108th New York State Legislature

{{Infobox New York Legislature

|number = 108th

|image =

|imagename =

|imagedate =

|start = January 1

|end = December 31, 1885

|vp = vacant

|pro tem = Dennis McCarthy (R)

|speaker = George Z. Erwin (R)

|senators = 32

|reps = 128

|s-majority = Republican (19-13)

|h-majority = Republican (73-55)

|sessionnumber1 = 1st

|sessionstart1 = January 6

|sessionend1 = May 15, 1885

|sessionnumber2 = 2nd

|sessionstart2 = May 15

|sessionend2 = 22, 1885

|previous = 107th

|next = 109th

}}

The 108th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 22, 1885, during the first year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New 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 (seven districts) and Kings County (three districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts. forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In New York City the Democrats were split into three factions: Tammany Hall, "Irving Hall" and the "County Democrats". The Prohibition Party; and a fusion of the Greenback Party, the Anti-Monopoly Party and the "People's Party", also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1884 New York state election was held on November 4. Governor Grover Cleveland was elected President of the United States. The only two statewide elective offices up for election were two judgeships on the New York Court of Appeals, which were carried by the two cross-endorsed incumbents, one Democrats and one Republican.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1885; and adjourned on May 15.

On January 6, Gov. Grover Cleveland resigned, and Lt. Gov. David B. Hill succeeded to the office.

George Z. Erwin (R) was elected Speaker with 72 votes against 51 for William Caryl Ely (D).[http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/Yonkers%20NY%20Statesman/Yonkers%20NY%20Statesman%201885/Yonkers%20NY%20Statesman%201885%20-%200008.pdf TO-DAY'S NEWS; The Assembly] in The Yonkers Statesman on January 6, 1885

On January 20, the Legislature elected William M. Evarts (R) to succeed Elbridge G. Lapham (R) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1885.[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/01/22/106295767.pdf EVARTS ELECTED SENATOR] in NYT on January 22, 1885

On May 15, the Legislature adjourned. While the members were exchanging farewells, copies of Gov. Hill's proclamation for a special session, to convene on the same day at 4 p.m., were delivered to the clerks of the Senate and the Assembly. The special session was called to consider again — Hill had vetoed a census bill during the regular session — action to be taken concerning the decennial enumeration which, under the Constitution, was due in 1885. In his message to the Legislature, Hill stated that the Constitution required an "enumeration", but not a "census".[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/05/16/103015329.pdf AN EXTRA SESSION CALLED] in NYT on May 16, 1885 No enumeration or census bill was passed until 1891.

State Senate

=Districts=

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties
2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Gravesend and New Utrecht in Kings County
3rd District: 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 23rd Ward of the City of Brooklyn
4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of New Lots and Flatlands in Kings County
5th District: Richmond County and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 14th and parts of the 4th and 9th Ward of New York City
6th District: 7th, 11th, 13th and part of the 4th Ward of NYC
7th District: 10th, 17th and part of the 15th, 18th and 21st Ward of NYC
8th District: 16th and part of the 9th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC
9th District: Part of the 18th, 19th and 21st Ward of NYC
10th District: Part of the 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Ward of NYC
11th District: 23rd and 24th, and part of the 12th, 20th and 22nd Ward of NYC
12th District: Rockland and Westchester counties
13th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
14th District: Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties
15th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
16th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
17th District: Albany County
18th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
19th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
20th District: Franklin, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
21st District: Oswego and Jefferson counties
22nd District: Oneida County
23rd District: Herkimer, Madison and Otsego counties
24th District: Chenango, Delaware and Broome counties
25th District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
26th District: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Tioga counties
27th District: Allegany, Chemung and Steuben counties
28th District: Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and Yates counties
29th District: Monroe and Orleans counties
30th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara and Wyoming counties
31st District: Erie County
32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties}}

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New 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.

=Members=

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

class=wikitable

! District

! Senator

! Party

! Notes

1st

|James Otis*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|John J. Kiernan*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

3rd

|Albert Daggett*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

4th

|John C. Jacobs*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

5th

|Michael C. Murphy*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

6th

|Timothy J. Campbell*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

|on November 3, 1885, elected to the 49th U.S. Congress

7th

|James Daly*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County Dem.

8th

|Frederick S. Gibbs*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

9th

|John J. Cullen*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

10th

|J. Hampden Robb*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

11th

|George W. Plunkitt*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

12th

|Henry C. Nelson*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

13th

|Henry R. Low*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

14th

|John Van Schaick*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

15th

|Thomas Newbold*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

16th

|Albert C. Comstock*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

17th

|John B. Thacher*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

18th

|James Arkell*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

19th

|Shepard P. Bowen*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

20th

|John I. Gilbert*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

21st

|Frederick Lansing*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

22nd

|Henry J. Coggeshall*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

23rd

|Andrew Davidson*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

24th

|Edward B. Thomas*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

25th

|Dennis McCarthy*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

|President pro tempore

26th

|Edward S. Esty*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

27th

|J. Sloat Fassett*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

28th

|Thomas Robinson*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

29th

|Charles S. Baker*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

|on November 4, 1884, elected to the 49th U.S. Congress

30th

|Timothy E. Ellsworth*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

31st

|Robert C. Titus*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

32nd

|Commodore P. Vedder*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

=Employees=

Clerk: John W. Vrooman
Sergeant-at-Arms: George A. Goss
Doorkeeper: David W. Bogert
Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner
Postmaster: A. E. Darrow
Janitor: A. L. Neidick
Chaplain: S. V. Leech

State Assembly

=Assemblymen=

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

class=wikitable

! colspan="2" | District

! Assemblymen

! Party

! Notes

rowspan="4" | Albany

|1st

|Stephen H. Niles

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Lansing Hotaling

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

3rd

|Patrick Murray

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

4th

|Terence I. Hardin

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Allegany

|William R. McEwen

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Broome

|William H. Olin*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Cattaraugus

|1st

|Frederick W. Kruse*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Eugene A. Nash*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Cayuga

|1st

|Willoughby B. Priddy*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Michael B. Van Buskirk

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Chautauqua

|1st

|Dana P. Horton*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Julien T. Williams

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Chemung

|Jonas S. Van Duzer*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Chenango

|George B. WhitmoreGeorge B. Whitmore (born 1835), brother of assemblyman Daniel E. Whitmore (in 1875)

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Clinton

|George W. Palmer

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Columbia

|John C. HogeboomJohn C. Hogeboom (born 1857), grandson of state senator John C. Hogeboom (1801–05)

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Cortland

|Harlan P. Andrews

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Delaware

|Silas S. Cartwright*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Dutchess

|1st

|Joseph H. Storm

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Edward B. Osborne*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="5" | Erie

|1st

|William F. Sheehan

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Frank M. Giese

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

3rd

|William M. Hawkins

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

4th

|Timothy W. Jackson*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

5th

|Amos H. Baker

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Essex

|Wesley Barnes

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Franklin

|William T. O'Neil*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Fulton and Hamilton

|Alden W. Berry

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Genesee

|Lucien R. Bailey*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Greene

|Stephen T. Hopkins

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Herkimer

|John M. Budlong

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Jefferson

|1st

|Allen E. Kilby

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Eli J. Seeber*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="12" | Kings

|1st

|Moses J. Wafer

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Richard Nagle*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

3rd

|Peter K. McCann

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

4th

|Henry F. Haggerty

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

5th

|Michael J. Coffey*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

6th

|Thomas F. Farrell*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

7th

|George H. Lindsay*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

8th

|Robert E. Connelly

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

9th

|Lewis A. Myers

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

10th

|James Taylor*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

11th

|Henry Heath*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

12th

|Mortimer C. Earl*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Lewis

|G. Henry P. Gould

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Livingston

|Kidder M. Scott*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Madison

|Edward F. Haskell*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="3" | Monroe

|1st

|Walter S. Hubbell*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|James P. Tumilty

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

|unsuccessfully contested by Charles W. Voshall (R)see [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=692;num=684 A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York] (1899; pg. 684)

3rd

|Philip Garbutt*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Montgomery

|Thomas Liddle

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="24" | New York

|1st

|Daniel E. Finn

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Irving H. Dem.

2nd

|James Oliver*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

3rd

|Charles Eiseman

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

4th

|Patrick H. Roche*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

5th

|Michael Brennan

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

6th

|Edward F. Reilly

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

7th

|Lucas L. Van Allen*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

8th

|Charles Smith*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

9th

|John P. Rockefeller

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

10th

|George F. Roesch

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

11th

|Walter Howe*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

12th

|Solomon D. Rosenthal*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

13th

|John P. Windolph

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

14th

|Jacob Kunzenman

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County Dem.

15th

|John B. McGoldrick

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

16th

|Edward P. Hagan

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County Dem.

17th

|John H. O'Hara

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

18th

|John F. Kenny

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

19th

|Eugene S. Ives

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

20th

|James Haggerty*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

21st

|Henry A. Barnum

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

22nd

|Joseph L. Gerety

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

23rd

|Jacob A. Cantor

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Tammany Dem.

24th

|John B. Shea

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | County/Irv. H. Dem.

rowspan="2" | Niagara

|1st

|Jacob A. Driess*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Walter P. Horne

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="3" | Oneida

|1st

|Henry A. Steber

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Labor Reform/Rep.

2nd

|Lewis B. Sherman

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Dem./Labor Reform

3rd

|T. James Owens*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="3" | Onondaga

|1st

|Wallace Tappan

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Francis Hendricks*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

3rd

|Conrad Shoemaker*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Ontario

|John Raines

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Orange

|1st

|Samuel L. Carlisle

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|George W. Greene

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Orleans

|J. Marshall Dibble*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Oswego

|1st

|Henry C. Howe

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Gouverneur M. Sweet*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Otsego

|1st

|William Caryl Ely*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

|Minority Leader

2nd

|Frank B. Arnold

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Putnam

|Robert A. Livingston

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Queens

|1st

|Louis K. Church*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Thomas Allen Smith

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="3" | Rensselaer

|1st

|James P. Hooley*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Dem./Labor Reform

2nd

|Eugene L. Demers

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

3rd

|Charles C. Lodewick

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Richmond

|Michael S. Tynan

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Rockland

|John W. Felter*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="3" | St. Lawrence

|1st

|N. Martin Curtis*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Andrew Tuck

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Rep./Proh.

3rd

|George Z. Erwin*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

|elected Speaker

rowspan="2" | Saratoga

|1st

|Daniel C. Briggs*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Bartlett B. Grippin

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Schenectady

|Edward D. Cutler

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Schoharie

|Addison H. Bartley

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Schuyler

|Fremont Cole

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Seneca

|William B. Clark

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="2" | Steuben

|1st

|George E. Whiteman*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Charles D. Baker

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Suffolk

|Simeon S. Hawkins*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Sullivan

|James D. Decker

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Tioga

|Charles F. Barager*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Tompkins

|Hiland K. Clark

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="3" | Ulster

|1st

|Robert A. Snyder

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Gilbert D. B. Hasbrouck*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

3rd

|Cornelius A. J. Hardenbergh

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

colspan="2" | Warren

|Frank Bryne

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="2" | Washington

|1st

|George Scott

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Charles K. Baker*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

rowspan="2" | Wayne

|1st

|Ammon S. Farnum*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

2nd

|Edwin K. Burnham

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

rowspan="3" | Westchester

|1st

|Charles P. McClelland

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

2nd

|Samuel W. Johnson*

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democrat

3rd

|James W. Husted*

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Wyoming

|John E. Lowing

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

colspan="2" | Yates

|Clark E. Smith

|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

=Employees=

Clerk: Charles A. Chickering
Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward H. Talbott
Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
Assistant Doorkeeper: Herman K. Fox
Assistant Doorkeeper: John Christie
Stenographer: Emory P. Close

Notes

Sources

[https://archive.org/stream/newyorkredbook00unkngoog#page/n570/mode/1up The New York Red Book] compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 384f for senate districts; pg. 403 for senators; pg. 410–417 for Assembly districts; and pg. 504 for assemblymen)
[http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/indiana-university-of-pennsylvania/the-evening-journal--almanac-volume-1885-nsl/page-32-the-evening-journal--almanac-volume-1885-nsl.shtml Biographical sketches of the Members of the Legislature] in The Evening Journal Almanac (1885) [e-book]
[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/01/06/106293399.pdf ERWIN DEFEATS HUBBELL] in NYT on January 6, 1885

108

Category:1885 in New York (state)

Category:1885 U.S. legislative sessions