135th New York State Legislature

The 135th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to March 29, 1912, during the second year of John Alden Dix's governorship, in Albany.

135th New York State Legislature
← 134th 136th →
New York State Capitol (2009)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York, United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1912
Senate
Members	51
President	Lt. Gov. Thomas F. Conway (D)
Temporary President	Robert F. Wagner (D)
Party control	Democratic (29-21)
Assembly
Members	150
Speaker	Edwin A. Merritt Jr. (R)
Party control	Republican (100-48-1)
Sessions
1st January 3 – March 29, 1912

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1906 and 1907, 51 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (eight districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

Elections

The New York state election, 1911, was held on November 7. No statewide elective offices were up for election. For the first time, a Socialist was elected to the Assembly.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1912; and adjourned on March 29.

Edwin A. Merritt Jr. (R) was elected Speaker with 95 votes against 45 for Al Smith (D).

On April 19, Bronx County was created by the Legislature, to be effectively separated from New York County on January 1, 1914. To date, this was the last county created in the State of New York.

State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: Queens County, i.e the Borough of Queens
• 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
• 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx
• 23rd District: Richmond and Rockland counties
• 24th District: Westchester County
• 25th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
• 26th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties
• 27th District: Greene and Ulster counties
• 28th District: Albany County
• 29th District: Rensselaer County
• 30th District: Saratoga and Washington counties
• 31st District: Montgomery, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
• 32nd District: Lewis, Fulton, Hamilton and Herkimer counties
• 33rd District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
• 34th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
• 35th District: Jefferson and Oswego counties
• 36th District: Oneida County
• 37th District: Chenango, Madison and Otsego counties
• 38th District: Onondaga County
• 39th District: Broome and Delaware counties
• 40th District: Cayuga, Cortland and Seneca counties
• 41st District: Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties
• 42nd District: Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties
• 43rd District: Steuben and Livingston counties
• 44th District: Allegany, Genesee and Wyoming counties
• 45th and 46th District: Monroe County
• 47th District: Niagara and Orleans counties
• 48th, 49th and 50th District: Erie County
• 51st District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

Members

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

District	Senator	Party	Notes
1st	James L. Long*	Democrat
2nd	Dennis J. Harte*	Democrat
3rd	Thomas H. Cullen*	Democrat
4th	Loring M. Black Jr.*	Democrat
5th	Barth S. Cronin*	Democrat
6th	Eugene M. Travis*	Republican
7th	Thomas C. Harden*	Democrat
8th	James F. Duhamel*	Democrat
9th	Felix J. Sanner*	Democrat
10th	James H. O'Brien*	Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
11th	Christopher D. Sullivan*	Democrat
12th	Timothy D. Sullivan*	Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
13th	James D. McClelland*	Democrat
14th	(Thomas F. Grady)*	Democrat	did not take his seat, and died on February 3, 1912
15th	Thomas J. McManus*	Democrat
16th	Robert F. Wagner*	Democrat	President pro tempore
17th	John G. Saxe*	Democrat
18th	Henry W. Pollock*	Democrat
19th	Josiah T. Newcomb*	Republican
20th	James J. Frawley*	Democrat
21st	Stephen J. Stilwell*	Democrat
22nd	Anthony J. Griffin*	Democrat
23rd	Howard R. Bayne*	Democrat
24th	J. Mayhew Wainwright*	Republican
25th	John B. Rose*	Republican
26th	Franklin D. Roosevelt*	Democrat
27th	William P. Fiero*	Democrat
28th	Henry M. Sage*	Republican
29th	Victor M. Allen*	Republican
30th	Edgar T. Brackett*	Republican	Minority Leader
31st	Loren H. White*	Democrat
32nd	Seth G. Heacock*	Republican
33rd	James A. Emerson*	Republican
34th	Herbert P. Coats*	Republican
35th	George H. Cobb*	Republican
36th	T. Harvey Ferris*	Democrat
37th	Ralph W. Thomas*	Republican
38th	J. Henry Walters*	Republican
39th	Harvey D. Hinman*	Republican
40th	Charles J. Hewitt*	Republican
41st	John F. Murtaugh*	Democrat
42nd	Frederick W. Griffith*	Republican
43rd	Frank C. Platt*	Republican
44th	Thomas H. Bussey*	Republican
45th	George F. Argetsinger*	Republican
46th	William L. Ormrod*	Republican
47th	Robert H. Gittins*	Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
48th	Frank M. Loomis*	Democrat
49th	Samuel J. Ramsperger*	Democrat
50th	George B. Burd*	Democrat
51st	Charles Mann Hamilton*	Republican	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress

Employees

• Clerk: Patrick E. McCabe
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry E. Oxford
• Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: John J. Dillon
• Principal Doorkeeper: Fred W. Theobold
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas Nolan
• Stenographer: William E. Reynolds

State Assembly

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Assemblymen

District		Assemblymen	Party	Notes
Albany	1st	Harold J. Hinman*	Republican	Chairman of Judiciary
	2nd	John G. Malone	Republican
	3rd	John Gibeau	Republican
Allegany		Ransom L. Richardson	Republican
Broome		Arthur J. Ruland	Democrat
Cattaraugus		Ellsworth J. Cheney*	Republican	Chairman of Public Education
Cayuga		Michael Grace	Republican
Chautauqua	1st	Julius Lincoln*	Republican	Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies
	2nd	John Leo Sullivan*	Republican	Chairman of Affairs of Villages
Chemung		Robert P. Bush*	Democrat
Chenango		Walter A. Shepardson*	Republican	Chairman of Soldiers' Home
Clinton		Charles J. Vert	Republican
Columbia		John L. Crandell	Republican
Cortland		Charles F. Brown*	Republican	Chairman of Public Health
Delaware		Clayton L. Wheeler*	Democrat
Dutchess	1st	Myron Smith	Republican	Chairman of Excise
	2nd	Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler*	Democrat
Erie	1st	Charles C. Page	Republican
	2nd	Clinton T. Horton	Republican
	3rd	Henry J. Rahl	Republican
	4th	Edward D. Jackson*	Democrat
	5th	Richard F. Hearn*	Democrat
	6th	James M. Rozan	Democrat
	7th	Gottfried H. Wende*	Democrat
	8th	Clarence MacGregor*	Republican	Chairman of Codes
	9th	Frank B. Thorn*	Republican	Chairman of General Laws
Essex		Spencer G. Prime II	Republican
Franklin		Alexander Macdonald*	Republican	Chairman of Forestry, Fisheries and Game
Fulton and Hamilton		Alden Hart*	Republican
Genesee		Clarence Bryant*	Republican
Greene		J. Lewis Patrie*	Democrat
Herkimer		Theodore Douglas Robinson	Republican
Jefferson	1st	Henry E. Machold	Republican
	2nd	John G. Jones*	Republican	Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills
Kings	1st	Daniel V. Barnes	Republican
	2nd	William J. Gillen*	Democrat
	3rd	Michael A. O'Neil*	Democrat
	4th	George Langhorst	Republican
	5th	Abraham F. Lent*	Republican
	6th	George Heiberger	Republican
	7th	Daniel F. Farrell*	Democrat
	8th	John J. McKeon*	Democrat
	9th	Albert H. T. Banzhaf	Republican
	10th	Fred M. Ahern*	Republican
	11th	William W. Colne*	Republican	Chairman of Affairs of Cities
	12th	Frederick W. Singleton	Republican
	13th	Charles Schmitt	Republican
	14th	James J. Garvey	Democrat
	15th	Thomas E. Willmott	Democrat
	16th	Forrest S. Chilton	Republican
	17th	Edward A. Ebbets*	Republican	Chairman of Commerce and Navigation
	18th	Almeth W. Hoff*	Republican
	19th	Jacob Schifferdecker*	Democrat
	20th	Frank Bennett	Republican
	21st	Harry Heyman*	Democrat
	22nd	Edward R. W. Karutz	Republican
	23rd	William F. Mathewson	Republican
Lewis		Humphrey E. Slocum	Republican	Chairman of Labor and Industries
Livingston		John C. Winters Jr.*	Republican
Madison		Morell E. Tallett	Republican
Monroe	1st	Jared W. Hopkins	Republican
	2nd	Simon L. Adler*	Republican
	3rd	August V. Pappert*	Republican
	4th	Cyrus W. Phillips*	Republican
	5th	William T. Keys*	Republican
Montgomery		Walter A. Gage	Republican
Nassau		Jeremiah Wood	Republican
New York	1st	Thomas B. Caughlan*	Democrat
	2nd	Al Smith*	Democrat	Minority Leader
	3rd	John C. Fitzgerald	Democrat
	4th	Aaron J. Levy*	Democrat
	5th	Jimmy Walker*	Democrat
	6th	Harry Kopp*	Republican	Chairman of Privileges and Elections
	7th	Peter P. McElligott*	Democrat
	8th	Moritz Graubard*	Democrat
	9th	John C. Hackett*	Democrat
	10th	Meyer Greenberg	Democrat
	11th	John J. Boylan*	Democrat
	12th	James A. Foley*	Democrat
	13th	James C. Campbell	Democrat
	14th	John J. Herrick*	Democrat
	15th	Henry J. Crawford	Republican
	16th	Martin G. McCue*	Democrat
	17th	Franklin Brooks*	Republican	Chairman of Military Affairs
	18th	Mark Goldberg*	Democrat
	19th	Andrew F. Murray*	Republican
	20th	Patrick J. McGrath*	Democrat
	21st	Dean Nelson	Republican
	22nd	Edward Weil*	Democrat
	23rd	Sidney C. Crane	Republican
	24th	Thomas A. Brennan*	Democrat
	25th	Francis R. Stoddard Jr.	Republican
	26th	Abram Goodman*	Republican
	27th	Charles A. Dana	Republican
	28th	Jacob Levy*	Democrat
	29th	Thomas S. Coleman	Republican
	30th	Louis A. Cuvillier*	Democrat
	31st	Max Shlivek*	Republican	Chairman of Claims
	32nd	Morris S. Schector	Republican
	33rd	William B. Ruddick	Republican
	34th	Charles I. Fleck	Republican
	35th	John Yule	Republican
Niagara	1st	Karl S. Brong	Republican
	2nd	Henry A. Constantine*	Republican
Oneida	1st	Ralph Entwistle	Republican
	2nd	Herbert E. Allen*	Republican	Chairman of Banks
	3rd	James T. Cross*	Republican	Chairman of Insurance
Onondaga	1st	Charles R. Milford	Republican
	2nd	David L. Edwards	Republican
	3rd	Thomas K. Smith*	Republican	Chairman of Revision
Ontario		Thomas B. Wilson*	Republican	Chairman of Agriculture
Orange	1st	Caleb H. Baumes*	Republican	Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment
	2nd	John D. Stivers*	Republican	Chairman of Public Printing
Orleans		Frank A. Waters*	Republican
Oswego		Thaddeus C. Sweet*	Republican	Chairman of Canals
Otsego		Willard G. Bullion	Republican
Putnam		John R. Yale*	Republican	Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply
Queens	1st	Andrew Zorn*	Democrat
	2nd	Alfred J. Kennedy*	Democrat
	3rd	Adam Metz Jr.	Republican
	4th	James A. Bell	Republican
Rensselaer	1st	Charles Fred Schwarz	Democrat
	2nd	(Bradford R. Lansing)*	Republican	Chairman of Internal Affairs; did not take his seat, and died on February 4, 1912
Richmond		Ralph R. McKee	Democrat
Rockland		George A. Blauvelt*	Democrat
St. Lawrence	1st	Frank L. Seaker	Republican
	2nd	Edwin A. Merritt Jr.*	Republican	elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules; on November 5, 1912, elected to the 62nd and 63rd U.S. Congresses
Saratoga		George H. Whitney	Republican	Chairman of Ways and Means
Schenectady		Herbert M. Merrill	Socialist
Schoharie		Daniel D. Frisbie*	Democrat
Schuyler		John W. Gurnett*	Democrat
Seneca		Nelson Duntz	Republican
Steuben	1st	Thomas Shannon*	Republican
	2nd	John Seeley*	Democrat
Suffolk	1st	DeWitt C. Talmage*	Republican
	2nd	George L. Thompson	Republican	Chairman of Public Institutions
Sullivan		John K. Evans*	Democrat
Tioga		John G. Pembleton	Republican
Tompkins		Minor McDaniels*	Democrat
Ulster	1st	Andrew J. Cook	Republican
	2nd	Samuel C. Waring*	Republican
Warren		Henry E. H. Brereton*	Republican
Washington		James S. Parker*	Republican	Chairman of Railroads; on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
Wayne		Albert Yeomans*	Republican
Westchester	1st	Tracy P. Madden	Democrat
	2nd	William S. Coffey*	Republican	Chairman of Penal Institutions
	3rd	Frank L. Young*	Republican	Majority Leader
	4th	George A. Slater	Republican
Wyoming		Henry A. Pierce*	Republican
Yates		Edward C. Gillett	Republican

Employees

• Clerk: Fred W. Hammond
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry W. Haines
• Principal Doorkeeper: Michael Kehoe
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: James B. Hulse
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: D. C. Easton
• Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert
• Postmaster: James H. Underwood

Sources

• Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; see pg. 367 for senators)
• Journal of the Senate (135th Session) (1912; Vol. I)
• Journal of the Assembly (135th Session) (1912; Vol. I; from January 3 to March 20)
• Journal of the Assembly (135th Session) (1912; Vol. II; from March 20 to 29)
• REPUBLICANS SEE BIG GAINS AHEAD in NYT on October 29, 1911
• COMMITTEE PLUMS GO TO MERRITT BACKERS in NYT on January 11, 1912