61st New York State Legislature
The 61st New York State Legislature met in Albany from January 2 to April 18, 1838, during the sixth year of Governor William L. Marcy’s term. The Legislature shared power between two houses: the 32-member State Senate and the 128-member Assembly. Senators served four-year terms, elected from eight districts with eight seats up for election each year. Assembly members were elected for one-year terms, with the entire body renewed annually. At this time the two major parties were the Democrats and the Whigs. The Panic of 1837 had sparked a severe financial crisis, and voters blamed the Democrats, helping the Whigs win the state election in November 1837.
In the Senate, eight new senators were elected from eight districts: Gulian C. Verplanck (1st District, Whig), Henry A. Livingston (2nd District, Democrat), Edward P. Livingston (3rd District, Democrat), Martin Lee (4th District, Whig), Avery Skinner (5th District, Whig), Laurens Hull (6th District, Whig), John Maynard (7th District, Whig), and William A. Moseley (8th District, Whig). The Senate’s party balance remained Democratic-led (22–10), while the Assembly was Whig-led (100–28).
The Assembly, under Whig control, elected Luther Bradish as Speaker. The session ran from January 2 to April 18, 1838, at the Old State Capitol in Albany.
Key actions early in 1838 included the election of state officers on February 5: Gamaliel H. Barstow was chosen State Treasurer and Orville L. Holley was named Surveyor General, both Whigs.
In the lead-up to the election, party conventions played a big role. On September 12, 1837, the Whig state convention nominated William H. Seward for Governor and Luther Bradish for Lieutenant Governor. The Democratic state convention nominated Governor Marcy and Lieutenant Governor John Tracy for re-election. A later gathering of former Democrats, calling themselves the Conservatives, endorsed Seward and Bradish.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:36 (CET).