title: 159th New York State Legislature
text: # 159th New York State Legislature
  
  The 159th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 13, 1936, during the fourth year of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany.
  
  ## Background
  
  Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, 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 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 New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.
  
  At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Socialist Party and the Communist Party also nominated tickets. In New York City, a "City Fusion" and a "Jeffersonian" ticket were also nominated.
  
  ## Elections
  
  The New York state election, 1935, was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election.
  
  Assemblywomen Doris I. Byrne (Dem.), a lawyer from the Bronx, and Jane H. Todd (Rep.), of Tarrytown, were re-elected.
  
  ## Sessions
  
  The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1936; and adjourned on May 13.
  
  Irving M. Ives (Rep.) was elected Speaker.
  
  ## State Senate
  
  ### Districts
  
  * 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties
  * 2nd and 3rd District: Parts of Queens County, i.e. the Borough of Queens
  * 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
  * 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the Borough of Manhattan
  * 21st, 22nd and 23rd District: Parts of Bronx County, i.e. the Borough of the Bronx
  * 24th District: Richmond County, i.e. the Borough of Richmond (now the Borough of Staten Island), and Rockland County
  * 25th District: Part of Westchester County
  * 26th District: Cortlandt, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Ossining and part of Yonkers; in Westchester County
  * 27th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
  * 28th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
  * 29th District: Delaware, Greene and Ulster counties
  * 30th District: Albany County
  * 31st District: Rensselaer County
  * 32nd District: Saratoga and Schenectady counties
  * 33rd District: Clinton, Essex, Warren and Washington counties
  * 34th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
  * 35th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer and Lewis counties
  * 36th District: Oneida County
  * 37th District: Jefferson and Oswego counties
  * 38th District: Onondaga County
  * 39th District: Madison, Montgomery, Otsego and Schoharie counties
  * 40th District: Broome, Chenango and Cortland counties
  * 41st District: Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties
  * 42nd District: Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties
  * 43rd District: Ontario, Steuben and Yates counties
  * 44th District: Allegany, Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming
  * 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. Jacob H. Livingston and Harry F. Dunkel changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
  
  Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
  
  | District | Senator | Party | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1st | George L. Thompson* | Republican | |
  | 2nd | Joseph D. Nunan Jr.* | Democrat | |
  | 3rd | Frank B. Hendel* | Democrat | |
  | 4th | Philip M. Kleinfeld* | Democrat | |
  | 5th | John J. Howard* | Democrat | |
  | 6th | Edward J. Coughlin* | Democrat | |
  | 7th | Jacob J. Schwartzwald* | Democrat | |
  | 8th | Joseph A. Esquirol* | Democrat | |
  | 9th | Jacob H. Livingston* | Democrat | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Henry L. O'Brien |
  | 10th | Jeremiah F. Twomey* | Democrat | Chairman of Finance |
  | 11th | James J. Crawford* | Democrat | |
  | 12th | Elmer F. Quinn* | Democrat | |
  | 13th | Thomas F. Burchill* | Democrat | |
  | 14th | Samuel Mandelbaum* | Democrat | on June 20, 1936, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York |
  | 15th | John L. Buckley* | Democrat | |
  | 16th | John J. McNaboe* | Democrat | |
  | 17th | Joseph Clark Baldwin* | Republican | |
  | 18th | John T. McCall* | Democrat | |
  | 19th | Duncan T. O'Brien* | Democrat | |
  | 20th | A. Spencer Feld* | Democrat | |
  | 21st | Lazarus Joseph* | Democrat | |
  | 22nd | Julius S. Berg* | Democrat | |
  | 23rd | John J. Dunnigan* | Democrat | Temporary President |
  | 24th | Rae L. Egbert* | Democrat | |
  | 25th | Pliny W. Williamson* | Republican | |
  | 26th | James A. Garrity* | Democrat | |
  | 27th | Thomas C. Desmond* | Republican | |
  | 28th | Frederic H. Bontecou* | Republican | |
  | 29th | Arthur H. Wicks* | Rep./Soc. | |
  | 30th | William T. Byrne* | Democrat | on November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress |
  | 31st | Ogden J. Ross* | Democrat | |
  | 32nd | Edwin E. Miller* | Republican | |
  | 33rd | Benjamin F. Feinberg* | Republican | |
  | 34th | Rhoda Fox Graves* | Republican | |
  | 35th | Harry F. Dunkel* | Republican | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Henry I. Patrie |
  | 36th | William H. Hampton* | Republican | |
  | 37th | Perley A. Pitcher* | Republican | |
  | 38th | George R. Fearon* | Republican | Minority Leader |
  | 39th | Walter W. Stokes* | Republican | |
  | 40th | Martin W. Deyo* | Republican | |
  | 41st | C. Tracey Stagg* | Republican | |
  | 42nd | Charles J. Hewitt* | Republican | |
  | 43rd | Earle S. Warner* | Republican | |
  | 44th | Joe R. Hanley* | Republican | |
  | 45th | George B. Kelly* | Democrat | on November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress |
  | 46th | Norman A. O'Brien* | Democrat | |
  | 47th | William H. Lee* | Republican | |
  | 48th | David E. Doyle* | Democrat | |
  | 49th | Stephen J. Wojtkowiak* | Democrat | |
  | 50th | Nelson W. Cheney* | Republican | |
  | 51st | Leigh G. Kirkland* | Republican | |
  
  ### Employees
  
  * Clerk: James J. Reilly
  
  ## State Assembly
  
  ### Assemblymen
  
  Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
  
  | District | District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Albany | 1st | Erastus Corning 2nd | Democrat | |
  | Albany | 2nd | John P. Hayes* | Democrat | |
  | Albany | 3rd | S. Earl McDermott* | Democrat | |
  | Allegany | Allegany | William H. MacKenzie | Republican | |
  | Bronx | 1st | Matthew J. H. McLaughlin* | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 2nd | Doris I. Byrne* | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 3rd | Carl Pack* | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 4th | Samuel Weisman* | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 5th | Julius J. Gans | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 6th | Peter A. Quinn | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 7th | Bernard R. Fleisher | Democrat | |
  | Bronx | 8th | John A. Devany Jr.* | Democrat | |
  | Broome | 1st | Edward F. Vincent* | Republican | |
  | Broome | 2nd | James E. Hill* | Republican | |
  | Cattaraugus | Cattaraugus | James W. Riley* | Republican | |
  | Cayuga | Cayuga | Andrew D. Burgdorf* | Republican | |
  | Chautauqua | 1st | Lloyd J. Babcock* | Republican | |
  | Chautauqua | 2nd | Carl E. Darling | Republican | |
  | Chemung | Chemung | Chauncey B. Hammond* | Republican | |
  | Chenango | Chenango | Irving M. Ives* | Republican | elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules |
  | Clinton | Clinton | McKenzie B. Stewart* | Republican | |
  | Columbia | Columbia | Frederick A. Washburn* | Republican | |
  | Cortland | Cortland | Albert Haskell Jr.* | Republican | |
  | Delaware | Delaware | E. Ogden Bush* | Republican | Chairman of Public Health |
  | Dutchess | 1st | Howard N. Allen* | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture |
  | Dutchess | 2nd | Emerson D. Fite* | Republican | |
  | Erie | 1st | Frank A. Gugino | Republican | |
  | Erie | 2nd | Harold B. Ehrlich* | Republican | |
  | Erie | 3rd | Frank X. Bernhardt | Republican | |
  | Erie | 4th | Anthony J. Canney* | Democrat | |
  | Erie | 5th | Edwin L. Kantowski* | Democrat | |
  | Erie | 6th | Fred Koehler | Republican | |
  | Erie | 7th | Arthur L. Swartz* | Republican | Chairman of Penal Institutions |
  | Erie | 8th | R. Foster Piper* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
  | Essex | Essex | Thomas A. Leahy | Republican | |
  | Franklin | Franklin | John H. Black* | Republican | |
  | Fulton and Hamilton | Fulton and Hamilton | Denton D. Lake | Republican | |
  | Genesee | Genesee | Herbert A. Rapp* | Republican | Chairman of Motor Vehicles |
  | Greene | Greene | Paul Fromer | Republican | |
  | Herkimer | Herkimer | David C. Wightman* | Republican | |
  | Jefferson | Jefferson | Russell Wright | Republican | |
  | Kings | 1st | Crawford W. Hawkins* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 2nd | Albert D. Schanzer* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 3rd | Michael J. Gillen* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 4th | Bernard Austin* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 5th | Charles R. McConnell* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 6th | Robert J. Crews | Rep./City F. | |
  | Kings | 7th | William Kirnan* | Dem./Jeff. | |
  | Kings | 8th | James V. Mangano* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 9th | Edgar F. Moran | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 10th | William C. McCreery* | Dem./Jeff. | |
  | Kings | 11th | Bernard J. Moran* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 12th | Edward S. Moran Jr.* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 13th | Ralph Schwartz* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 14th | Aaron F. Goldstein* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 15th | Edward P. Doyle* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 16th | Carmine J. Marasco* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 17th | George W. Stewart* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 18th | Irwin Steingut* | Democrat | Minority Leader |
  | Kings | 19th | George Kaminsky* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 20th | Eugene J. Keogh | Democrat | on November 3, 1936, elected to the 75th U.S. Congress |
  | Kings | 21st | Charles H. Breitbart* | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 22nd | Clement A. Shelton | Democrat | |
  | Kings | 23rd | G. Thomas LoRe* | Democrat | |
  | Lewis | Lewis | Fred A. Young | Republican | |
  | Livingston | Livingston | James J. Wadsworth* | Republican | Chairman of Public Welfare and Relief |
  | Madison | Madison | Wheeler Milmoe* | Republican | |
  | Monroe | 1st | Pritchard H. Strong | Republican | |
  | Monroe | 2nd | Charles R. Haggerty | Republican | |
  | Monroe | 3rd | Earl C. Langenbacher* | Democrat | |
  | Monroe | 4th | Harry J. Gaynor | Republican | |
  | Monroe | 5th | Walter H. Wickins | Republican | |
  | Montgomery | Montgomery | L. James Shaver* | Republican | |
  | Nassau | 1st | Harold P. Herman* | Republican | Chairman of Mortgage and Real Estate |
  | Nassau | 2nd | Leonard W. Hall* | Republican | Chairman of Re-Apportionment |
  | New York | 1st | James J. Dooling* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 2nd | Nicholas A. Rossi* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 3rd | Eugene R. Duffy* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 4th | Leonard Farbstein* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 5th | John F. Killgrew* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 6th | Irving D. Neustein* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 7th | Saul S. Streit* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 8th | Stephen J. Jarema | Democrat | |
  | New York | 9th | Ira H. Holley* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 10th | Herbert Brownell Jr.* | Rep./City F. | Chairman of Affairs of the City of New York |
  | New York | 11th | Patrick H. Sullivan* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 12th | John A. Byrnes* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 13th | William J. Sheldrick* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 14th | Francis J. McCaffrey Jr.* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 15th | Abbot Low Moffat* | Republican | Chairman of Ways and Means |
  | New York | 16th | William Schwartz* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 17th | Meyer Alterman* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 18th | Salvatore A. Farenga* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 19th | Robert W. Justice | Democrat | |
  | New York | 20th | Michael J. Keenan | Democrat | |
  | New York | 21st | William T. Andrews* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 22nd | Daniel Flynn* | Democrat | |
  | New York | 23rd | William J. A. Glancy | Democrat | |
  | Niagara | 1st | Fayette E. Pease* | Republican | |
  | Niagara | 2nd | Harry D. Suitor* | Republican | |
  | Oneida | 1st | Paul B. Mercier | Democrat | |
  | Oneida | 2nd | William R. Williams | Republican | |
  | Oneida | 3rd | Fred L. Meiss* | Republican | |
  | Onondaga | 1st | Horace M. Stone* | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary |
  | Onondaga | 2nd | George B. Parsons* | Republican | |
  | Onondaga | 3rd | Richard B. Smith* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Cities |
  | Ontario | Ontario | Harry R. Marble* | Republican | |
  | Orange | 1st | Lee B. Mailler* | Republican | |
  | Orange | 2nd | Rainey S. Taylor* | Republican | Chairman of General Laws |
  | Orleans | Orleans | John S. Thompson* | Republican | Chairman of Public Service |
  | Oswego | Oswego | Ernest J. Lonis* | Republican | |
  | Otsego | Otsego | Frank G. Sherman* | Republican | |
  | Putnam | Putnam | D. Mallory Stephens* | Republican | Chairman of Banks |
  | Queens | 1st | Mario J. Cariello | Democrat | |
  | Queens | 2nd | George F. Torsney* | Democrat | |
  | Queens | 3rd | Peter T. Farrell* | Democrat | |
  | Queens | 4th | Daniel E. Fitzpatrick | Democrat | |
  | Queens | 5th | Maurice A. FitzGerald* | Democrat | |
  | Queens | 6th | James L. Dixon | Democrat | |
  | Rensselaer | 1st | Philip J. Casey | Ind. Dem. | |
  | Rensselaer | 2nd | Maurice Whitney* | Rep./Ind. C. | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation |
  | Richmond | 1st | Charles Bormann | Democrat | |
  | Richmond | 2nd | Herman Methfessel* | Democrat | |
  | Rockland | Rockland | Laurens M. Hamilton* | Republican | Chairman of Civil Service |
  | St. Lawrence | 1st | W. Allan Newell* | Republican | |
  | St. Lawrence | 2nd | Warren O. Daniels* | Republican | |
  | Saratoga | Saratoga | William E. Morris* | Republican | |
  | Schenectady | 1st | Oswald D. Heck* | Republican | Majority Leader |
  | Schenectady | 2nd | Harold Armstrong* | Republican | |
  | Schoharie | Schoharie | William S. Dunn* | Dem./Soc. | |
  | Schuyler | Schuyler | Floyd E. Meeks | Republican | |
  | Seneca | Seneca | James D. Pollard* | Republican | |
  | Steuben | 1st | Wilson Messer* | Republican | |
  | Steuben | 2nd | J. Austin Otto* | Republican | |
  | Suffolk | 1st | John G. Downs* | Republican | |
  | Suffolk | 2nd | Hamilton F. Potter* | Republican | |
  | Sullivan | Sullivan | J. Maxwell Knapp* | Republican | |
  | Tioga | Tioga | Frank G. Miller* | Republican | Chairman of Public Printing |
  | Tompkins | Tompkins | James R. Robinson* | Republican | Chairman of Codes |
  | Ulster | Ulster | J. Edward Conway* | Rep./Soc. | |
  | Warren | Warren | Harry A. Reoux* | Republican | |
  | Washington | Washington | Herbert A. Bartholomew* | Republican | Chairman of Internal Affairs |
  | Wayne | Wayne | Harry L. Averill* | Republican | Chairman of Public Education |
  | Westchester | 1st | Herbert R. Smith* | Republican | |
  | Westchester | 2nd | Ralph A. Gamble* | Republican | Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment |
  | Westchester | 3rd | Hugh A. Lavery* | Democrat | |
  | Westchester | 4th | Jane H. Todd* | Republican | Chairwoman of Social Welfare |
  | Westchester | 5th | William T. Grieve | Republican | |
  | Wyoming | Wyoming | Harold C. Ostertag* | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages |
  | Yates | Yates | Fred S. Hollowell* | Republican | Chairman of Excise |
  
  ### Employees
  
  * Clerk: Ansley B. Borkowski
  * Secretary to the Speaker: Truman G. Searle
  