132nd New York State Legislature

The 132nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 30, 1909, during the third year of Charles Evans Hughes's governorship, in Albany.

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.

On April 27, 1906, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts, increasing the number to 51. The apportionment was then contested in the courts.

The Legislature also re-apportioned the number of assemblymen per county. Nassau County was separated from the remainder of Queens County; Albany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego and Rensselaer counties lost one seat each; Erie, Monroe and Westchester gained one each; and Kings and Queens counties gained two each.

On April 3, 1907, the new Senate and Assembly apportionment was declared unconstitutional by the New York Court of Appeals.

On July 26, 1907, the Legislature again re-apportioned the Senate districts, and re-enacted the 1906 Assembly apportionment.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Independence League, the Socialist Party, the Prohibition Party and the Socialist Labor Party also nominated tickets.

Elections
The New York state election, 1908, was held on November 3. Gov. Charles Evans Hughes was re-elected; and State Senator Horace White was elected Lieutenant Governor; both Republicans. The other six statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republican 805,000; Democratic 735,000; Independence League 43,000; Socialists 34,000; Prohibition 19,000; and Socialist Labor 4,000.

Sessions
The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1909; and adjourned on April 30.

James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. (R) was re-elected Speaker.

John Raines (R) was re-elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.

On January 19, the Legislature elected U.S. Secretary of State Elihu Root (R) to succeed Thomas C. Platt (R) as U.S. Senator from New York for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1909.

Districts
• 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties

• 2nd District: Queens County

• 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. Orlando Hubbs, Robert F. Wagner, George M. S. Schulz, J. Mayhew Wainwright, George L. Meade and Charles Mann Hamilton changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

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

Employees

 * Clerk: Lafayette B. Gleason
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles R. Hotaling
 * General Committee Clerk: William S. Coffey

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

Employees

 * Clerk: Ray B. Smith
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Bernard J. Haggarty