65th New York State Legislature
← 64th 66th →
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York,United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1842
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov.Luther Bradish (W)
Party control	Democratic (17-15)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	Levi S. Chatfield (D)
Party control	Democratic (95-33)
Sessions
1st January 4 – April 12, 1842 2nd August 16 – September 7, 1842

The65th New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 4 to September 7, 1842, during the fourth 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 SenatorMinthorne Tompkins resigned on March 8, 1841; and State SenatorMark H. Sibley resigned on May 28, 1841; leaving vacancies in the First and Seventh District.

Secretary of StateJohn C. Spencer (W) resigned on October 11, 1841, to take office asU.S. Secretary of War.

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

In New York City, the "friends of civil and religious freedom, in favor of extending the benefits of a common school education to the neglected and indigent children of this city" met on October 26, 1841, at Carroll Hall, and nominated a ticket for the Senate and Assembly elections. The Carroll Hall assembly ticket was made up of 10 of the 13 Tammany Hall (Democratic) nominees and three own candidates. The spoiler effect led to the election of one Whig and one Democrat to the Senate, and of 10 Democrats and 3 Whigs to the Assembly.^[1]

The State election was held from November 1 to 3, 1841.

State SenatorHenry A. Livingston (2nd D.) was defeated for re-election.

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol inAlbany on January 4, 1842; and adjourned on April 12.

Levi S. Chatfield (D) was electedSpeaker with 93 votes against 32 forGeorge A. Simmons (W).John O. Cole (D) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 91 votes against 33 for the incumbentPhilander B. Prindle (W).

On January 12,John L. O'Sullivan (D) brought a bill in the Assembly to abolishcapital punishment, which was rejected on March 31 by a vote of 45 to 54.

On February 7, the Legislature electedSamuel Young (D) to fill the vacancy in the office of Secretary of State;Azariah C. Flagg (D) to succeedJohn A. Collier (W) as State Comptroller;Thomas Farrington (D) to succeedJacob Haight (W) as State Treasurer;George P. Barker (D) to succeedWillis Hall (W) as Attorney General; andNathaniel Jones (D) to succeedOrville L. Holley as Surveyor General.

On February 8, the Legislature electedDaniel P. Bissell,Stephen Clark,Jonas Earll, Jr.,Benjamin Enos,James Hooker andGeorge W. Little to succeedGeorge H. Boughton,Simon Newton Dexter,Henry Hamilton,David Hudson,Samuel B. Ruggles andAsa Whitney as Canal Commissioners.

On April 5, the Legislature enacted that future state elections be held on a single day, fixing the date on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November.

The Legislature met for a special session on August 16; and adjourned on September 7. This session was called to re-apportion the congressional districts. Earlier this year Congress had passed a law requiring all representatives in all States to be elected in single districts, and in New York there had been for decades several multiple-seat districts.

On September 7, the Democratic state convention met atSyracuse, and nominated againWilliam C. Bouck for Governor, andDaniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.

On the same day, the Whig state convention met;Charles H. Carroll was Chairman. They nominated Lt. Gov.Luther Bradish for Governor, and State SenatorGabriel Furman for Lieutenant Governor.

• 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,Orleans andWyoming counties.

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

• Clerk:Isaac R. Elwood

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

Party affiliations follow the vote on State officers on February 1, 7 and 8.^[2]

• Clerk:John O. Cole
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Abner N. Beardsley
• Doorkeeper: John W. Turner
• Assistant Doorkeepers: George Van Deusen
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Pliny M. Bromley, from January 8, 1842

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [pg. 109 and 441 for Senate districts; pg. 133 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 225ff for assemblymen]
• Political History of the State of New York from January 1, 1841, to January 1, 1847, Vol III, including the Life of Silas Wright (Hall & Dickson, Syracuse NY, 1848; pg. 247 to 311)
• The Tribune Almanac 1838 to 1868 ("The Whig Almanac 1843"; pg. 39)

• New York (state) legislative sessions
• 1842 in New York (state)
• 1842 U.S. legislative sessions

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