96th New York State Legislature
← 95th 97th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1873
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov.John C. Robinson (R)
Temporary President	William B. Woodin (R)
Party control	Republican (21-4-4-2)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	Alonzo B. Cornell (R)
Party control	Republican (92-34-2)
Sessions
1st January 7 – May 30, 1873

The96th New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 30, 1873, during the first year ofJohn A. Dix'sgovernorship, 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 (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,^[1] forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

In his annual message to the 95th Legislature, Gov.John T. Hoffman suggested that a bi-partisan Constitutional Commission of 32 members should be formed. The commission had four members from each judicial district, appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the State Senate, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. The Constitutional Commission met on December 4, 1872.

At this time there were two major political parties: theRepublican Party and theDemocratic Party. A faction of the Republican Party assumed the name ofLiberal Republican Party and nominated a fusion ticket with the Democrats, supportingHorace Greeley for president. The Democratic/Liberal Republican state ticket hadFrancis Kernan (D) for Governor andChauncey M. Depew (LR) for Lieutenant Governor.

The1872 New York state election was held on November 5. RepublicansJohn A. Dix andJohn C. Robinson were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The other three statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republicans 446,000 and Democrats/Liberal Republicans 392,000.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol inAlbany on January 7, 1873; and adjourned on May 30.

Alonzo B. Cornell (R) was electedSpeaker with 91 votes against 35 forJohn C. Jacobs (D).

William B. Woodin (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

On January 21,the Legislature re-elected U.S. SenatorRoscoe Conkling (R) to a second six-year term, beginning on March 4, 1873.^[2]

The Constitutional Commission adjournedsine die on March 15, 1873. The proposed amendments to the Constitution were then debated by the Legislature, and those approved were submitted to the voters for ratification at the next state elections. At theNew York state election, 1873, the voters were asked if the Judges of the Court of Appeals, and the County Judges throughout the State, should be appointed instead of being elected, which was answered in the negative.

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

Note: Palmer, Harrower and Allen had been elected as Republicans in 1871, but had joined the Liberal Republicans in 1872, and were barred from the Republican caucus.

• Clerk:Charles R. Dayton
• Assistant Doorkeeper: James Franklyn Jr.
• Stenographer: H. C. Tanner

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

• Clerk:John O'Donnell
• Assistant Clerk: Samuel P. Allen
• Sergeant-at-Arms:Edward M. Goring
• Doorkeeper:Eugene L. Demers
• Journal Clerk:Edward M. Johnson

• Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; see pg. 276 for Senate districts; pg. 290 for senators; pg. 298–304 for Assembly districts; and pg. 373f for assemblymen)
• Life Sketches of Executive Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York by William H. McElroy & Alexander McBride (1873)
• THE ASSEMBLY in NYT on November 7, 1872
• ALBANY; Organization of Both Houses of the Legislature in NYT on January 8, 1873

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1873 in New York (state)
• 1873 U.S. legislative sessions

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