List of governors of New York

Andrew Cuomo, the 56th and current governor of New York

The Governor of New York is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, to convene the New York legislature, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.

Fifty-six individuals have served as governor, four of whom served non-consecutive terms, totaling 60 distinct terms; the official numbering only lists each governor once, so there have officially been fifty-six governors. This numbering includes one acting governor: the lieutenant governor who filled the vacancy after the resignation of the governor, under the 1777 State Constitution. The list does not include people who have acted as governor when the governor was out of state, such as Lt. Gov. 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 ten 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, Florida.

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 of the United States. (Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt held both offices.) Two governors have been Chief Justice of the United States: 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 in 1942. The current governor is Andrew Cuomo, who took office on January 1, 2011.

Governors

New York was one of the original thirteen colonies, 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 lists of colonial governors and of directors-general of New Netherland for the pre-statehood period.

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

The state constitution has provided since 1777 for the election of a lieutenant governor, who is also ex officio president of the state 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. 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. Should the office of lieutenant governor become vacant, the president pro tempore of the state senate performs all the duties of the lieutenant governor until the vacancy is filled either at the next gubernatorial election or by appointment. 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 assembly is next in the line of succession. The lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor, since 1954 with a single joint vote cast for both offices, but is nominated separately.

List of governors

Democratic-Republican (9)   Federalist (1)   Democratic (26)   Whig (5)   Republican (18)
Governor				Term of office	Party	Home County	Term	Lt. Governor
1			George Clinton July 26, 1739 – April 20, 1812 (aged 72)	July 30, 1777 – June 30, 1795	Democratic– Republican	Ulster	1		Pierre Van Cortlandt
							2
							3
							4
							5
							6
2		rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Federalist Party/meta/color" |	John Jay December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829 (aged 83)	July 1, 1795 – June 30, 1801	Federalist	Westchester	7	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Federalist Party/meta/color" |	Stephen Van Rensselaer
		8
1			George Clinton July 26, 1739 – April 20, 1812 (aged 72)	July 1, 1801 – June 30, 1804	Democratic- Republican	Ulster	9		Jeremiah Van Rensselaer
3			Morgan Lewis October 16, 1754 – April 7, 1844 (aged 89)	July 1, 1804 – June 30, 1807	Democratic- Republican	New York	10		John Broome
4			Daniel D. Tompkins June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825 (aged 50)	July 1, 1807 – February 24, 1817	Democratic- Republican	Richmond	11
							12
									John Tayler
									DeWitt Clinton
							13		John Tayler
5			John Tayler July 4, 1742 – March 19, 1829 (aged 86) (Acting)	February 24, 1817 – June 30, 1817	Democratic- Republican	Albany			Philetus Swift
6			DeWitt Clinton March 2, 1769 – February 11, 1828 (aged 58)	July 1, 1817 – December 31, 1822	Democratic- Republican	New York	14		John Tayler
							15
7			Joseph C. Yates November 9, 1768 – March 19, 1837 (aged 68)	January 1, 1823 – December 31, 1824	Democratic- Republican	Schenectady	16		Erastus Root
6			DeWitt Clinton March 2, 1769 – February 11, 1828 (aged 58)	January 1, 1825 – February 11, 1828	Democratic- Republican	New York	17		James Tallmadge, Jr.
							18		Nathaniel Pitcher
8			Nathaniel Pitcher November 30, 1777 – May 25, 1836 (aged 58)	February 11, 1828 – December 31, 1828	Democratic- Republican	Washington			Peter R. Livingston
									Charles Dayan
9			Martin Van Buren December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862 (aged 79)	January 1, 1829 – March 12, 1829	Democratic	Columbia	19		Enos T. Throop
10			Enos T. Throop August 21, 1784 – November 1, 1874 (aged 90)	March 12, 1829 – December 31, 1832	Democratic	Cayuga			Charles Stebbins
							20		William M. Oliver
							21		Edward Philip Livingston
11			William L. Marcy December 12, 1786 – July 4, 1857 (aged 70)	January 1, 1833 – December 31, 1838	Democratic	Albany	22		John Tracy
							23
							24
12			William H. Seward May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872 (aged 71)	January 1, 1839 – December 31, 1842	Whig	Cayuga	25		Luther Bradish
							26
13			William C. Bouck January 7, 1786 – April 19, 1859 (aged 73)	January 1, 1843 – December 31, 1844	Democratic	Schoharie	27		Daniel S. Dickinson
14			Silas Wright May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847 (aged 52)	January 1, 1845 – December 31, 1846	Democratic	St. Lawrence	28		Addison Gardiner
15			John Young June 12, 1802 – April 23, 1852 (aged 49)	January 1, 1847 – December 31, 1848	Whig	Livingston	29		Addison Gardiner
									Albert Lester
									Hamilton Fish
16			Hamilton Fish August 3, 1808 – September 7, 1893 (aged 85)	January 1, 1849 – December 31, 1850	Whig	New York	30		George W. Patterson
17			Washington Hunt August 5, 1811 – February 2, 1867 (aged 55)	January 1, 1851 – December 31, 1852	Whig	Niagara	31		Sanford E. Church
18			Horatio Seymour May 31, 1810 – February 12, 1886 (aged 75)	January 1, 1853 – December 31, 1854	Democratic	Oneida	32		Sanford E. Church
19			Myron H. Clark October 23, 1806 – August 23, 1892 (aged 85)	January 1, 1855 – December 31, 1856	Whig (fusion)	Ontario	33		Henry Jarvis Raymond
20			John Alsop King January 3, 1788 – July 7, 1867 (aged 79)	January 1, 1857 – December 31, 1858	Republican	Queens	34		Henry R. Selden
21			Edwin D. Morgan February 8, 1811 – February 14, 1883 (aged 72)	January 1, 1859 – December 31, 1862	Republican	New York	35		Robert Campbell
							36
18			Horatio Seymour May 31, 1810 – February 12, 1886 (aged 75)	January 1, 1863 – December 31, 1864	Democratic	Oneida	37		David R. Floyd-Jones
22			Reuben Fenton July 4, 1819 – August 25, 1885 (aged 66)	January 1, 1865 – December 31, 1868	Union	Chautauqua	38		Thomas G. Alvord
							39		Stewart L. Woodford
23			John Thompson Hoffman January 10, 1828 – March 24, 1888 (aged 60)	January 1, 1869 – December 31, 1872	Democratic	New York	40		Allen C. Beach
24			John Adams Dix July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879 (aged 80)	January 1, 1873 – December 31, 1874	Republican	Albany	41		John C. Robinson
25			Samuel J. Tilden February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886 (aged 72)	January 1, 1875 – December 31, 1876	Democratic	New York	42		William Dorsheimer
26			Lucius Robinson November 4, 1810 – March 23, 1891 (aged 80)	January 1, 1877 – December 31, 1879	Democratic	Chemung	43		William Dorsheimer
27			Alonzo B. Cornell January 22, 1832 – October 15, 1904 (aged 72)	January 1, 1880 – December 31, 1882	Republican	New York	44		George Gilbert Hoskins
28			Grover Cleveland March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908 (aged 71)	January 1, 1883 – January 6, 1885	Democratic	Erie	45		David B. Hill
29			David B. Hill August 29, 1843 – October 20, 1910 (aged 67)	January 6, 1885 – December 31, 1891	Democratic	Chemung			Dennis McCarthy
							46		Edward F. Jones
							47
30			Roswell P. Flower August 7, 1835 – May 12, 1899 (aged 63)	January 1, 1892 – December 31, 1894	Democratic	Jefferson	48		William F. Sheehan
31			Levi P. Morton May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920 (aged 96)	January 1, 1895 – December 31, 1896	Republican	New York	49		Charles T. Saxton
32			Frank S. Black March 8, 1853 – March 22, 1913 (aged 60)	January 1, 1897 – December 31, 1898	Republican	Fulton	50		Timothy L. Woodruff
33			Theodore Roosevelt October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919 (aged 60)	January 1, 1899 – December 31, 1900	Republican	New York	51		Timothy L. Woodruff
34			Benjamin Barker Odell January 14, 1854 – May 9, 1926 (aged 72)	January 1, 1901 – December 31, 1904	Republican	Orange	52		Timothy L. Woodruff
							53		Frank W. Higgins
35			Frank W. Higgins August 18, 1856 – February 12, 1907 (aged 50)	January 1, 1905 – December 31, 1906	Republican	Allegany	54		M. Linn Bruce
									John Raines
36			Charles Evans Hughes April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948 (aged 86)	January 1, 1907 – October 6, 1910	Republican	New York	55		Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
							56		Horace White
37			Horace White October 7, 1865 – November 27, 1943 (aged 78)	October 6, 1910 – December 31, 1910	Republican	Onondaga			George H. Cobb
38			John Alden Dix December 25, 1860 – April 9, 1928 (aged 67)	January 1, 1911 – December 31, 1912	Democratic	Washington	57		Thomas F. Conway
39			William Sulzer March 18, 1863 – November 6, 1941 (aged 78)	January 1, 1913 – October 17, 1913	Democratic	New York	58		Martin H. Glynn
40			Martin H. Glynn September 27, 1871 – December 14, 1924 (aged 53)	October 17, 1913 – December 31, 1914	Democratic	Albany			Robert F. Wagner
41			Charles S. Whitman September 29, 1868 – March 29, 1947 (aged 78)	January 1, 1915 – December 31, 1918	Republican	New York	59		Edward Schoeneck
							60
42			Al Smith December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944 (aged 70)	January 1, 1919 – December 31, 1920	Democratic	New York	61		Harry C. Walker
43			Nathan L. Miller October 10, 1868 – June 26, 1953 (aged 84)	January 1, 1921 – December 31, 1922	Republican	Cortland	62		Jeremiah Wood
									Clayton R. Lusk
42			Al Smith December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944 (aged 70)	January 1, 1923 – December 31, 1928	Democratic	New York	63		George R. Lunn
							64		Seymour Lowman
							65		Edwin Corning
44			Franklin D. Roosevelt January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945 (aged 63)	January 1, 1929 – December 31, 1932	Democratic	Dutchess	66		Herbert H. Lehman
							67
45			Herbert H. Lehman March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963 (aged 85)	January 1, 1933 – December 3, 1942	Democratic	New York	68		M. William Bray
							69
							70
							71		Charles Poletti
46			Charles Poletti July 2, 1903 – August 8, 2002 (aged 99)	December 3, 1942 – December 31, 1942	Democratic	New York			Joe R. Hanley
47			Thomas Dewey March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971 (aged 68)	January 1, 1943 – December 31, 1954	Republican	Dutchess	72		Thomas W. Wallace
									Joe R. Hanley
							73
							74		Frank C. Moore
									Arthur H. Wicks
									Walter J. Mahoney
48			W. Averell Harriman November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986 (aged 94)	January 1, 1955 – December 31, 1958	Democratic	New York	75		George DeLuca
49			Nelson Rockefeller July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979 (aged 70)	January 1, 1959 – December 18, 1973	Republican	Westchester	76		Malcolm Wilson
							77
							78
							79
50			Malcolm Wilson February 26, 1914 – March 13, 2000 (aged 86)	December 18, 1973 – December 31, 1974	Republican	Westchester			Warren M. Anderson
51			Hugh Carey April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011 (aged 92)	January 1, 1975 – December 31, 1982	Democratic	Kings	80		Mary Anne Krupsak
							81		Mario Cuomo
52			Mario Cuomo June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015 (aged 82)	January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1994	Democratic	New York	82		Alfred DelBello
									Warren M. Anderson
							83		Stan Lundine
							84
53			George Pataki (1945-06-24) June 24, 1945	January 1, 1995 – December 31, 2006	Republican	Putnam	85		Betsy McCaughey Ross
							86		Mary O. Donohue
							87
54			Eliot Spitzer (1959-06-10) June 10, 1959	January 1, 2007 – March 17, 2008	Democratic	New York	88		David Paterson
55			David Paterson (1954-05-20) May 20, 1954	March 17, 2008 – December 31, 2010	Democratic	New York			Joseph Bruno
									Dean Skelos
									Malcolm Smith
									Pedro Espada
									Richard Ravitch (Contested)
									Malcolm Smith
									Richard Ravitch
56			Andrew Cuomo (1957-12-06) December 6, 1957	January 1, 2011 – Incumbent	Democratic	Westchester	89		Robert Duffy
							90		Kathy Hochul
Italics denote that Governor or Lieutenant Governor was acting.

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional and other federal offices, and ranking diplomatic positions to foreign countries held by New York governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented New York.

* Denotes those offices for which the governor resigned the governorship.

† Denotes those offices from which the governor resigned to take the governorship.

Governor	Gubernatorial term	U.S. Congress		Other offices held	Source
		House	Senate
George Clinton	1777–1795 1801–1804			Delegate to the Continental Congress, Vice President of the United States
John Jay	1795–1801			President of the Continental Congress, U.S. Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister to Spain, Chief Justice of the United States†
Daniel D. Tompkins	1807–1817	H		Vice President of the United States*
DeWitt Clinton	1817–1822 1825–1828		S
Nathaniel Pitcher	1828	H
Martin Van Buren	1829		S†	U.S. Secretary of State*, Minister to the United Kingdom, Vice President of the United States, President of the United States
Enos T. Throop	1829–1832	H
William L. Marcy	1833–1838		S†	U.S. Secretary of War, U.S. Secretary of State
William H. Seward	1839–1842		S	U.S. Secretary of State
Silas Wright	1845–1846	H	S†
John Young	1847–1848	H
Hamilton Fish	1849–1850	H	S	U.S. Secretary of State
Washington Hunt	1851–1852	H
John Alsop King	1857–1858	H
Edwin D. Morgan	1859–1862		S
Reuben Fenton	1865–1868	H†	S
John Adams Dix	1873–1874		S	Minister to France, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Grover Cleveland	1883–1884			President of the United States*
David B. Hill	1885–1891		S
Roswell P. Flower	1892–1894	H
Levi P. Morton	1895–1896	H		Minister to France, Vice President of the United States
Frank S. Black	1897–1898	H†
Theodore Roosevelt	1899–1900			Vice President of the United States, President of the United States
Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.	1901–1904	H
Charles Evans Hughes	1907–1910			U.S. Secretary of State, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court*, Chief Justice of the United States.
William Sulzer	1913	H†
Martin H. Glynn	1913–1914	H
Franklin D. Roosevelt	1929–1932			President of the United States
Herbert H. Lehman	1933–1942		S
W. Averell Harriman	1955–1958			U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to the Soviet Union
Nelson Rockefeller	1959–1973			Vice President of the United States
Hugh Carey	1975–1982	H†
Andrew Cuomo	2011—			U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Living former governors of New York

As of January 2017, there are three living former governors of New York, the oldest being George Pataki (served 1995–2006, born 1945). The most recent governor to die was Mario Cuomo (served 1983–1994, born 1932), on January 1, 2015; he is also the most recently serving governor to have died.

Governor	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth (and age)
George Pataki	1995–2006	(1945-06-24) June 24, 1945
Eliot Spitzer	2007–2008	(1959-06-10) June 10, 1959
David Paterson	2008–2010	(1954-05-20) May 20, 1954

See also

• New York gubernatorial elections
• List of colonial governors of New York

References

General

• "Governors of New York". State of New York. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• "Governors Database: New York". National Governors Association. National Governors Association. 2008. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• Jenkins, John Stilwell (1851). Lives of the Governors of the State of New York. Auburn N.Y.: Derby and Miller. p. 862.

Constitutions

• "New York Constitution". New York Department of State. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• "1777 New York Constitution of New York". The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
• "1821 New York Constitution". The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
• "1894 New York Constitution". The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York. Retrieved July 12, 2010.

Specific

External links

• Office of the Governor of New York