List of Speakers of the New York State Assembly


The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party.
As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the lower house of the legislature. The position exists in every U.S. state and in the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of the Congress. New York's Assembly Speaker is very powerful. Effectively, the Speaker of the New York Assembly has the power to control much of the business in the Assembly and, in fact, throughout all of state government. Through almost single-handed control of the chamber, the Assembly Speaker is able to dictate what legislation makes and does not make it to the floor. Through the heavy gerrymandering that has given him a near-permanent supermajority, the Assembly Speaker rarely faces any challenge to his post.

List of Speakers

Note

Originally, the legislative term lasted one year, from July 1 until June 30 of the next year. The members were elected at the state election in April, but the actual session began ordinarily only in January of the next calendar year, which leads occasionally to some confusion. Only if the governor called for a special session is the Assembly convened earlier. For example, in presidential election years the Assembly convened already in November to elect the presidential electors. The speaker was always elected at the first meeting of the Assembly for the remainder of the term, expiring on June 30.
The State Constitution of 1821 moved the election to November, and the beginning of the term to January 1, and from 1823 on, the legislative term coincides with the calendar year. The assembly convened usually on the first Tuesday in January and elected the speaker, who stayed in office until December 31.
An amendment to the State Constitution, adopted in November 1937, extended the assemblymen's term to two years, beginning with the electees of November 1938 who served the first two-year term in 1939-40. The elections are held in even-numbered years.

From 1777 to 1822

Speakers since 1823 are:
SpeakerPartyCountyTook officeLeft officeNotes
Peter R. LivingstonDem.-Rep./BucktailsDutchessJanuary 7, 1823December 31, 1823
Richard GoodellDem.-Rep./BucktailsJeffersonJanuary 6, 1824December 31, 1824
Clarkson CroliusDem.-Rep./
Tammany Hall		New YorkJanuary 4, 1825December 31, 1825
Samuel YoungDem.-Rep./BucktailsSaratogaJanuary 3, 1826December 31, 1826
Erastus RootDem.-Rep./BucktailsDelawareJanuary 2, 1827December 31, 1828two terms
Peter RobinsonDem./JacksonianBroomeJanuary 6, 1829December 31, 1829
Erastus RootDem./JacksonianDelawareJanuary 5, 1830December 31, 1830third term
George R. DavisDemocraticRensselaerJanuary 4, 1831December 31, 1831
Charles L. LivingstonDemocraticNew YorkJanuary 3, 1832December 31, 1833two terms
William BakerDemocraticOtsegoJanuary 7, 1834December 31, 1834
Charles HumphreyDemocraticTompkinsJanuary 6, 1835December 31, 1836two terms
Edward LivingstonDemocraticSuffolkJanuary 3, 1837December 31, 1837
Luther BradishWhigFranklinJanuary 2, 1838December 31, 1838
George W. PattersonWhigLivingstonJanuary 1, 1839December 31, 1840two terms
Peter B. Porter, Jr.WhigNiagaraJanuary 5, 1841December 31, 1841
Levi S. ChatfieldDemocraticOtsegoJanuary 4, 1842December 31, 1842
George R. DavisDemocraticRensselaerJanuary 3, 1843December 31, 1843second term
Elisha LitchfieldDemocraticOnondagaJanuary 2, 1844December 31, 1844
Horatio SeymourDemocraticOneidaJanuary 7, 1845December 31, 1845
William C. CrainDemocraticHerkimerJanuary 6, 1846December 31, 1846
William C. HasbrouckWhigOrangeJanuary 5, 1847December 31, 1847
Amos K. HadleyWhigRensselaerJanuary 4, 1848December 31, 1849two terms
Noble S. ElderkinDemocraticSt. LawrenceJanuary 1, 1850January 30, 1850left the Assembly to return home to his sick wife
Robert H. PruynWhigAlbanyJanuary 30, 1850March 14, 1850elected when Elderkin left the Assembly
Ferral C. DininnyDemocraticSteubenMarch 14, 1850December 31, 1850
Henry Jarvis RaymondWhigNew YorkJanuary 7, 1851June 10, 1851
Joseph B. Varnum, Jr.WhigAlbanyJune 10, 1851December 31, 1851elected when Raymond failed to attend special session
Jonas C. HearttWhigRensselaerJanuary 6, 1852December 31, 1852
William H. LudlowDemocraticSuffolkJanuary 4, 1853December 31, 1853
Robert H. PruynWhigAlbanyJanuary 3, 1854December 31, 1854second term
DeWitt C. LittlejohnWhigOswegoJanuary 2, 1855December 31, 1855
Orville RobinsonDemocraticOswegoJanuary 16, 1856December 31, 1856The Assembly convened on January 1, but it took more than two weeks to elect a Speaker.
DeWitt C. LittlejohnRepublicanOswegoJanuary 6, 1857December 31, 1857second term
Thomas G. AlvordDemocraticOnondagaJanuary 26, 1858December 31, 1858
DeWitt C. LittlejohnRepublicanOswegoJanuary, 1859December 31, 1861three terms
Henry J. RaymondRepublicanNew YorkJanuary, 1862December 31, 1862second term
Theophilus C. CallicotDemocraticKingsJanuary 26, 1863December 31, 1863elected by the Republicans in a split assembly
Thomas G. AlvordRepublicanOnondagaJanuary, 1864December 31, 1864second term
George G. HoskinsRepublicanWyomingJanuary, 1865December 31, 1865
Lyman TremainRepublicanAlbanyJanuary, 1866December 31, 1866
Edmund L. PittsRepublicanOrleansJanuary, 1867December 31, 1867
William HitchmanDemocraticNew YorkJanuary, 1868December 31, 1868
Truman G. YoungloveRepublicanSaratogaJanuary, 1869December 31, 1869
William HitchmanDemocraticNew YorkJanuary, 1870December 31, 1871two terms
Henry SmithRepublicanAlbanyJanuary, 1872December 31, 1872
Alonzo B. CornellRepublicanNew YorkJanuary, 1873December 31, 1873
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesterJanuary, 1874December 31, 1874
Jeremiah McGuireDemocraticChemungJanuary, 1875December 31, 1875
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesterJanuary, 1876December 31, 1876second term
George B. SloanRepublicanOswegoJanuary, 1877December 31, 1877
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesterJanuary, 1878December 31, 1878third term
Thomas G. AlvordRepublicanOnondagaJanuary, 1879December 31, 1879third term
George H. SharpeRepublicanUlsterJanuary, 1880December 31, 1881two terms
Charles E. PattersonDemocraticRensselaerFebruary 2, 1882December 31, 1882
Alfred C. ChapinDemocraticKingsJanuary, 1883December 31, 1883
Titus SheardRepublicanHerkimerJanuary, 1884December 31, 1884
George Z. ErwinRepublicanSt. LawrenceJanuary, 1885December 31, 1885
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesterJanuary, 1886December 31, 1887two terms
Fremont ColeRepublicanSchuylerJanuary, 1888December 31, 1889two terms
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesterJanuary, 1890December 31, 1890sixth term
William F. SheehanDemocraticErieJanuary, 1891December 31, 1891
Robert P. BushDemocraticChemungJanuary 5, 1892December 31, 1892
William SulzerDemocraticNew YorkJanuary, 1893December 31, 1893
George R. MalbyRepublicanSt. LawrenceJanuary, 1894December 31, 1894
Hamilton Fish IIRepublicanPutnamJanuary, 1895December 31, 1896two terms
James M. E. O'GradyRepublicanMonroeJanuary 5, 1897December 31, 1898two terms
S. Frederick NixonRepublicanChautauquaJanuary, 1899October 10, 1905died in office during his seventh term
James W. Wadsworth, Jr.RepublicanLivingstonJanuary, 1906December 31, 1910five terms
Daniel D. FrisbieDemocraticSchoharieJanuary 4, 1911December 31, 1911
Edwin A. Merritt, Jr.RepublicanSt. LawrenceJanuary 3, 1912November 5, 1912resigned to take his seat in Congress
Alfred E. SmithDemocraticNew YorkJanuary, 1913December 31, 1913
Thaddeus C. SweetRepublicanOswegoJanuary 7, 1914December 31, 1920seven terms
H. Edmund MacholdRepublicanJeffersonJanuary 5, 1921December 31, 1924four terms
Joseph A. McGinniesRepublicanChautauquaJanuary 7, 1925December 31, 1934ten terms
Irwin SteingutDemocraticKingsJanuary 2, 1935December 31, 1935father of Speaker Stanley Steingut
Irving M. IvesRepublicanChenangoJanuary 1, 1936December 31, 1936
Oswald D. HeckRepublicanSchenectadyJanuary 13, 1937May 21, 1959longest serving Speaker, died in office during his thirteenth term
Joseph CarlinoRepublicanNassauMay 21, 1959December 31, 1964as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon the death of Oswald D. Heck, elected Speaker on July 1 for the remainder of the term, then re-elected to another two terms
Anthony J. TraviaDemocraticKingsFebruary 4, 1965July 22, 1968vacated his seat during his second term upon appointment as a federal judge
Moses M. WeinsteinDemocraticQueensJuly 23, 1968December 31, 1968as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Travia's resignation for the remainder of the term
Perry B. Duryea, Jr.RepublicanSuffolkJanuary 8, 1969December 31, 1974three terms, last Republican Speaker to date
Stanley SteingutDemocraticKingsJanuary 8, 1975December 31, 1978two terms, son of Speaker Irwin Steingut
Stanley FinkDemocraticKingsJanuary 2, 1979December 31, 1986four terms
Mel MillerDemocraticKingsJanuary 8, 1987December 13, 1991removed from office upon federal conviction in the middle of his third term
James R. Tallon, Jr.DemocraticBroomeDecember 13, 1991December 16, 1991as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Miller's removal from office until the election of a successor
Saul WeprinDemocraticQueensDecember 16, 1991February 11, 1994elected for the remainder of Miller's term, then re-elected to another term, died in office
Sheldon SilverDemocraticNew YorkFebruary 11, 1994February 2, 2015elected Interim Speaker on January 24, 1994, after Weprin's incapacitation; elected Speaker for the remainder of the term after Weprin's death, and re-elected eleven times; announced resignation to take effect one minute before midnight on February 2, 2015 after conviction; Second longest serving assembly speaker in New York history
Joseph D. MorelleDemocraticMonroeFebruary 3, 2015February 3, 2015as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Silver's resignation. Served for less than 12 hours.
Carl HeastieDemocraticBronxFebruary 3, 2015present