84th New York State Legislature
← 83rd 85th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1861
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov.Robert Campbell (R)
Temporary President	Ephraim Goss (R), on February 8 Peter P. Murphy (R), on March 7 Erastus S. Prosser (R), on March 25 William H. Ferry, from March 25
Party control	Republican (23-9)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	DeWitt C. Littlejohn (R)
Party control	Republican (93-35)
Sessions
1st January 1 – April 16, 1861

The84th New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 1 to April 16, 1861, during the third year ofEdwin D. Morgan's governorship, inAlbany.

Under the provisions of theNew 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: theRepublican Party and theDemocratic Party. The Democrats split over the slavery issue andpresidential nomination. Two State tickets were nominated, one supportingStephen A. Douglas for president, the other supportingJohn C. Breckinridge.

The1860 New York state election was held on November 6. Gov. Edwin D. Morgan and Lt. Gov. Robert Campbell (both Rep.) were re-elected. The other two statewide elective offices were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor was: Republican 358,000; Douglas Democratic 294,000; and Breckinridge Democratic 19,000.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol inAlbany on January 1, 1861; and adjourned on April 16.

DeWitt C. Littlejohn (R) was re-electedSpeaker with 90 votes against 31 forFrancis Kernan (D).

On January 16, the Legislature electedBenjamin F. Bruce (R) asCanal Commissioner, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Commissioner-electSamuel H. Barnes (R).

On February 5,the Legislature elected Ex-Supreme Court JusticeIra Harris (R) to succeedWilliam H. Seward asU.S. Senator from New York for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1861.

On February 8,Ephraim Goss (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for this day."^[1]

On February 19,Jay Gibbons (D) asked the Assembly to appoint a Select Committee to investigate allegations that he had "corruptly solicited a consideration for his official action in regard to a bill now pending before this House, to increase the salary of the assistant district attorney of the County of Albany." Speaker Littlejohn appointed assemblymen Bingham, Tuthill (both R), Hutchings, Kernan and Taber (all three D) to this committee.Mitchell Sanford andTheophilus C. Callicot appeared for Gibbons's defence during the proceedings.

On March 7,Peter P. Murphy (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for this day."^[2] On the same day, a Committee was appointed to "enquire and report whether it be necessary to appoint a President pro tempore, or whether the President pro tempore chosen at the previous session holds his office during the present session."^[3]

On March 12, the Committee reported that it is necessary to appoint a President pro tempore, and that the President pro tempore chosen at the previous session does not continue in office at the next session. Besides, the committee opined that a President pro tempore can only be appointed if the Lieutenant Governor is actually absent, and that the appointment ceases whenever the Lieutenant Governor returns.^[4]

On March 25,Erastus S. Prosser (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for this day."^[5] Later on the same day,William H. Ferry (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate "for the balance of the Session."^[6]

On April 3, the Select Committee's resolution to expel Jay Gibbons was adopted by a vote of 99 to 8.

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

• Clerk:James Terwilliger
• Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Clark
• Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George H. Knapp
• Doorkeeper: Peter Kilmer
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles Johnson
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: John H. France
• Third Assistant Doorkeeper: Caspar Walter

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

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker and U.S. Senator.

• Clerk:Hanson A. Risley
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles D. Easton
• Doorkeeper: George C. Dennis
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry Henderson
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Sanders Wilson

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; see pg. 439 for Senate districts; pg. 442 for senators; pg. 450–462 for Assembly districts; and pg. 492ff for assemblymen)
• Journal of the Senate (84th Session) (1861)
• Journal of the Assembly (84th Session) (1861)
• Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York by William D. Murphy (1861)

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1861 in New York (state)
• 1861 U.S. legislative sessions

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