171st New York State Legislature

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.

171st New York State Legislature
← 170th 172nd →
New York State Capitol (2009)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York, United States
Term	January 1, 1957 – December 31, 1958
Senate
Members	58
President	Lt. Gov. George B. DeLuca (D)
Temporary President	Walter J. Mahoney (R)
Party control	Republican (1957: 38–20) (1958: 37–21)
Assembly
Members	150
Speaker	Oswald D. Heck (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
1st January 9 – March 30, 1957 2nd June 10 – 13, 1957 3rd January 8 – March 26, 1958

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

• Secretary: William S. King

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

• Clerk: Ansley B. Borkowski
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Raymond J. Roche
• Deputy Journal Clerk: Maude E. Ten Eyck