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 Anglo-Saxon countries and provinces, the speaker presides over the lower house of the legislature. Although the position exists in nearly every U.S. state, and in the U.S. House of Representatives, New York's Assembly Speaker is very powerful. Effectively, the Speaker of the New York Assembly has the power to control much of the business in the Assembly.
Contents |
List of Speakers
Note
Originally, the legislative term lasted one year, from July 1 until June 30 of the next year. The members were elected at the state election in April, but the actual session began ordinarily only in January of the next calendar year, which leads occasionally to some confusion. Only if the governor called for a special session, 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 Constitution of 1821 moved the election to November, and the beginning of the term to January 1, and from 1823 on the legislative term coincides with the calendar year. The assembly convened usually on the first Tuesday in January and elected the speaker, who staid in office until December 31.
until 1892
- 1777-1779 Walter Livingston
- 1779-1783 Evert Bancker
- 1784; 1785 David Gelston
- 1786-1787 John Lansing, Jr.
- January - June 30, 1788 Richard Varick
- December 8, 1788 - June 30, 1789 John Lansing, Jr.
- July 6, 1789 - June 30, 1790 Gulian Verplanck [1]
- January 3 - June 30, 1791 John Watts
- January 5 - June 30, 1792 John Watts
- November 6, 1792 - June 30, 1793 John Watts
- January 7 - June 30, 1794 James Watson, (Fed.}
- January 6 - June 30, 1795 William North (Fed.)
- January 6 - June 30, 1796 William North (Fed.)
- November 1, 1796 - June 30, 1797 Gulian Verplanck
- January 2 - June 30, 1798 Dirck Ten Broeck (Fed.) [2]
- August 1798 - June 30, 1799 Dirck Ten Broeck (Fed.)
- January 28 - June 30, 1800 Dirck Ten Broeck (Fed.)
- November 1800 - June 30, 1801 Samuel Osgood, from New York
- January 26 - June 30, 1802 Thomas Storm from New York
- January 24 - June 30, 1803 Thomas Storm
- Jamuary 31 - June 30, 1804 Alexander Sheldon
- November 1804 - June 30, 1805 Alexander Sheldon
- January 28 - June 30, 1806 Alexander Sheldon (Clintonian)
- January 27 - June 30, 1807 Andrew McCord (Lewisite)
- January - June 30, 1808 Alexander Sheldon
- November 1, 1808 - June 30, 1809 James W. Wilkin
- January 30 - June 30, 1810 William North
- January 29 - February 14, 1811 Nathan Sanford (failed to attend session because of illness)
- February 14 - June 30, 1811 William Ross (Dem.-Rep.)
- January 28 - June 30, 1812 Alexander Sheldon, from Montgomery County
- November 2, 1812 - June 30, 1813 Jacob R. Van Rensselaer (Fed.), from Columbia County
- January 25 - June 30, 1814 James Emott (Fed.)
- September 26, 1814 - June 30, 1815 Samuel Young
- January 31 - June 30, 1816 Daniel Cruger
- November 5, 1816 - June 30, 1817 David Woods (from Washington County)
- January 27 - June 30, 1818 David Woods
- January 6 - June 30, 1819 Obadiah German
- January - June 30, 1820 John Canfield Spencer
- November 7, 1820 - June 30, 1821 Peter Sharpe
- January 3 - December 31, 1822 Samuel B. Romaine from New York [3]
- January 7 - December 31, 1823 Peter R. Livingston
- January 6 - December 31, 1824 Richard Goodell, from Jefferson County
- January 4 - December 31, 1825 Clarkson Crolius, from New York
- Jamuary 3 - December 31, 1826 Samuel Young
- January 2, 1827 - December 31, 1828 Erastus Root
- January - December 31, 1829 Peter Robinson, from Broome County
- January 5 - December 31, 1830 Erastus Root
- January - December 31, 1831 George R. Davis, from Rensselaer County
- January 1832 - December 31, 1833 Charles L. Livingston, from New York County [4]
- January 1 - December 31, 1834 William Baker, Jr., from Otsego County
- January 6, 1835 - December 31, 1836 Charles Humphrey
- January - December 31, 1837 Edward Livingston
- January 2 - December 31, 1838 Luther Bradish, from Franklin County
- January 1, 1839 - December 31, 1840 George Washington Patterson, from Livingston County
- January 5 - December 31, 1841 Peter B. Porter, Jr. (Whig), from Niagara County
- January 4 - December 31, 1842 Levi S. Chatfield, from Otsego County
- January 3 - December 31, 1843 George R. Davis
- January 2 - December 31, 1844 Elisha Litchfield, from Onondaga County
- January - December 31, 1845 Horatio Seymour (Dem.), from Oneida County
- January - December 31, 1846 William C. Crain (Dem.), from Herkimer County
- 1847 William C. Hasbrouck (1800-1870) from Orange County
- 1848 Amos K. Hadley (1812-1901), from Rensselaer County
- 1849 Amos K. Hadley
- 1850 Noble S. Elderkin (Dem.), from St. Lawrence County [5]
- 1851 Henry Jarvis Raymond (Whig), from New York County
- January 6 - December 31, 1852 Jonas C. Heartt, from Rensselaer County
- 1853 William H. Ludlow, from Suffolk County
- 1854 Robert H. Pruyn (Whig), from Albany County
- 1855 DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn, from Oswego County
- January - December 31, 1856 Orville Robinson, from Oswego County
- 1857 DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn
- 1858 Thomas G. Alvord (Rep.), from Onondaga County
- 1859; 1860; 1861 Dewitt Clinton Littlejohn (Rep.)
- 1862 Henry Jarvis Raymond (Rep.)
- 1863 Theophilus C. Callicot (Dem., from Kings County, b. 1826) [6], [7], [8], [9]
- 1863 Chauncey Depew (Rep.), Acting Speaker [10]
- 1864 Thomas G. Alvord (Rep.)
- 1865 George Gilbert Hoskins (Rep.), from Wyoming County
- 1866 Lyman Tremain (Rep.), from Albany County
- 1867 Edmund L. Pitts (Rep.) (b. 1838, from Orleans County) [11]
- 1868 William Hitchman (Dem.), from New York County [12]
- 1869 Truman G. Younglove (Rep.), from Saratoga County [13]
- 1870; 1871 William Hitchman (Dem.)
- 1872 Henry Smith (Rep.), from Albany County [14]
- 1873 Alonzo B. Cornell, from New York County
- 1874 James W. Husted, from Westchester County
- 1875 Jeremiah McGuire, from Chemung County
- 1876 James W. Husted
- 1877 George B. Sloan, from Oswego County
- 1878 James W. Husted
- 1879 Thomas G. Alvord (Rep.)
- 1880; 1881 George H. Sharpe
- 1882 Charles E. Patterson
- 1883 Alfred C. Chapin
- 1884 Titus Sheard
- 1885 George Z. Erwin
- 1886; 1887 James W. Husted
- 1888; 1889 Fremont Cole
- 1890 James W. Husted
- 1891 William F. Sheehan
- 1892 Robert P. Bush (Dem.)
Notes
- ^ [1] The History of Political Parties in New York by John Stilwell Jenkins
- ^ [2] Speaker election result
- ^ [3] The History of Political Parties in New York by Jabez Delano Hammond
- ^ [4] Charter of the City of Buffalo
- ^ [5] NYT August 19, 1872
- ^ [6] Circumstances of his election on Mr. Lincoln and New York
- ^ [7] His letter to Secretary of State Lansing in 1918
- ^ [8] The "Callicot Investigation" in NYT April 18, 1863
- ^ [9] His election in NYT on January 27, 1863
- ^ [10] His Memoirs, chapter 2
- ^ [11] NYT article Jan 3, 1867
- ^ [12] NYT article Oct 24, 1887
- ^ [13] NYT article Jan 5, 1869
- ^ [14] NYT article Jan 7, 1906
since 1893
| Speaker | Party | Start of service ↑ | End of service | Birthyear-Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Sulzer | Democratic | January, 1893 | December 31, 1893 | (1863-1941) | Later U.S. Congressman & Governor |
| George Roland Malby | Republican | January, 1894 | December 31, 1894 | (1857-1912) | Later U.S. Congressman |
| Hamilton Fish II | Republican | January, 1895 | December 31, 1896 | (1849-1936) | Later U.S. Congressman, Son of U.S. Secretary of State Fish, Father & Grandfather of Congressmembers |
| James M. E. O'Grady | Republican | January 5, 1897 | December 31, 1898 | (1863-1928) | Later U.S. Congressman |
| Samuel Frederick Nixon | Republican | January, 1899 | October 10, 1905 | (?-1905) | Died in office |
| James W. Wadsworth, Jr. | Republican | January, 1906 | December 31, 1910 | (1877-1952) | Later U.S. Senator & Congressman |
| Daniel D. Frisbie | Democratic | January, 1911 | December 31, 1911 | (?-1931) | |
| Edwin A. Merritt, Jr. | Republican | January 3, 1912 | December 31, 1912 | (1860-1914) | Later U.S. Congressman |
| Alfred E. Smith | Democratic | January, 1913 | December 31, 1913 | (1873-1944) | Later Governor and 1928 Presidential Nominee |
| Thaddeus C. Sweet | Republican | January 7, 1914 | December 31, 1920 | (1872-1928) | Later U.S. Congressman |
| H. Edmund Machold | Republican | January, 1921 | December 31, 1924 | (1880-1967) | |
| Joseph A. McGinnies | Republican | January 7, 1925 | December 31, 1934 | (1861-1945) | |
| Irwin Steingut | Democratic | January 2, 1935 | December 31, 1935 | (c1894-1952) | Father of Spkr. Stanley Steingut |
| Irving M. Ives | Republican | January 1, 1936 | December 31, 1936 | (1896-1962) | Later U.S. Senator |
| Oswald D. Heck | Republican | January 13, 1937 | May 21, 1959 | (1902-1959) | Longest-serving Speaker, Died in office |
| Joseph F. Carlino | Republican | July 1, 1959 | December 31, 1964 | (1917-2006) | |
| Anthony John Travia | Democratic | February 4, 1965 | July 19, 1968 | (1911-1993) | Resigned and appointed Federal Judge |
| Moses M. Weinstein | Democratic | July 23, 1968 | December 31, 1968 | (1919- | Acting Speaker upon Spkr. Travia's resignation |
| Perry B. Duryea, Jr. | Republican | January 8, 1969 | December 31, 1974 | (1921-2004) | Last Republican Speaker to date |
| Stanley Steingut | Democratic | January 8, 1975 | December 31, 1978 | (1920-1989) | Son of Spkr. Irwin Steingut |
| Stanley Fink | Democratic | January 2, 1979 | December 31, 1986 | (1936-1997) | |
| Mel Miller | Democratic | January 8, 1987 | December 13, 1991 | (c1940- | Removed from office upon federal conviction for fraud |
| Saul Weprin | Democratic | December 15, 1991 | February 11, 1994 | (1927-1994) | Died in office |
| Sheldon Silver | Democratic | February 11, 1994 | Present | (1944- |
- Source: New York Times
