171st New York State Legislature New York state legislative session
The 171st New York State Legislature , consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly , met from January 9, 1957, to March 26, 1958, during the third and fourth years of W. Averell Harriman 's governorship , in Albany .
Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1938, re-apportioned in 1953, 58 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were Kings (nine districts), New York (six), Queens (five), Bronx (four), Erie (three), Nassau (three), Westchester (three), Monroe (two) and Onondaga (two). The Assembly districts consisted either of a single entire county (except Hamilton Co.), or of contiguous area within one county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party . The Liberal Party also nominated tickets.
Elections
The 1956 New York state election was held on November 6. The only statewide elective office up for election was a U.S. Senator from New York . The Republican Attorney General Jacob K. Javits defeated the Democratic/Liberal Mayor of New York Robert F. Wagner Jr. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for U.S. Senator, was: Republicans 3,724,000; Democrats 2,965,000; and Liberals 301,000.
Five of the six women members of the previous legislature—Assemblywomen Bessie A. Buchanan (Dem.), a retired musical actress and dancer of Harlem ; Janet Hill Gordon (Rep.), a lawyer of Norwich ; Frances K. Marlatt (Rep.), a lawyer of Mount Vernon ; Genesta M. Strong (Rep.), of Plandome Heights ; and Mildred F. Taylor (Rep.), a coal dealer of Lyons —were re-elected.
The 1957 New York state election was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election. Three vacancies in the State Senate and three vacancies in the Assembly were filled.[ 1]
Sessions
The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 180th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 9, 1957;[ 2] and adjourned on March 30.[ 3]
Oswald D. Heck (Rep.) was re-elected Speaker .
Walter J. Mahoney (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the State Senate.
The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on June 10, 1957;[ 4] and adjourned on June 13.[ 5] This session was called, among other things, to consider legislation concerning worker benefits and telephone rates.[ 6]
The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 181st) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 8, 1958;[ 7] and adjourned on March 26.[ 8]
State Senate
Districts
1st District: Suffolk County
2nd, 3rd and 4th District: Parts of Nassau County
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th District: Parts of Queens County, i.e. the Borough of Queens
10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
19th District: Richmond County, i.e. the Borough of Richmond (now the Borough of Staten Island )
20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the Borough of Manhattan
26th, 27th, 28th and 29th District: Parts of Bronx County, i.e. the Borough of the Bronx
30th, 31st and 32nd District: Parts of Westchester County
33rd District: Orange and Rockland counties
34th District: Delaware , Greene , Sullivan and Ulster counties
35th District: Columbia , Dutchess and Putnam counties
36th District: Albany County
37th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
38th District: Schenectady and Schoharie counties
39th District: Essex , Saratoga and Warren counties
40th District: Clinton , Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
41st District: Fulton , Hamilton , Herkimer and Montgomery counties
42nd District: Oneida County
43rd District: Jefferson , Lewis and Oswego
44th and 45th District: Parts of Onondaga County
46th District: Chenango , Cortland , Madison and Otsego counties
47th District: Broome County
48th District: Cayuga , Tioga and Tompkins counties
49th District: Chemung and Steuben counties
50th District: Ontario , Schuyler , Seneca , Wayne and Yates counties
51st and 52nd District: Parts of Monroe County
53rd District: Allegany , Genesee , Livingston , Orleans and Wyoming counties
54th District: Niagara County
55th, 56th and 57th District: Parts of Erie County
58th District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
Senators
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Elisha T. Barrett and Thomas A. Duffy changed from the Assembly to the Senate at the beginning of this Legislature. Assemblymen John H. Farrell and A. Gould Hatch were elected to fill vacancies in the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
District
Senator
Party
Notes
1st
Elisha T. Barrett *
Republican
2nd
Daniel G. Albert *
Republican
3rd
William S. Hults Jr. *
Republican
4th
Edward J. Speno *
Republican
5th
Walter G. McGahan *
Republican
6th
James J. Crisona *
Dem./Lib.
on November 5, 1957, elected Borough President of Queens
Irving Mosberg
Dem./Lib.
on January 14, 1958, elected to fill vacancy[ 9]
7th
Irwin Pakula
Republican
8th
Thomas A. Duffy
Dem./Lib.
9th
Thomas J. Mackell *
Dem./Lib.
10th
Herbert I. Sorin *
Dem./Lib.
11th
Walter E. Cooke *
Dem./Lib.
12th
Fred G. Moritt *
Dem./Lib.
resigned on September 13, 1957, to run for the Municipal Court
Jeremiah B. Bloom
Dem./Lib.
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
13th
Thomas J. Cuite *
Dem./Lib.
14th
William T. Conklin
Republican
15th
Frank J. Pino *
Dem./Lib.
16th
William Rosenblatt *
Dem./Lib.
17th
Samuel L. Greenberg *
Dem./Lib.
18th
Harry Gittleson *
Dem./Lib.
19th
John J. Marchi
Republican
20th
MacNeil Mitchell *
Republican
21st
James Lopez Watson *
Dem./Lib.
22nd
John P. Morrissey
Dem./Lib.
23rd
Joseph Zaretzki *
Dem./Lib.
Minority Leader
24th
Joseph R. Marro *
Dem./Lib.
25th
vacant
Francis J. Mahoney (D) was re-elected, but died on December 23, 1956
John H. Farrell *
Dem./Lib.
on February 14, 1957, elected to fill vacancy[ 10]
26th
Harry Kraf *
Democrat
27th
Jacob H. Gilbert *
Democrat
28th
Nathaniel T. Helman *
Democrat
29th
Joseph F. Periconi
Republican
30th
Frank S. McCullough *
Republican
31st
Pliny W. Williamson *
Republican
Chairman of Judiciary; died on October 21, 1958
32nd
William F. Condon *
Republican
33rd
Thomas C. Desmond *
Republican
34th
E. Ogden Bush
Republican
35th
Ernest I. Hatfield *
Republican
36th
Peter J. Dalessandro *
Dem./Lib.
resigned on July 10, 1957, to become secretary to Joseph Zaretzki [ 11]
Julian B. Erway
Dem./Lib.
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
37th
Henry Neddo *
Republican
died on January 11, 1957
Albert Berkowitz
Republican
on February 14, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
38th
Thomas F. Campbell *
Republican
died on March 7, 1957
Owen M. Begley
Dem./Lib.
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
39th
Gilbert T. Seelye *
Republican
40th
Robert C. McEwen *
Republican
41st
Walter Van Wiggeren *
Republican
42nd
Fred J. Rath *
Republican
43rd
Henry A. Wise *
Republican
44th
Searles G. Shultz *
Republican
45th
John H. Hughes *
Republican
46th
Wheeler Milmoe *
Republican
47th
Warren M. Anderson *
Republican
48th
George R. Metcalf *
Republican
49th
Harry K. Morton *
Republican
50th
Dutton S. Peterson *
Republican
51st
Frank E. Van Lare *
Republican
52nd
vacant
George T. Manning (R) was re-elected but died on December 1, 1956
A. Gould Hatch *
Republican
on February 14, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
53rd
Austin W. Erwin *
Republican
Chairman of Finance
54th
Earl W. Brydges *
Republican
55th
Walter J. Mahoney *
Republican
re-elected Temporary President
56th
Stanley J. Bauer *
Republican
57th
John H. Cooke *
Republican
58th
George H. Pierce *
Republican
Employees
State Assembly
Assemblymen
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
District
Assemblymen
Party
Notes
Albany
1st
Edwin Corning Jr. *
Dem./Lib.
2nd
Harvey M. Lifset
Dem./Lib.
Allegany
William H. MacKenzie *
Republican
Chairman of Ways and Means
Bronx
1st
Bernard C. McDonnell *
Democrat
2nd
Sidney H. Asch *
Democrat
3rd
Moses J. Epstein
Democrat
4th
Felipe N. Torres *
Democrat
5th
Melville E. Abrams *
Democrat
6th
Walter H. Gladwin *
Democrat
on October 29, 1957, appointed as a City Magistrate[ 12]
Ivan Warner
Democrat
elected on January 14, 1958, to fill vacancy
7th
John T. Satriale *
Democrat
8th
Mitchell J. Sherwin *
Democrat
on December 13, 1957, appointed as a City Magistrate
Alexander Chananau
Democrat
elected on January 14, 1958, to fill vacancy
9th
William Kapelman *
Democrat
10th
George W. Harrington
Republican
11th
Thomas E. Ferrandina
Republican
12th
Parnell J. T. Callahan
Republican
Broome
1st
Daniel S. Dickinson Jr. *
Republican
2nd
George L. Ingalls *
Republican
Cattaraugus
Leo P. Noonan *
Republican
Cayuga
Charles A. Cusick *
Republican
Chautauqua
A. Bruce Manley *
Republican
Chemung
Harry J. Tifft *
Republican
Chenango
Janet Hill Gordon *
Republican
Clinton
Robert J. Feinberg
Republican
Columbia
Willard C. Drumm *
Republican
Cortland
Louis H. Folmer *
Republican
Delaware
Edwyn E. Mason *
Republican
Dutchess
Robert Watson Pomeroy *
Republican
Erie
1st
Thomas J. Runfola *
Republican
2nd
William E. Adams
Republican
3rd
William J. Butler *
Republican
4th
Frank J. Caffery *
Dem./Lib.
5th
John B. Lis *
Dem./Lib.
6th
George F. Dannebrock *
Republican
7th
Julius Volker *
Republican
8th
William Sadler *
Republican
Essex
Grant W. Johnson *
Republican
Franklin
Robert G. Main *
Republican
Fulton and Hamilton
Joseph R. Younglove *
Republican
Genesee
John E. Johnson *
Republican
Greene
William E. Brady *
Republican
Herkimer
Leo A. Lawrence *
Republican
Jefferson
Orin S. Wilcox *
Rep./Lib.
Kings
1st
Max M. Turshen *
Dem./Lib.
2nd
Samuel Bonom *
Democrat
3rd
Harry J. Donnelly
Republican
4th
Bernard Austin *
Dem./Lib.
5th
John A. Monteleone *
Dem./Lib.
6th
Bertram L. Baker *
Dem./Lib.
7th
Louis Kalish *
Dem./Lib.
8th
Frank Composto *
Dem./Lib.
9th
Frank J. McMullen *
Republican
10th
John J. Ryan *
Dem./Lib.
11th
Eugene F. Bannigan *
Dem./Lib.
Minority Leader; died on July 4, 1958
12th
Luigi R. Marano
Republican
13th
Lawrence P. Murphy *
Dem./Lib.
14th
Edward S. Lentol *
Dem./Lib.
15th
Alfred A. Lama *
Dem./Lib.
16th
Bernard Haber *
Democrat
17th
Samuel I. Berman *
Dem./Lib.
18th
Stanley Steingut *
Dem./Lib.
19th
Frank S. Samansky *
Democrat
20th
Joseph R. Corso *
Dem./Lib.
21st
Bertram L. Podell *
Dem./Lib.
22nd
Anthony J. Travia *
Dem./Lib.
Lewis
Benjamin H. Demo *
Republican
Livingston
Kenneth R. Willard
Republican
Madison
Harold I. Tyler *
Republican
Monroe
1st
J. Eugene Goddard *
Republican
2nd
A. Gould Hatch *
Rep./Lib.
resigned on February 27, 1957, after election to the State Senate
John J. Conway Jr.
Republican
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
3rd
Paul B. Hanks Jr. *
Rep./Lib.
4th
Thomas F. Riley *
Republican
Montgomery
Donald A. Campbell *
Republican
Nassau
1st
Anthony Barbiero *
Republican
2nd
Joseph F. Carlino *
Republican
Majority Leader
3rd
Genesta M. Strong *
Republican
4th
John J. Burns *
Republican
resigned on September 13, 1957, to run for Supervisor of Oyster Bay [ 13]
Edwin J. Fehrenbach
Republican
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
5th
Francis P. McCloskey *
Republican
6th
Palmer D. Farrington *
Republican
New York
1st
William F. Passannante *
Dem./Lib.
2nd
Louis DeSalvio *
Democrat
3rd
John H. Farrell *
Dem./Lib.
resigned on February 27, 1957, after election to the State Senate
Francis W. Doheny
Dem./Lib.
on November 5, 1957, elected to fill vacancy
4th
Samuel A. Spiegel
Democrat
5th
Bentley Kassal
Dem./Lib.
6th
Joseph J. Weiser *
Dem./Lib.
7th
Daniel M. Kelly *
Dem./Lib.
8th
Archibald Douglas Jr. *
Republican
9th
John R. Brook *
Republican
10th
Herman Katz *
Dem./Lib.
11th
James C. Thomas *
Dem./Lib.
died on August 13, 1958
12th
Bessie A. Buchanan *
Dem./Lib.
13th
Orest V. Maresca *
Dem./Lib.
14th
Kenneth M. Phipps *
Dem./Lib.
15th
William A. Kummer *
Democrat
16th
Frank G. Rossetti *
Dem./Lib.
Niagara
1st
Harold H. Altro
Republican
2nd
Ernest Curto *
Republican
Oneida
1st
David R. Townsend
Republican
2nd
William S. Calli *
Republican
Onondaga
1st
Lawrence M. Rulison *
Republican
2nd
Charles A. Schoeneck Jr. *
Republican
3rd
Philip R. Chase *
Republican
Ontario
Robert M. Quigley *
Republican
Orange
1st
D. Clinton Dominick III *
Republican
2nd
Wilson C. Van Duzer *
Republican
Orleans
Alonzo L. Waters *
Republican
Oswego
Edward F. Crawford
Republican
Otsego
Paul L. Talbot *
Republican
Putnam
Willis H. Stephens *
Republican
Queens
1st
Thomas V. LaFauci *
Dem./Lib.
2nd
William C. Brennan *
Dem./Lib.
3rd
Charles T. Eckstein *
Republican
4th
Frank R. McGlynn Jr.
Dem./Lib.
5th
William G. Giaccio *
Dem./Lib.
6th
Michael G. Rice *
Democrat
7th
Bernard Dubin *
Dem./Lib.
8th
John DiLeonardo *
Republican
9th
Fred W. Preller *
Republican
10th
Louis Wallach *
Dem./Lib.
11th
Alfred D. Lerner
Rep./Lib.
12th
J. Lewis Fox *
Dem./Lib.
13th
Anthony P. Savarese Jr. *
Republican
Rensselaer
Thomas H. Brown *
Republican
Richmond
1st
Edward J. Amann Jr. *
Republican
2nd
Lucio F. Russo *
Republican
Rockland
Robert Walmsley *
Republican
St. Lawrence
Verner M. Ingram
Republican
Saratoga
John L. Ostrander *
Republican
Schenectady
Oswald D. Heck *
Republican
re-elected Speaker
Schoharie
David Enders *
Republican
Schuyler
Jerry W. Black *
Republican
Seneca
Lawrence W. Van Cleef *
Republican
Steuben
Charles D. Henderson
Republican
Suffolk
1st
Irving L. Price Jr.
Republican
2nd
Prescott B. Huntington
Republican
3rd
James R. Grover Jr.
Republican
Sullivan
Hyman E. Mintz *
Rep./Lib.
Tioga
Richard C. Lounsberry *
Republican
Tompkins
Ray S. Ashbery *
Republican
Ulster
Kenneth L. Wilson *
Republican
Warren
Stuart F. Hawley *
Republican
Washington
William J. Reid *
Republican
Wayne
Mildred F. Taylor *
Republican
Westchester
1st
Malcolm Wilson *
Republican
on November 4, 1958, elected Lieutenant Governor
2nd
Fred S. Suthergreen *
Republican
3rd
Frances K. Marlatt *
Republican
4th
Hunter Meighan *
Republican
5th
William F. Horan *
Republican
6th
Theodore Hill Jr. *
Republican
Wyoming
Harold L. Peet *
Republican
Yates
Vernon W. Blodgett *
Republican
Employees
Notes
^ Democrats Gain a State Senate Seat; Assembly's Alignment Is Unchanged in The New York Times on November 6, 1957 (subscription required)
^ ALBANY SESSION CONVENES TODAY in The New York Times on January 9, 1957 (subscription required)
^ COURT PLAN DIES AS LEGISLATURE ENDS ITS SESSION in The New York Times on March 31, 1957 (subscription required)
^ GOVERNOR SCORED ON EVE OF SESSION in The New York Times on June 10, 1957 (subscription required)
^ SESSION ADJOURNS ON PASSING 2 BILLS HARRIMAN VETOED in The New York Times on June 14, 1957 (subscription required)
^ HARRIMAN CALL TO LEGISLATURE LISTS 7 SUBJECTS in The New York Times on May 29, 1957 (subscription required)
^ LEGISLATORS FACE ISSUE OF TAX CUT AT OPENING TODAY in The New York Times on January 8, 1958 (subscription required)
^ LEGISLATURE ENDS; ACCORD REACHED ON COMPENSATION in The New York Times on March 27, 1958 (subscription required)
^ 4 SEATS RETAINED IN SPECIAL RACES in The New York Times on January 15, 1958 (subscription required)
^ FARRELL ELECTED AS STATE SENATOR in The New York Times on February 15, 1957 (subscription required)
^ State Senator Resigns in The New York Times on July 11, 1957 (subscription required)
^ Gladwin Named Magistrate in The New York Times on October 30, 1957 (subscription required)
^ ASSEMBLYMAN RESIGNS; Burns of Oyster Bay Quits to Run for Supervisor in The New York Times on September 14, 1957 (subscription required)
Sources