The 23rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 28 to April 8, 1800, during the fifth year of

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the

New York Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constitut ...

of 1777, amended by the re-apportionment of March 4, 1796, Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year about one fourth of the 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. Congressman Jonathan N. Havens (D.-R.) died on October 25, 1799. Assemblyman John Smith (D.-R.) was elected in a special election in December 1799 to fill the vacancy. In 1799, Cayuga County was split from Onondaga County, and was apportioned one seat in the Assembly, taken from Onondaga. Essex County was split from Clinton County, but remained in a double-county Assembly district. At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the

Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

and the Democratic-Republicans.

Elections

The State election was held from April 30 to May 2, 1799. Senators

Richard Hatfield Richard Bennett Hatfield (April 9, 1931 – April 26, 1991) was a New Brunswick politician and the longest serving premier of New Brunswick from 1970 to 1987.Richard Starr, ''Richard Hatfield, The Seventeen Year Saga,'' 1987, Early life T ...

(Southern D.),

Zina Hitchcock ''Zināʾ'' () or ''zinā'' ( or ) is an Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse. According to traditional jurisprudence, ''zina'' can include adultery, fornication, prostitution, rape, sodomy, incest, and bestiality. ...

, Ebenezer Russell,

Moses Vail Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

(all three Eastern D.) and

Vincent Mathews Vincent Mathews (June 29, 1766 – August 23, 1846) was a United States representative from New York. He was born at "Matthew's Field," in Blooming Grove, New York in Orange County in the village founded by his grandfather of the same name. He h ...

(Western D.) were re-elected. John B. Coles (Southern D.), Isaac Bloom,

John Hathorn John Hathorn (January 9, 1749 – February 19, 1825) was an American politician and Continental Army officer from New York. Life He completed preparatory studies and became a surveyor and a school teacher. He moved to Warwick in the Province of ...

, John Suffern (all three Middle D.) and Moss Kent (Western D.) were also elected to the Senate.

Sessions

The Legislature met on January 28, 1800, at the Old City Hall in Albany; and adjourned on April 8. Federalist

Dirck Ten Broeck Dirck Ten Broeck (November 3, 1765 – January 30, 1833) was an American lawyer and politician. The first name is sometimes given as Derick. Early life He was the only son of Abraham Ten Broeck (1734–1810) and Elizabeth (née Van Rensselaer) ...

was re-elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

without opposition. The Legislature reduced the salary of the

New York State Comptroller The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. The New York State Comptroller is the highest-paid state auditor or ...

from $3,000 to $2,500 whereupon Samuel Jones declined to be re-appointed. On March 12, 1800, the

Council of Appointment The Council of Appointment (sometimes also Council of Appointments) was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822. History Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Council of Appointment consisted of the Governor of N ...

chose Assemblyman John Vernon Henry to succeed Jones. On March 12, 1800, a bill was proposed to divide the State into districts to elect

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

s by popular ballot. This was rejected by the Federalist majority ote 55 to 47 and the electors continued to be chosen by joint ballot of the State Legislature.The choice of presidential electors by popular ballot in single districts was eventually enacted in 1825, but happened only once, at the

1828 United States presidential election The 1828 United States presidential election was the 11th quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Friday, October 31 to Tuesday, December 2, 1828. It featured a repetition of the 1824 election, as President John Quincy Adams of the N ...

. In 1829, the mode was changed to popular ballot on general ticket. On March 19, 1800, U.S. Senator James Watson (Fed.) resigned after his appointment as Naval Officer of the Port of New York. On April 3, 1800, the Legislature elected

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to th ...

(Fed.) to fill the vacancy.

State Senate

Districts

*The Southern District (9 seats) consisted of Kings, New York,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties. *The Middle District (12 seats) consisted of Dutchess,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, Columbia,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

and Rockland counties. *The Eastern District (11 seats) consisted of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Clinton, Rensselaer, Albany, Saratoga and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

counties. *The Western District (11 seats) consisted of Montgomery, Herkimer,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Schoharie, Steuben, Chenango, Oneida and Cayuga 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.

Employees

*Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker

State Assembly

Districts

* Albany County (9 seats) *

Cayuga County Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Confed ...

(1 seat) *

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thist ...

(2 seats) * Clinton and

counties (1 seat) * Columbia County (6 seats) * Delaware County (2 seats) * Dutchess County (10 seats) *

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...

(3 seats) * Kings County (1 seat) * Montgomery County) (6 seats) *The City and County of New York (13 seats) * Oneida County (3 seats) *

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

(1 seat) *

and Steuben counties (2 seats) *

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

(5 seats) * Otsego County (4 seats) * Queens County (4 seats) *

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

(6 seats) *

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

(1 seat) *

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

(1 seat) *

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

(5 seats) *

Schoharie County Schoharie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county ...

(1 seat) * Suffolk County (4 seats) * Tioga County (1 seat) *

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

(5 seats) * Washington County (6 seats) *

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

(5 seats) 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.

Assemblymen

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

Employees

*Clerk: James Van Ingen *Sergeant-at-Arms: Ephraim Hunt *Doorkeeper: Peter Hansen

Notes

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
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Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

Digital Library
Election result Assembly, Dutchess Co.
at project "A New Nation Votes"
Election result Assembly, Onondaga 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"
Partial election result Senate, Southern D.
at project "A New Nation Votes"

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br>Partial election result Senate, Middle D.
at project "A New Nation Votes" ives only votes from Columbia and Dutchess countiesbr>Partial election result Senate, Western D.
at project "A New Nation Votes" ives only votes from Onondaga and Schoharie counties {{NYLegislatures 1799 in New York (state) 1800 in New York (state) 024