59th New York State Legislature
← 58th 60th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1836
Senate
Members	32
President	Lieutenant GovernorJohn Tracy (Democrat)
Party control	Democratic (28-4)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	Charles Humphrey (Democrat)
Party control	Democratic
Sessions
1st January 5 – May 26, 1836

The59th New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 26, 1836, during the fourth year ofWilliam L. Marcy'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 SenatorJohn Sudam died on April 13, 1835; and State SenatorJohn G. Stower resigned on September 29, 1835; leaving vacancies in the Second and Fifth District.

Canal CommissionerMichael Hoffman resigned on May 6, 1835. On May 9, the Legislature electedHeman J. Redfield to succeed Hoffman, but Redfield declined to take office. During the recess of the Legislature, Gov. Marcy appointedJohn Bowman to fill the vacancy temporarily.

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

The State election was held from November 2 to 4, 1835. State SenatorChauncey J. Fox (8th D.) was re-elected.Henry Floyd-Jones (1st D.),John Hunter,Ebenezer Lounsbery (both 2nd D.),James Powers (3rd D.),David Spraker (4th D.),Micah Sterling (5th D.),George Huntington (6th D.),John Beardsley (7th D.) and AssemblymanDavid Wager (5th D.) were also elected to the Senate. Fox was a Whig, the other nine were Democrats.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol inAlbany on January 5, 1836; and adjourned on May 26.

Charles Humphrey (D) was re-electedSpeaker.

Upon taking their seats in the Senate, Hunter and Lounsbery (2nd D.), and Sterling and Wager (5th D.), drew lots to decide which one of the two senators elected in each district would serve the short term, and which one the full term. Lounsbery and Wager drew the short term, and Hunter and Sterling the full term.^[1]

On January 6, Attorney GeneralGreene C. Bronson was appointed to theNew York Supreme Court.

On January 9, the Legislature confirmed Gov. Marcy's recess appointment ofJohn Bowman as Canal Commissioner.

On January 12, the Legislature elected CongressmanSamuel Beardsley to succeed Bronson as Attorney General.

On February 1, the Legislature re-elected Secretary of StateJohn A. Dix, State ComptrollerAzariah C. Flagg and State TreasurerAbraham Keyser.

On May 20, State SenatorJohn C. Kemble resigned after accusations of fraudulent and corrupt stock trading.

On Saturday, May 21, the Senate rejected a motion to expelIsaac W. Bishop, and adjourned.

On Monday morning, May 23, at the beginning of the session, State SenatorsSamuel Young andMyndert Van Schaick resigned their seats, stating they would not sit together with persons who refused to expel Bishop after finding him "guilty of moral and official misconduct." About half an hour later Bishop resigned his seat too.

Later on May 23, the Legislature passed "An act authorizing the appointment of an additional acting Canal Commissioner," and on May 25, the Legislature electedWilliam Baker to the office.

On May 23, the Legislature also re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the State census of 1835. Queens and Suffolk counties were transferred from the First to the Second District; Delaware County from the Second to the Third; Herkimer County from the Fifth to the Fourth; Otsego from the Sixth to the Fifth; Allegany, Cattaraugus and Livingston counties from the Eighth to the Sixth; and Cortland County from the Sixth to the Seventh. The total number of assemblymen remained 128. The new county of Chemung was apportioned one seat. Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Kings, Niagara, Oswego and Steuben counties gained one seat each; New York County gained two; and Cayuga, Dutchess, Herkimer, Oneida, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins, Washington and Westchester counties lost one seat each.^[2]

The Democratic state convention met on September 14 atHerkimer and nominated Gov. Marcy and Lt. Gov. Tracy for re-election; and an electoral ticket pledged toMartin Van Buren for president andRichard M. Johnson for vice president.

The Whig state convention nominatedJesse Buel for Governor, andGamaliel H. Barstow for Lieutenant Governor; and an electoral ticket pledged toWilliam Henry Harrison for president.

TheEqual Rights Party state convention met on September 15 atUtica;Robert Townsend Jr. was Chairman. They nominatedIsaac S. Smith, of Buffalo, for Governor; andMoses Jaques, of New York City, for Lieutenant Governor.

• The First District (4 seats) consisted ofKings,New York,Queens,Richmond andSuffolk counties.
• The Second District (4 seats) consisted ofDelaware,Dutchess,Orange,Putnam,Rockland,Sullivan,Ulster andWestchester counties.
• The Third District (4 seats) consisted ofAlbany,Columbia,Greene,Rensselaer,Schenectady andSchoharie counties.
• The Fourth District (4 seats) consisted ofClinton,Essex,Franklin,Hamilton,Montgomery,St. Lawrence,Saratoga,Warren andWashington counties.
• The Fifth District (4 seats) consisted ofHerkimer,Jefferson,Lewis,Madison,Oneida andOswego counties.
• The Sixth District (4 seats) consisted ofBroome,Chenango,Cortland,Otsego,Steuben,Tioga andTompkins counties.
• The Seventh District (4 seats) consisted ofCayuga,Onondaga,Ontario,Seneca,Wayne andYates counties.
• The Eighth District (4 seats) consisted ofAllegany,Cattaraugus,Chautauqua,Erie,Genesee,Livingston,Monroe,Niagara andOrleans counties.

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

• Clerk:John F. Bacon

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

• Clerk:Philip Reynolds Jr.
• Sergeant-at-Arms:Daniel Dygert
• Doorkeeper: William Powell
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Daniel Sweatman

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 and 441 for Senate districts; pg. 130f for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 217f 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. 454 to 462)

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1836 in New York (state)
• 1836 U.S. legislative sessions

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