution to increase of the term in office of the members of theNew York State Assembly to two years, and of the statewide elected state officers (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General) to four years, was accepted. Also, delegates for aConstitutional Convention, to be held later that year after the legislative session, were elected.

AssemblywomanJane H. Todd (Rep.), ofTarrytown, was re-elected.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol inAlbany on January 5, 1938; and adjourned in the evening of March 19.^[2]

Oswald D. Heck (Rep.) was re-electedSpeaker, with 83 votes against 55 forIrwin Steingut (Dem.) and 4 forNathaniel M. Minkoff (Am. Labor).^[3]

The Constitutional Convention met at the State Capitol in Albany on April 5;^[4] and adjourned on August 26.^[5]

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.

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

• Clerk:James J. Reilly
• Sergeant-at-Arms: William F. Egloff Jr.
• Stenographer: Robert Murray

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

• Clerk:Ansley B. Borkowski

• Members of Assembly—1938 inThe State Employee (December 1937, Vol. 6, No. 9, pg. 16ff)
• Members of the New York Senate (1930s) at Political Graveyard
• Members of the New York Assembly (1930s) at Political Graveyard
• RULES GROUP OF ASSEMBLY ADDS MEMBER in theRochester Democrat and Chronicle, ofRochester, on January 11, 1938

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1938 in New York (state)
• 1938 U.S. legislative sessions

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• Use American English from February 2025
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• Use mdy dates from October 2019