63rd New York State Legislature
← 62nd 64th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1840
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov.Luther Bradish (W)
Party control	Whig (20-12)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	George W. Patterson (W)
Party control	Whig (70-58)
Sessions
1st January 7 – May 14, 1840

The63rd New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, during the second year ofWilliam H. Seward's governorship, inAlbany.

Under the provisions of theNew York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.

State SenatorNoadiah Johnson died on April 4, 1839; and State SenatorEdward P. Livingston resigned on October 9, 1839; leaving two vacancies in the Third District.

At this time there were two political parties: theDemocratic Party and theWhig Party.

The State election was held from November 4 to 6, 1839.

State SenatorJohn Hunter (2nd D.) was re-elected.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol inAlbany on January 7, 1840; and adjourned on May 14.

George W. Patterson (W) was re-electedSpeaker with 68 votes against 56 forLevi S. Chatfield (D).

Upon taking their seats in the Senate, Humphrey, Sanford and Root drew lots to decide which one of the three senators elected in the Third District would serve which term. Sanford drew the one-year term, Humphrey the two-year term, and Root the full term.^[1]

On January 14,the Legislature electedNathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) to the seat in the U.S. Senate which he had vacated on March 4, 1839.

On January 20, Mayor of RochesterSamuel G. Andrews was elected Clerk of the Senate, to succeedJohn F. Bacon who had been Clerk since 1814.^[2]

The Legislature appointedThurlow Weed to succeedEdwin Croswell as State Printer.

On February 3, Lt. Gov. Bradish did not attend the session, andFrederick A. Tallmadge was elected president pro tempore of the Senate. On the same day,Jacob Haight (W) was re-elected State Treasurer.

On February 22, the Legislature electedGeorge H. Boughton,Simon Newton Dexter,Henry Hamilton,David Hudson andAsa Whitney to succeedWilliam Baker,William C. Bouck,John Bowman,Jonas Earll, Jr. and State SenatorSamuel Young as Canal Commissioners.

On September 2, the Democratic state convention met atSyracuse, and nominatedWilliam C. Bouck for Governor, and State SenatorDaniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.

The Whig state convention nominated Gov. Seward and Lt. Gov. Bradish for re-election.

• The First District (4 seats) consisted ofKings,New York andRichmond counties.
• The Second District (4 seats) consisted ofDutchess,Orange,Putnam,Queens,Rockland,Suffolk,Sullivan,Ulster andWestchester counties.
• The Third District (4 seats) consisted ofAlbany,Columbia,Delaware,Greene,Rensselaer,Schenectady andSchoharie counties.
• The Fourth District (4 seats) consisted ofClinton,Essex,Franklin,Fulton,Hamilton,Herkimer,Montgomery,St. Lawrence,Saratoga,Warren andWashington counties.
• The Fifth District (4 seats) consisted ofJefferson,Lewis,Madison,Oneida,Oswego andOtsego counties.
• The Sixth District (4 seats) consisted ofAllegany,Broome,Cattaraugus,Chemung,Chenango,Livingston,Steuben,Tioga andTompkins counties.
• The Seventh District (4 seats) consisted ofCayuga,Cortland,Onondaga,Ontario,Seneca,Wayne andYates counties.
• The Eighth District (4 seats) consisted ofChautauqua,Erie,Genesee,Monroe,Niagara andOrleans counties.

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

• Clerk:John F. Bacon, until January 20, 1840
  • Samuel G. Andrews, from January 20, 1840
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard M. Meigs
• Doorkeeper: Philip M. De Zeng
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Chauncey Dexter, from January 25, 1840

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

Party affiliations follow the result given in The New Yorker.

• Clerk:Philander B. Prindle
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Minos McGowen
• Doorkeeper: Samuel Francis Jr.
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Abraham H. Grovesteen

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 and 441 for Senate districts; pg. 132 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 223f 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. 2, Phinney & Co.,Buffalo, 1850; pg. 517 to 528)
• The Politician's Register published byHorace Greeley (1840; pg. 55f)
• A Political Register for 1840 published by E. C. Markley (Philadelphia, 1840; pg. 17f)
• The New Yorker (issue of November 16, 1839)

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1840 in New York (state)
• 1840 U.S. legislative sessions

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• Use American English from February 2025
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