31st New York State Legislature
← 30th 32nd →
The Old Albany City Hall (undated)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	July 1, 1807 – June 30, 1808
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov.John Broome (Clintonian)
Party control	Clintonian
Assembly
Members	100
Speaker	Alexander Sheldon (Clintonian)
Party control	Clintonian
Sessions
1st January 26 – April 11, 1808

The31st New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 26 to April 11, 1808, during the first year ofDaniel D. Tompkins'sgovernorship, inAlbany.

Under the provisions of theNew York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually.

In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

State SenatorHenry Huntington resigned in 1807, leaving a vacancy in the Western District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: theFederalists and theDemocratic-Republicans.^[1]

In 1805, the 28th Legislature had chartered theMerchant's Bank of New York which had been founded by Federalists in competition to the Democratic-RepublicanBank of the Manhattan Company. The Democratic-Republican majority of the 27th Legislature had not only refused to grant a charter, but actually ordered the Merchant's Bank to shut down by May 1805. During the next session, the bank bribed enough legislators to have the charter approved, although the Democratic-Republican leaders advocated strongly against it. Gov. Morgan Lewis spoke out in favor of granting the charter^[2] what was resented by the party leadersDeWitt Clinton andAmbrose Spencer, and soon led to the split of the party into "Lewisites" and "Clintonians".^[3] The 30th Legislature had a Lewisite-Federalist majority and elected aCouncil of Appointment which removed most Clintonian office-holders. The Lewisites and the Federalists nominated Gov.Morgan Lewis for re-election andThomas Storm as his running mate. The Clintonians nominated Supreme Court JusticeDaniel D. Tompkins for governor, and the incumbent Lt. Gov.John Broome for re-election.

The State election was held from April 28 to 30, 1807. Tompkins and Broome were elected. For the first time in State history an incumbent governor ran for re-election and was defeated.

SenatorsDeWitt Clinton (Southern D.),Joshua H. Brett (Middle D.) andJohn Tayler (Eastern D.) were re-elected.Robert Williams (Middle D.),Isaac Kellogg,John McLean,Charles Selden (all three Eastern D.); and AssemblymanAlexander Rea (Western D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate.William Floyd (Western D.) was elected to fill the vacancy. Brett and Williams were Lewisites, the other seven were Clintonians.

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall inAlbany on January 26, 1808; and adjourned on April 11.

Alexander Sheldon (Cl.) was again electedSpeaker.Daniel Rodman (Cl.) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 60 votes against 21 for the incumbentGerrit Y. Lansing (Lew.).

On February 1, the Clintonian majority elected a newCouncil of Appointment which removed most Lewisite office-holders.

On February 5, the Legislature electedDavid Thomas (Cl.) to succeedAbraham G. Lansing (Lew.) asNew York State Treasurer.

On February 8, 1808, State SenatorJoseph C. Yates was appointed to theNew York Supreme Court, leaving a vacancy in the Eastern District. The Legislature re-apportioned the Senate seats, and transferred one seat each from the Southern, the Middle and the Eastern (the vacant one) districts to the Western District.

On February 12,Sebastian Visscher was elected Clerk of the Senate to succeedSolomon Southwick.

On April 1, 1808, the Legislature also re-apportioned the Assembly districts. The total number of assemblymen was increased from 100 to 112. Broome and Tioga were separated with 1 seat each. Allegany, Genesee and Ontario were separated with 1 seat for Genesee, 5 for Ontario and Allegany was joined with Steuben. Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence were separated with 2 seats for Jefferson and 1 each for Lewis and St. Lawrence. Cayuga, Chenango, Madison and Onondaga gained 1 seat each; New York City and Oneida gained 2 each. Dutchess, Rensselaer, Washington and Westchester lost 1 seat each. Franklin County was split from Clinton County but remained in the same Assembly district. Niagara County was split from Genesee County, and had 1 seat in the Assembly.

• The Southern District (6 seats) consisted ofKings,New York,Queens,Richmond,Suffolk andWestchester counties.
• The Middle District (8 seats) consisted ofDutchess,Orange,Ulster,Columbia,Delaware,Rockland andGreene counties.
• The Eastern District (9 seats) consisted ofWashington,Clinton,Rensselaer,Albany,Saratoga,Essex andMontgomery counties.
• The Western District (9 seats) consisted ofHerkimer,Ontario,Otsego,Tioga,Onondaga,Schoharie,Steuben,Chenango,Oneida,Cayuga,Genesee,Seneca,Jefferson,Lewis,St. Lawrence,Allegany,Broome andMadison counties.

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Alexander Rea changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

• Clerk:Solomon Southwick
  • Sebastian Visscher, from February 12, 1808

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

• Clerk:Daniel Rodman
• Sergeant-at-Arms:Thomas Donnelly
• Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108f for Senate districts; pg. 120 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 181 for assemblymen]
• The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to 1840 byJabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 1, H. & E. Phinney,Cooperstown, 1846; pages 246-265)
• Election result Assembly, Cayuga Co. at project "A New Nation Votes", compiled byPhil Lampi, hosted byTufts University Digital Library
• Election result Assembly, Dutchess Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Herkimer Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Partial election result Assembly, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Co. at project "A New Nation Votes" [gives only votes from Lewis Co.]
• Election result Assembly, Kings Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Onondaga Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Queens Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Richmond Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Seneca Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Assembly, Washington Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Senate, Southern D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Senate, Middle D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Senate, Eastern D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result Senate, Western D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result, Assembly Clerk at project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result, Council of Appointment at project "A New Nation Votes"

• 1807 in New York (state)
• 1808 in New York (state)
• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1807 U.S. legislative sessions

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