Governors of New York
The Governor of New York is the State's Chief Executive and charged with a number of responsibilities such as the preparation of the state's executive budget, execution and enforcement of state laws and Commander-in-Chief of New York's military and naval forces. David A. Paterson is our State's 55th Chief Executive and was sworn into office on March 17th 2008.
New York's Governors have played major roles, and some have taken minor roles, in shaping the history of both the state and nation. The following is a brief illustration of a few Governors who hold distinctive places in history.
New York's first Governor, George Clinton, was elected in 1777 and is known as the Father of New York. He served as Governor for a total of 21 years -- the longest any person has held the office. Governor DeWitt Clinton served two non-consecutive terms (1817-22, 1825-28) and was responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal, which later made New York the center for national commerce and a gateway to the West.
The ninth Governor of New York, Martin VanBuren, was known as Old Kinderhook, which originated as a campaign slogan and is said to have become the familiar catchphrase AO.K. The 33rd Governor, Theodore Roosevelt became a national hero after organizing the first U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Rough Riders during the Spanish American War. In 1899, after returning from the war, he was elected Governor of New York and served for two years before being elected Vice President on a ticket led by William McKinley. Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1906 while serving his second term as President.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 44th Governor and distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt. FDR is known for mobilizing New York State's government to aid the economy during the Great Depression. He was the nation's 32nd President and was the only person in history to be elected to four terms.
In December of 1942, Lieutenant Governor Charles Poletti became the State's chief executive after Governor Herbert H. Lehman resigned to become the Director of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations under the U.S. Department of State. Charles Poletti served as New York's 46th Governor for 29 days, the shortest tenure for any Governor in New York State history.
Governor W. Averell Harriman (1955-1959) was famous for his diplomatic astuteness. In 1943, prior to becoming New York's 48th Governor, Harriman was appointed Ambassador to Moscow by President Roosevelt and later appointed Ambassador to England by President Truman in 1946. Keeping with his tradition of diplomacy, Governor Harriman was appointed Ambassador-at-Large by President Kennedy and President Johnson.
Nelson A. Rockefeller was elected Governor of New York four times and was the state's 49th Chief Executive. In August of 1974, President Gerald Ford nominated Rockefeller to be Vice President of the United States. Congress confirmed his nomination and he was sworn in on December 19, 1974. Governor Rockefeller was the second person ever appointed vice president under the 25th amendment of the United States Constitution.
New York Governors have made countless contributions to the character and grandeur of the Empire State. New York's future greatness rests in the responsibility of its people to continue to elect Governors who embody the same estimable characteristics of the individuals who have led New York over the last three centuries.
| NEW YORK'S GOVERNORS | 1777 TO DATE |
| Name and Residence | Period in Office |
| George Clinton, Ulster county | July, 1777-April, 1795; April, 1801-April, 1804 |
| John Jay, New York City | April, 1795-April, 1801 |
| Morgan Lewis, Dutchess county | April, 1804-April, 1807 |
| Daniel D. Tompkins, Richmond county | April, 1807-February, 1817 |
| John Tayler, Albany | February 24-July 1, 1817 |
| De Witt Clinton, New York City | July 1, 1817-1822; 1825-February 11, 1828 |
| Joseph C. Yates, Schenectady | 1823-1824 |
| Nathaniel Pitcher, Sandy Hill | February11-December 31, 1828 |
| Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook | January 1-March 12, 1829 |
| Enos T. Throop, Auburn | March 12, 1829-1832 |
| William L. Marcy, Troy | 1833-1838 |
| William H. Seward, Auburn | 1839-1842 |
| William C. Bouck, Fultonham | 1843-1844 |
| Silas Wright, Canton | 1845-1846 |
| John Young, Geneseo | 1847-1848 |
| Hamilton Fish, New York City | 1849-1850 |
| Washington Hunt, Lockport | 1851-1852 |
| Horatio Seymour, Deerfield | 1853-1854; 1863-1864 |
| Myron H. Clark, Canandaigua | 1855-1856 |
| John A. King, Queens county | 1857-1858 |
| Edwin D. Morgan, New York City | 1859-1862 |
| Reuben E. Fenton, Frewsburg | 1865-1868 |
| John T. Hoffman, New York City | 1869-1872 |
| John A. Dix, New York City | 1873-1874 |
| Samuel J. Tilden, New York City | 1875-1876 |
| Lucius Robinson, Elmira | 1877-1879 |
| Alonzo B. Cornell, New York City | 1880-1882 |
| Grover Cleveland, Buffalo | 1883-1884 |
| David B. Hill, Elmira | 1885-1891 |
| Roswell P. Flower, New York City | 1892-1894 |
| Levi P. Morton, Rhinecliff | 1895-1896 |
| Frank S. Black, Troy | 1897-1898 |
| Theodore Roosevelt, Oyster Bay | 1899-1900 |
| Benjamin B. Odell, Jr., Newburgh | 1901-1904 |
| Frank W. Higgins, Olean | 1905-1906 |
| Charles E. Hughes, New York City | 1907-October 6, 1910 |
| Horace White, Syracuse | October 6-December 31, 1910 |
| John A. Dix, Thompson | 1911-1912 |
| William Sulzer, New York City | January 1-October 17, 1913 |
| Martin H. Glynn, Albany | October 17, 1913-1914 |
| Charles S. Whitman, New York City | 1915-1918 |
| Alfred E. Smith, New York City | 1919-1920; 1923-1928 |
| Nathan L. Miller, Syracuse | 1921-1922 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park | 1929-1932 |
| Herbert H. Lehman, New York City | 1933-December 3, 1942 |
| Charles Poletti, New York City | December 3-31, 1942 |
| Thomas E. Dewey, New York City | 1943-1954 |
| W. Averell Harriman, Harriman | 1955-1958 |
| Nelson A. Rockefeller, Tarrytown | 1959-1973 |
| Malcolm Wilson, Yonkers | 1973-1974 |
| Hugh L. Carey, Brooklyn | 1975-1982 |
| Mario M. Cuomo, Queens | 1983-1994 |
| George E. Pataki, Garrison | 1995-2006 |
| Eliot Spitzer, New York City | 2007 - March 17, 2008 |
