| 26th New York State Legislature | |||||
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 The Old Albany City Hall (undated) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | July 1, 1802 – June 30, 1803 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 32 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (Dem.-Rep.) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic-Republican (19-11) | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 100 | ||||
| Speaker | Thomas Storm (Dem.-Rep.) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic-Republican | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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The 26th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 25 to April 6, 1803, during the 2nd year of George Clinton's second tenure as Governor of New York, in Albany.
Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four 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.
In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
Elections
The State election was held from April 27 to 29, 1802. Senators John Schenck (Southern D.) and Solomon Sutherland (Middle D.) were re-elected. Joseph Annin, Matthias B. Tallmadge, George Tiffany (all three Western D.); and Assemblymen Abraham Adriance (Middle D.), Asa Danforth and Jacob Snell (both Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. All eight were Democratic-Republicans.
Sessions
The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 25, 1803; and adjourned on April 6.
Dem.-Rep. Thomas Storm was re-elected Speaker. Solomon Southwick (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 42 votes against 31 for the incumbent James Van Ingen (Fed.).
On February 1, 1803, the Legislature elected Theodorus Bailey (Dem.-Rep.) to the U.S. Senate, to succeed Gouverneur Morris (Fed.).
On February 8, 1803, the Legislature elected Abraham G. Lansing (Dem.-Rep.) State Treasurer, to succeed Robert McClellan (Fed.).
State Senate
Districts
- The Southern District (6 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
- The Middle District (8 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Columbia, Delaware, Rockland and Greene counties.
- The Eastern District (7 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Rensselaer, Albany, Saratoga and Essex counties.
- The Western District (11 seats) consisted of Montgomery, Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Schoharie, Steuben, Chenango, Oneida, Cayuga and Genesee counties.
Members
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Abraham Adriance, Asa Danforth and Jacob Snell changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | Richard Hatfield* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| William Denning* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Benjamin Huntting* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Ebenezer Purdy* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Ezra L'Hommedieu* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| John Schenck* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Middle | John Hathorn* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| John Suffern* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| John C. Hogeboom* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| James W. Wilkin* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Jacobus S. Bruyn* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Peter A. Van Bergen* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| (Solomon Sutherland*) | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | died September 10, 1802, before the Legislature met | |
| Abraham Adriance* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Eastern | Zina Hitchcock* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Ebenezer Russell* | 1 year | Federalist | ||
| Edward Savage* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| James Gordon* | 2 years | Federalist | ||
| Jacobus Van Schoonhoven* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Abraham Van Vechten* | 3 years | Federalist | also Recorder of the City of Albany | |
| (Christopher Hutton*) | 3 years | Dem.-Rep./Fed. | ||
| Western | Vincent Mathews* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Moss Kent* | 1 year | Federalist | ||
| Robert Roseboom* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Jedediah Sanger* | 2 years | Federalist | also First Judge of the Oneida County Court | |
| Lemuel Chipman* | 3 years | Federalist | ||
| Isaac Foote | 3 years | Federalist | ||
| Joseph Annin | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Asa Danforth* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| Jacob Snell* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment | |
| Matthias B. Tallmadge | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | ||
| George Tiffany | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. |
Employees
- Clerk: Henry I. Bleecker
State Assembly
Districts
- Albany County (6 seats)
- Cayuga County (3 seats)
- Chenango County (4 seats)
- Clinton County (1 seat)
- Columbia County (4 seats)
- Delaware County (2 seats)
- Dutchess County (7 seats)
- Essex County (1 seat)
- Genesee and Ontario counties (3 seats)
- Greene County (2 seats)
- Herkimer County (3 seats)
- Kings County (1 seat)
- Montgomery County (5 seats)
- The City and County of New York (9 seats)
- Oneida County (4 seats)
- Onondaga County (2 seats)
- Orange County (4 seats)
- Otsego County (4 seats)
- Queens County (3 seats)
- Rensselaer County (5 seats)
- Richmond County (1 seat)
- Rockland County (1 seat)
- Saratoga County (4 seats)
- Schoharie County (2 seats)
- Steuben County (1 seat)
- Suffolk County (3 seats)
- Tioga County (1 seat)
- Ulster County (4 seats)
- Washington County (6 seats)
- Westchester County (4 seats)
Assemblymen
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Stephen Lush changed from the Senate to the Assembly.
Employees
- Clerk: Solomon Southwick
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Ephraim Hunt
- Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple
Notes
- The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
- Staats claimed the seat, but was not admitted; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 18f)
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to 1840 by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 1, H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, 1846; pages 184ff)
- Election result Assembly, Columbia Co. at project "A New Nation Votes", compiled by Phil Lampi, hosted by Tufts University Digital Library
- Election result Assembly, Dutchess Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Greene Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Herkimer Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Queens Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Rensselaer Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Schoharie Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Steuben Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Washington Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Election result Assembly, Westchester Co. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Partial election result Senate, Southern D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Partial election result Senate, Middle D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
- Partial election result Senate, Western D. at project "A New Nation Votes"
