1.
8th New York State Legislature
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Under the provisions of the New 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, assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually. The State election was held from April 27 to 29,1784, Senators William Floyd, Ezra LHommedieu, Alexander McDougall, and Arthur Parks were re-elected, and Assemblyman Peter Van Ness was elected to the Senate. The State Legislature first met at the Old City Hall in New York City, the Assembly on October 12, the Senate on October 18,1784, and both Houses adjourned on November 29. In January 1785, the Congress of the Confederation met at the Old City Hall, the Southern District consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties. The Middle District consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, the Eastern District consisted of Washington, Cumberland and Gloucester counties. The Western District consisted of Albany and Montgomery 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 established, or sufficiently organized. The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature, ebenezer Russell and Peter Van Ness changed from the Assembly to the Senate. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet established, or sufficiently organized. The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature, the New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough
2.
10th New York State Legislature
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Under the provisions of the New 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, assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually. In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor, the State election was held from April 25 to 27,1786. Gov. George Clinton and Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt were re-elected to a fourth term, Senators Lewis Morris, John Williams and Abraham Yates Jr. were re-elected, and John Hathorn, Peter Schuyler and Assemblyman John Vanderbilt, were elected to the Senate. The Southern District consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, the Middle District consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties. The Eastern District consisted of Washington, Cumberland and Gloucester counties, the Western District consisted of Albany and Montgomery 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. The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature, John Vanderbilt changed from the Assembly to the Senate. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet established, or sufficiently organized. The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature, clerk, John McKesson The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough
3.
New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
4.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
5.
New York State Senate
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The New York State Senate is considered the upper house in the New York State Legislature. It has 63 members each elected to two-year terms, there are no limits on the number of terms one may serve. The New York Constitution provides for a number of members in the Senate. The current format for apportionment has followed the Supreme Court decision in Baker v. Carr, Democrats won 32 of 62 seats in New Yorks upper chamber in the 2008 General Election on November 4, capturing the majority for the first time in more than four decades. Previously, the Republicans had held the chamber for all but one year from 1939 to 2008, however, a power struggle emerged before the new term began. Four Democratic senators—Rubén Díaz, Sr. Carl Kruger, Pedro Espada, Jr. the self-named Gang of Four refused to back Malcolm Smith as the chambers majority leader and sought concessions. Monserrate soon reached an agreement with Smith that reportedly included the chairmanship of the Consumer Affairs Committee, though there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate, on June 8,2009, then-Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, Jr. The move came after Republican whip Tom Libous introduced a resolution to vacate the chair and replace Smith as temporary president. In an effort to stop the vote, Democratic whip Jeff Klein unilaterally moved to recess, however, they were unable to stop the session. All 30 Republicans plus two Democrats, Monserrate and Espada, voted in favor of the resolution, in accordance with a prearranged deal, Espada was elected temporary president and acting lieutenant governor while Skelos was elected majority leader. Monserrate had backed out of the Gang at the time, being the first of the four to back Smith, the apparent Republican seizure of power was tenuous in any event. Smith claimed the vote was illegal because of Kleins motion to adjourn, however, Smith, Klein, and most of the Democrats walked out before an actual vote to adjourn could be taken. Smith still asserted he was majority leader and would challenge the vote in court and he locked the doors of the state senate chambers in an effort to prevent any further legislative action. The scheduled session was eventually postponed, both Monserrate and Espada faced accusations of unethical or criminal conduct. Monserrate was indicted for assault in March and would have automatically lost his seat if convicted. New York, like most states, has a provision in its constitution which bars convicted felons from holding office. Espada was the target of an investigation into whether he funded his campaign with money siphoned from a nonprofit health care agency he controls. The Bronx County District Attorneys office was investigating charges that Espada actually resided in Mamaroneck
6.
Lieutenant Governor of New York
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The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of New York State. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government, the lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. The office is held by Kathy Hochul. Most lieutenant governors take on duties as assigned to them by the governor. For example, Mary Donohue took on duties in the areas of business, school violence. Donohues predecessor, Betsy McCaughey Ross, worked on Medicare and education policy, Democrat Stan Lundine, who served under Gov. Mario Cuomo, was active on technology and housing issues during his two terms in office. While governor and lieutenant governor are elected by a joint vote in the general election. In 1982, Mario Cuomo won the Democratic nomination for governor, DelBello was elected with Cuomo, but resigned in 1985 complaining that Cuomo did not give him anything to do. McCaughey Ross had been elected on a ticket with Pataki in 1994 and he dropped her from his 1998 re-election ticket and she became a Democrat and ran for governor on the Liberal ticket. Prior to Paterson succeeding Eliot Spitzer on March 17,2008, Mario Cuomo was the last lieutenant governor to be elected governor. In the 1994 statewide election, Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine sought reelection on the Democratic ticket with Gov. Mario Cuomo, Lieutenant Governor Lundine was unopposed for renomination on the Democratic ticket. In the Republican primary, academic Betsy McCaughey was the only candidate, ms. McCaughey was selected as a running mate by State Sen. George Pataki. Pataki reportedly also considered sofa bed heiress Bernadette Castro and Assembly Minority Leader Clarence Rappalya as possible running mates as well, the Pataki/McCaughey ticket defeated the Cuomo/Lundine ticket in the general election. In 1997, following an out for most of their term. Pataki embarked on a long process to select a new running mate for lieutenant governor. After reportedly considering State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, State Sen. Mary Lou Rath and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples, Judge Donohue was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Several candidates entered the race for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination, State Sen. Anthony Nanula of Buffalo reportedly considered the race and then decided against running. Councilwoman Kavanaugh withdrew from the race at the Democratic State Convention, Mr. King received enough support to qualify for the September primary ballot and continued his race
7.
Pierre Van Cortlandt
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Pierre Van Cortlandt was the first Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in March 1768, subsequently, he was a member of the Second Provincial Congress, 1775-1776, and Chairman of its Committee of Safety,1776. On July 9,1776, he was among thirty-eight delegates to ratify the Declaration of Independence at White Plains, as a Colonel, and later General, be commanded the Third Westchester Militia Regiment and later was advanced to be a General. Gen. George Washington ever referred to Pierre Van Cortlandt as his most trusted friend and ally. With NY Gov. George Clinton away from the state in active service, Lt. Gov. Van Cortlandt had full charge of the revolutionary government of the state. On November 25,1783 this earnest patriot accompanied General Washington on his triumphant ride into New York City and he was made an original honorary member of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati on July 6,1784. In 1787 he was elected President of the State Convention meeting in Poughkeepsie to ratify the Constitution of the United States and he was born in New York City, the son of Philip Van Cortlandt, and Catherine de Peyster. Pierres uncle Johannes de Peyster, Jr. was Mayor of New York City and his great uncle Jacobus Van Cortlandt was Mayor of New York City, 1719-1720. In 1697, King William III granted by Royal Charter, Van Cortlandt Manor to his grandfather, the Van Cortlandt Manor House was built sometime before 1732 but was not any owners principal residence until Pierre moved there in 1749. In 1748, Pierre inherited from his father the Van Cortlandt Manor House and he diversified and organized the Croton lands to develop income-producing tenant farms. Pierre maintained the Van Cortlandt Manor House and lands as a farmer/planter, upon the survey of the Manor of Cortlandt, Annsville and lands adjoining constituted a portion of Front Lot No. 10, the river portion lot that was bequeathed to Gertrude Beekman, Pierres aunt and daughter and it was on 340 acres of Gertrudes land where Pierre built the Upper Manor House and farm. Two miles to the north was Front Lot No,10, on which another Van Cortlandt mansion, Oldstone, was built, and later near the bay the Fort Independence Hotel. Fort Independence was located on the bluff on the western end of Roa Hook. Where a spacious mansion was built about 1769. “The situation of the Van Cortlandt estate is very fine, covering, as it does, some of the most graceful undulations of a hilly district, diversified with the richest scenery. The old brick mansion erected A. D.1773, occupies a very sequestered and romantic spot on the side of the post road, immediately above the vale of Annsville. ”In 1749, Pierre turned the familys simple hunting lodge into an elegant residence known as Van Cortlandt Manor House. The house remained in the Van Cortlandt family until 1945 and was purchased in 1953 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to assure its preservation, the restored manor house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961
8.
New York State Assembly
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The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing a number of districts. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits, the Assembly convenes at the State Capitol in Albany. The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly, the Speaker is elected by the Majority Conference followed by confirmation of the full Assembly through the passage of an Assembly Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker also has the leadership position. The minority leader is elected by party caucus, the majority leader of the Assembly is selected by, and serves at the pleasure of, the Speaker. The current Speaker is Democrat Carl Heastie of the 83rd Assembly District, the Majority Leader is Joseph Morelle of the 136th Assembly District. The Minority Leader is Republican Brian Kolb of the 131st Assembly District, the Assembly is dominated by the Democrats, who currently hold a 62-seat supermajority in the chamber. The Democrats have controlled the Assembly since 1975, †Elected in a special election Prominent past Assembly members include U. S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U. S. presidents Millard Fillmore and Theodore Roosevelt, U. S. vice presidents Aaron Burr and George Clinton, and New York governors George Pataki and Al Smith
9.
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
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The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the house of the legislature. The position exists in every U. S. state and in the United States House of Representatives, New Yorks Assembly Speaker is very powerful. Effectively, the Speaker of the New York Assembly has the power to much of the business in the Assembly and, in fact. Through this and heavy gerrymandering that has him a near-permanent supermajority. Originally, the legislative term lasted one year, from July 1 until June 30 of the next year. The members were elected at the election in April, but the actual session began ordinarily only in January of the next calendar year. Only if the called for a special session is the Assembly convened earlier. For example, in presidential election years the Assembly convened already in November to elect the presidential electors, the speaker was always elected at the first meeting of the Assembly for the remainder of the term, expiring on June 30. The State Constitution of 1821 moved the election to November, and the beginning of the term to January 1, and from 1823 on, the assembly convened usually on the first Tuesday in January and elected the speaker, who stayed in office until December 31. The elections are held in even-numbered years
