New_York_State_Governor

List of governors of New York

List of governors of New York

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The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York, the head of the executive branch of New York's state government, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[1] The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws, to convene the New York State Legislature,[1] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the legislature,[2] as well as to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[3]

Kathy Hochul has been governor since August 24, 2021

Fifty-seven people have served as state governor, four of whom served non-consecutive terms (George Clinton, DeWitt Clinton, Horatio Seymour, and Al Smith); the official numbering lists each governor only once. There has only been one female governor so far: Kathy Hochul. This numbering includes one acting governor: the lieutenant governor who filled the vacancy after the resignation of the governor, under the 1777 Constitution.[4] The list does not include the prior colonial governors nor those who have acted as governor when the governor was out of state, such as Lieutenant Governor Timothy L. Woodruff during Theodore Roosevelt's vice presidential campaign in 1900, or Acting Speaker of the New York State Assembly Moses M. Weinstein, who acted as governor for 10 days in 1968 while the governor, the lieutenant governor and the senate majority leader were out of the state, attending the Republican National Convention in Miami.[5]

Four men have become president of the United States after serving as governor of New York: Martin Van Buren, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and six were vice president. Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt held both offices. Numerous Governors have also sought the Presidency, and won their party's respective nomination, but lost the general election, such as Al Smith, Samuel J. Tilden, Horatio Seymour, Thomas E. Dewey, and Charles Evans Hughes. Two governors have been chief justice: John Jay held that position when he was elected governor in 1795, and Charles Evans Hughes became chief justice in 1930, two decades after leaving the governorship.

The longest-serving governor was the first, George Clinton, who first took office on July 30, 1777, and served seven terms in two different periods, totaling just under 21 years in office. As 18 of those years were consecutive, Clinton also served the longest consecutive period in office for a New York governor. Charles Poletti had the shortest term, serving 29 days following the resignation of the previous governor, Herbert H. Lehman in 1942. David Paterson was the first African American governor of New York, and the first legally blind governor as well. Paterson is only the fourth African American to hold the office of governor in the United States. The current governor is Democrat Kathy Hochul, the state's first female governor, who assumed the office on August 24, 2021, upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo.[6] Hochul went on to be elected as governor for a full term, after beating Republican Lee Zeldin in the 2022 election.

Governors

New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies on the east coast of North America, and was admitted as a state on July 26, 1788. Prior to declaring its independence, New York was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain, which it in turn obtained from the Dutch as the colony of New Netherland; see the list of colonial governors and the list of directors-general of New Netherland for the pre-statehood period.

The office of the governor was established by the first New York Constitution in 1777. The governor originally served for a term of three years,[7] though the constitution did not specify when the term began. A 1787 law set the start of the term at July 1.[8] The New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821 amended the state constitution, reducing the term of office to two years,[9] moving the election to November,[10] and moving the beginning and the end of the term to coincide with the calendar year.[11] An 1874 amendment extended the term of office back to three years,[12] but the 1894 constitution again reduced it to two years.[13] The most recent New York Constitution of 1938 extended the term to the current four years.[14] There is no limit to the number of consecutive terms a governor may serve.

The Constitution has provided since 1777 for the election of a lieutenant governor of New York, who is ex officio President of the Senate, to the same term (keeping the same term lengths as the governor throughout all the constitutional revisions). Originally, in the event of the death, resignation or impeachment of the governor, the lieutenant governor would become acting governor until the end of the yearly legislative term, the office being filled in a special election, if there was a remainder of the term.[15] Since the 1821 Constitution, the lieutenant governor explicitly becomes governor upon such vacancy in the office and serves for the entire remainder of the term.[16] Should the office of lieutenant governor become vacant, the president pro tempore of the State Senate[lower-alpha 1] performs all the duties of the lieutenant governor until the vacancy is filled either at the next gubernatorial election or by appointment.[lower-alpha 2] Likewise, should both offices become vacant at the same time, the president pro tempore acts as governor, with the office of lieutenant governor remaining vacant. Should the presidency pro tempore be vacant too, or the incumbent unable to fulfill the duties, the Speaker of the State Assembly is next in the line of succession.[17] The lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor, since the 1954 election with a single joint vote cast for both offices, but is nominated separately.[18]

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Notes

  1. The state constitutions refer to this position as the "temporary president of the senate".
  2. On September 22, 2009, the New York Court of Appeals upheld the right of the governor to appoint a lieutenant governor to fill the vacancy.
  3. The 1846 constitution specified that the governor holds their office "until and including the thirty-first day of December"; this has been interpreted in modern times as the changeover occurring at midnight. Governors on this list are only marked as having left office on December 31 if an early or midnight swearing-in of their successor was documented.
  4. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
  5. Dubin,[22] Glashan,[23] and Kallenbach[24] note Clinton as having no party identification until either 1789 (Dubin) or 1792 (Glashan and Kallenbach).
  6. Lewis is labeled a Federalist by Kallenbach,[28] and a Democratic-Republican by Dubin,[32] Glashan,[23] and Sobel.[30]
  7. Tompkins resigned, having been elected Vice President of the United States.[34]
  8. At the time, the position of president pro-tempore of the Senate was only filled during a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, so Tayler was not elected to fill the position until January 29, 1811.
  9. Van Buren resigned, having been confirmed as United States Secretary of State.[47]
  10. Represented the Democratic Party
  11. Clark lost the Republican nomination to John A. King.[75]
  12. Clark is widely labeled a Whig[78] or Whig-Free Soil[28][23] candidate, and Sobel notes he was nominated by the Whig, Free Democracy, Anti-Nebraska, and Temperance parties.[75]
  13. All modern sources say Fenton was inaugurated on January 1, and this is found in sources at least as old as 1910;[88] however, all contemporary coverage says he was inaugurated at noon on Monday, January 2.[89][90][91]
  14. Cornell lost the Republican nomination to Charles J. Folger.[104]
  15. Cleveland resigned, having been elected President of the United States.[107]
  16. Hill was elected to the United States Senate for a term starting March 4, 1891, but did not take office until his gubernatorial term expired.[113]
  17. Represented the Republican Party
  18. Hughes resigned, having been confirmed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.[131]
  19. Sulzer was impeached and removed from office for campaign contribution fraud.[141]
  20. Lehman resigned, having been appointed director of the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations at the United States Department of State.[160]
  21. Rockefeller resigned to devote himself to his Commission on Critical Choices for Americans.[175]
  22. Elected as Betsy McCaughey, but married and changed name in 1995.
  23. Spitzer resigned due to a prostitution scandal.[185]
  24. Espada was a Democrat, but combined with the Republicans in a change of leadership which triggered the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis.
  25. Ravitch was appointed on July 8, 2009, but the appointment was contested in the courts. On August 20, the Appellate Division rejected the appointment; Ravitch vacated the office.
  26. Smith succeeded Espada on July 9 as temporary President of the New York State Senate and claimed to be Acting Lieutenant Governor under the provisions of the New York State Constitution while the appointment of Ravitch was contested.
  27. On September 22, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division's ruling, thus re-instating Ravitch to the lieutenant governorship, beginning on July 8.
  28. Hochul's first full term began at midnight on January 1, 2023, and will expire at midnight January 1, 2027.
  29. Benjamin resigned after having been indicted earlier that day on federal wire fraud and bribery charges.[193]

References

General
  • "Governors of New York". State of New York. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  • "Former New York Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  • Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. III. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  • Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
  • Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5646-8.
  • Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  • Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 978-0-930466-17-6.
  • Jenkins, John Stilwell (1851). Lives of the Governors of the State of New York. Auburn N.Y.: Derby and Miller. p. 862.
  • "Our Campaigns - Governor of New York - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
Specific
  1. New York Constitution article IV, § 3.
  2. New York Constitution article IV, § 7.
  3. New York Constitution article IV, § 4.
  4. "Governors of New York". State of New York. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  5. McFadden, Robert D. (December 3, 2007). "Moses Weinstein, 95, Legislator and Judge, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  6. "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns". NBC News. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  7. 1777 New York Constitution, article XVIII.
  8. "Governors of New York". New York Department of State. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  9. 1821 New York Constitution article III, § 1.
  10. 1821 New York Constitution article I, § 15.
  11. 1821 New York Constitution article I, § 16.
  12. John Joseph Lalor, ed. (1883). "New York". Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States. Vol. II. Chicago: Melbert B. Cary & Company. p. 1017. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  13. 1894 New York Constitution article IV, § 1
  14. New York Constitution article IV, § 1.
  15. 1777 New York Constitution, article X.
  16. New York Constitution, article IV § 5.
  17. New York Constitution, article IV § 6.
  18. "Executive Branch of the Several States". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  19. Sobel 1978, pp. 1069–1070.
  20. Faber, Harold (September 25, 1989). "Remembering a Governor Almost Forgotten". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  21. Dubin 2003, p. 160.
  22. Sobel 1978, pp. 1070–1071.
  23. Senate, New York (State) Legislature (1901). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. E. Croswell. p. 303.
  24. Kallenbach 1977, pp. 422–424.
  25. Williams, Edwin (1831). The New York Annual Register. J. Leavitt. p. 35.
  26. Sobel 1978, p. 1071.
  27. Dubin 2003, p. 161.
  28. Sobel 1978, p. 1072.
  29. Sobel 1978, pp. 1072–1073.
  30. "none". Buffalo Gazette. March 11, 1817. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023. His honor Lt. Gov. Tayler, before assuming the executive functions, took an affectionate leave of the Senate.
  31. Sobel 1978, pp. 1073–1074.
  32. "none". The Long-Island Star. July 9, 1817. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023. Yesterday, his Excellency Dewitt Clinton, elected governor, and his honor John Taylor, Lieutenant Governor took the oaths of their respective offices.
  33. Sobel 1978, p. 1074.
  34. "none". The Evening Post. January 6, 1823. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023. On Wednesday last... his Excellency Joseph H. Yates was sworn into office as Governor of this state...
  35. "New Governor". Poughkeepsie Journal. January 5, 1825. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  36. Sobel 1978, pp. 1074–1075.
  37. Sobel 1978, pp. 1075–1076.
  38. "none". Poughkeepsie Journal. January 7, 1829. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023. On the first instant the oaths of office were administered to Martin Van Buren, Governor...
  39. Sobel 1978, p. 1076.
  40. New York State Legislature. Journal of the Senate. 1829 sess., 307, accessed May 12, 2023.
  41. Sobel 1978, pp. 1076–1077.
  42. Sobel 1978, pp. 1077–1078.
  43. "none". The Evening Post. January 2, 1839. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023. Yesterday the new Governor, Mr. Seward, came into office.
  44. Sobel 1978, pp. 1078–1079.
  45. Sobel 1978, p. 1079.
  46. "Albany". New York Daily Herald. January 4, 1845. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  47. Sobel 1978, p. 1080.
  48. "The Inauguration of John Young As Governor of New York". New York Daily Herald. January 3, 1847. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  49. Sobel 1978, pp. 1080–1081.
  50. "Affairs in Albany". New York Daily Herald. January 4, 1849. p. 4. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  51. Sobel 1978, p. 1081.
  52. "Inauguration of Governor Hunt, Interesting Proceedings". The Evening Post. January 2, 1851. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  53. Sobel 1978, p. 1082.
  54. "The Inauguration of Gov. Seymour - The Opening of the Legislature, etc". New York Daily Herald. January 1, 1853. p. 4. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  55. Sobel 1978, pp. 1082–1083.
  56. "Inauguration of the New Governor". New York Daily Herald. January 1, 1855. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  57. Dubin 2003, p. 177.
  58. Sobel 1978, p. 1083.
  59. "Inauguration of Gov. King". The Buffalo Commercial. January 3, 1857. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  60. Sobel 1978, p. 1084.
  61. "Affairs in Albany". The Buffalo Daily Republic. January 3, 1859. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  62. "Inauguration of Governor Horatio Seymour". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 2, 1863. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  63. Sobel 1978, p. 1085.
  64. Manning, James Hilton (1910). Albany Zouave Cadets ...: Fifty Years Young, July Twenty-third, MDCCCLX-MDCCCCX ... Weed-Parsons Printing Company. p. 39.
  65. "Inauguration of Gov. Fenton". Syracuse Daily Courier And Union. January 5, 1865. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  66. "Inauguration of Governor Fenton". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 3, 1865. p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  67. "The State Legislature". The New York Times. January 2, 1865. p. 5. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  68. Sobel 1978, pp. 1085–1086.
  69. "Inauguration of the New State Government". The New York Times. January 2, 1869. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  70. Sobel 1978, pp. 1086–1087.
  71. "State Inaugurations". The New York Times. January 2, 1873. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  72. Sobel 1978, pp. 1087–1088.
  73. "The New Governor Sworn". The New York Times. January 2, 1875. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  74. Sobel 1978, p. 1088.
  75. "The New Governor Installed". The New York Times. January 2, 1877. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  76. Sobel 1978, p. 1089.
  77. "A New Governor in Office". The New York Times. January 2, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  78. Sobel 1978, pp. 1089–1090.
  79. "Governor Cleveland". The Buffalo News. January 2, 1883. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  80. Sobel 1978, pp. 1090–1091.
  81. "The New Regime". The Buffalo News. January 6, 1885. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  82. Sobel 1978, p. 1091.
  83. "Oath of Office". The Buffalo News. January 2, 1892. p. 11. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  84. Sobel 1978, p. 1092.
  85. "Levi P. Morton, Governor". The New York Times. January 2, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  86. Sobel 1978, pp. 1092–1093.
  87. "Black Is Now Governor". The New York Times. January 2, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  88. Sobel 1978, pp. 1093–1094.
  89. "Col. Roosevelt Takes the Oath of Office". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 31, 1898. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  90. Sobel 1978, p. 1094.
  91. "Gov. Odell Inaugurated". The New York Times. January 2, 1901. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  92. Sobel 1978, pp. 1094–1095.
  93. "It Is Gov. Higgins Now". The New York Times. January 1, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  94. Sobel 1978, pp. 1095–1096.
  95. "Crowds Gather at Albany for Inauguration". Buffalo Courier. January 1, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  96. Sobel 1978, p. 1096.
  97. "Horace White Is Governor of New York". The Buffalo Enquirer. October 6, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  98. Sobel 1978, pp. 1096–1097.
  99. "Dix Sworn In As Governor". The Sun. January 1, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  100. "Sulzer Wins on Fourth Phase, Dix Withdraws". The New York Times. October 3, 1912. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  101. Sobel 1978, p. 1097.
  102. "New York's Governor-Elect Took the Oath of Office Yesterday". Buffalo Progressive. January 2, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  103. Sobel 1978, p. 1098.
  104. "Glynn Is Sworn In". The New York Times. October 18, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  105. Sobel 1978, pp. 1098–1099.
  106. "Midnight Appointments Made by New Governor". The Post-Star. January 1, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  107. Sobel 1978, pp. 1099–1100.
  108. "Democratic Weather for Smith's Inauguration". The Kingston Daily Freeman. January 1, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  109. Sobel 1978, p. 1100.
  110. "Brilliance to Mark Miller's Inaugural Day". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. January 1, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  111. "Al E. Smith Given Oath". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. January 1, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  112. Sobel 1978, p. 1101.
  113. "Roosevelt Takes First Oath Of Office as State Governor". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. Associated Press. January 1, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  114. Sobel 1978, pp. 1101–1102.
  115. "O'Brien Sworn As Mayor; Lehman Now Governor". Times Union. United Press. January 1, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  116. Sobel 1978, pp. 1102–1103.
  117. Tyler, William W. (December 3, 1942). "Poletti Assumes Governorship; Lehman Resigns". The Post-Star. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  118. Sobel 1978, pp. 1103–1104.
  119. Lee, Dick (January 1, 1943). "Dewey Sworn In; 20-Year Republican Drout Ends". Daily News. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  120. Sobel 1978, pp. 1104–1105.
  121. "Gov. Harriman Sworn; Hungry Dems Swarm". Daily News. January 1, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  122. Sobel 1978, pp. 1105–1106.
  123. Dumas, Charles (January 1, 1959). "Rockefeller Sworn In As 49th Governor". The Troy Record. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  124. "Wilson Becomes 50th Governor in Quiet Ceremony". The Buffalo News. December 18, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  125. Sobel 1978, pp. 1106–1107.
  126. Sobel 1978, p. 1107.
  127. "Carey Takes Oath as Governor". The Post-Standard. United Press International. January 1, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  128. "Cuomo Takes Oath, Becomes 52nd Governor". The Buffalo News. January 1, 1983. p. A1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  129. Humbert, Marc (January 1, 1995). "New Governor in Control of New York". The Post-Star. Associated Press. p. A1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  130. Spector, Joseph (January 1, 2007). "Glut of Troubles Awaits Spitzer". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 1A. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  131. Precious, Tom (March 18, 2008). "Trust Is Paterson's Mission". The Buffalo News. p. A1. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  132. Reisman, Nick (January 1, 2011). "Cuomo Is 56th Leader of New York". Poughkeepsie Journal. p. 1A. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  133. Solomon, Joshua (August 24, 2021). "Kathy Hochul Sworn In After Midnight, Becoming New York's First Female Governor". Times Union. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  134. "NY lieutenant governor resigns after arrest in federal probe". AP NEWS. April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.


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