| 9th New York State Legislature | |||||
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 The Old Royal Exchange, in New York City, where the Legislature met from 1785 to 1787. (undated) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York,United States | ||||
| Term | July 1, 1785 – June 30, 1786 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 24 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov.Pierre Van Cortlandt | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 70 (de facto 65) | ||||
| Speaker | John Lansing Jr. | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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The9th New York State Legislature, consisting of theNew York State Senate and theNew York State Assembly, met from January 12 to May 5, 1786, during the ninth year ofGeorge Clinton'sgovernorship, at the Old Royal Exchange inNew York City.
Under the provisions of theNew York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.
The8th New York State Legislature adjourned on April 27, 1785. At this time, the Senate voted that the next Legislature meet atKingston, New York on a day set by the governor. The Assembly voted to meet at a time and place to be determined by the governor, to which the Senate then agreed. On November 16, 1785, Governor Clinton called the Legislature to meet on January 6, 1786, at the Exchange in New York City.[1]
The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1785. SenatorJohn Haring (Middle D.) was re-elected; andThomas Tredwell (Southern D.),Volkert P. Douw,Philip Schuyler (both Western D.), and AssemblymenDavid Hopkins (Eastern D.) andCornelius Humfrey (Middle D.), were elected to the Senate.
The State Legislature met at the Old Royal Exchange inNew York City, the Assembly on January 12, the Senate on January 16, 1786; and both Houses adjourned on May 5.
When the Legislature eventually had assembled a quorum, Governor Clinton told them that, following the principle ofSeparation of Powers, the Governor could call the Legislature only for special sessions, but the Legislature should henceforth decide for themselves where and when to meet for the next ordinary session, and suggested to pass a law for this purpose. On March 13, 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. However, no general meeting place was determined, leaving it for the time being to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.[2]
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State ofNew York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Cornelius Humfrey and David Hopkins changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | Lewis Morris* | 1 year | elected to theCouncil of Appointment |
| Isaac Roosevelt* | 1 year | ||
| Isaac Stoutenburgh* | 2 years | ||
| Samuel Townsend* | 2 years | ||
| Stephen Ward* | 2 years | ||
| William Floyd* | 3 years | ||
| Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 3 years | ||
| Alexander McDougall* | 3 years | died on June 9, 1786 | |
| Thomas Tredwell | 4 years | ||
| Middle | William Allison* | 1 year | |
| Joseph Gasherie* | 2 years | ||
| Jacobus Swartwout* | 2 years | elected to theCouncil of Appointment | |
| Arthur Parks* | 3 years | ||
| John Haring* | 4 years | ||
| (Cornelius Humfrey)* | 4 years | did not attend | |
| Eastern | John Williams* | 1 year | |
| Ebenezer Russell* | 3 years | ||
| David Hopkins* | 4 years | elected to theCouncil of Appointment | |
| Western | (Jacob G. Klock)* | 1 year | did not attend |
| Abraham Yates Jr.* | 1 year | ||
| Andrew Finck* | 2 years | ||
| Peter Van Ness* | 3 years | ||
| Volkert P. Douw | 4 years | ||
| Philip Schuyler | 4 years | elected to theCouncil of Appointment |
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State ofNew York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
