119th New York State Legislature

The 119th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to April 30, 1896, during the second year of Levi P. Morton's governorship, in Albany.

Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 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 (seven 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. The Prohibition Party, the Socialist Labor Party and the People's Party also nominated tickets.

Elections
The New York state election, 1895 was held on November 5. The state officers and state senators were elected to an exceptional three-year term (for the sessions of 1896, 1897 and 1898), so that the election of these officers would be held, beginning in 1898, in even-numbered years, at the same time as the gubernatorial election.

All six statewide elective offices up for election was carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Republican 601,000; Democratic 511,000; Prohibition 25,000; Socialist Labor 21,000; and People's Party 7,000.

Sessions
The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1896; and adjourned on April 30.

Hamilton Fish II (R) was re-elected Speaker.

Timothy E. Ellsworth (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

Districts
• 1st District: Richmond and Suffolk counties

• 2nd District: Queens County

• 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Ward of Brooklyn

• 4th District: 7th, 13th, 19th and 21st Ward of Brooklyn

• 5th District: 8th, 10th, 12th and 30th Ward of Brooklyn, and the annexed former Town of Gravesend

• 6th District: 9th, 11th, 20th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn

• 7th District: 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Ward of Brooklyn

• 8th District: 23rd, 24th, 25th and 29th Ward of the City of Brooklyn; and the Town of Flatlands

• 9th District: 18th, 26th, 27th and 28th Ward of Brooklyn

• 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st District: Parts of the City of New York, defined geographically by their bordering streets, regardless of Wards or Assembly districts

• 22nd District: Westchester County

• 23rd District: Orange and Rockland counties

• 24th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties

• 25th District: Greene and Ulster counties

• 26th District: Chenango, Delaware and Sullivan counties

• 27th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties

• 28th District: Saratoga, Schenectady and Washington counties

• 29th District: Albany County

• 30th District: Rensselaer County

• 31st District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties

• 32nd District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties

• 33rd District: Otsego and Herkimer counties

• 34th District: Oneida County

• 35th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties

• 36th District: Onondaga County

• 37th District: Oswego and Madison counties

• 38th District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties

• 39th District: Cayuga and Seneca counties

• 40th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Tompkins counties

• 41st District: Steuben and Yates counties

• 42nd District: Ontario and Wayne counties

• 43rd District: 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Brighton, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Menden, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Rush and Webster, in Monroe County

• 44th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 19th and 20th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Chili, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Sweden and Wheatland, in Monroe County

• 45th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties

• 46th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties

• 47th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Ward of Buffalo

• 48th District: 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Ward of Buffalo

• 49th District: 17th, 18th and 25th Ward of the City of Buffalo; and all area in Erie County outside Buffalo

• 50th 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. Richard Higbie, Frank Gallagher, George W. Brush, Albert A. Wray, Julius L. Wieman, Samuel J. Foley, Frank D. Pavey, J. Irving Burns, George R. Malby, Benjamin M. Wilcox, Edwin C. Stewart and Simon Seibert changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Employees

 * Clerk: John S. Kenyon
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Garret J. Benson
 * Doorkeeper: Nathan Lewis
 * Stenographer: Edward Shaughnessy

Employees

 * Clerk: Archie E. Baxter
 * Financial Clerk: William C. Stevens
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Philip W. Reinhard Jr.
 * Doorkeeper: Joseph Bauer
 * Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert