George Clinton was born in 1739 to a father who was a member of the New York colonial assembly. He fought in the French and Indian War as a teenager and later studied law. In 1759, Clinton began a life in politics when he became the County Clerk for Ulster County, New York. He served in this position for the next 52 years! Clinton began serving as a representative from Ulster County in the Provincial Assembly in 1768 and continued in this position until New York declared its independence in 1776.
When the American Revolution began, Clinton was squarely on the side of the patriots. He became a brigadier general in the Continental Army in 1777, but shortly afterwards was elected governor of the fledgling New York government. Clinton took office on July 30, 1777 and would be re-elected 5 times until 1792. He would serve again as governor from 1801-1804, making him the longest serving governor in American history.
In his role as governor of New York, Clinton played a central role in many aspects of the Revolution, from the detaining of Loyalists and confiscating their property, to negotiating the British evacuation of New York with George Washington and British General, Sir Guy Carleton.
Clinton was a strong opponent of the US Constitution at first, believing it did not adequately protect individual rights. He withdrew his opposition, however, when Federalists agreed to add a Bill of Rights to the document. When George Washington took office as the first president, Clinton welcomed him to the city of New York (then the capital), accompanied Washington to his inauguration and later put on the first inaugural celebration.
Clinton was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1800. He was then re-elected governor in 1801, but stepped down when he was chosen to replace the disgraced Aaron Burr as Thomas Jefferson’s running mate in 1804. Clinton served through Jefferson’s second term and then was elected as vice-president again under James Madison, where he served until his death in 1812.
George Clinton is a little known Founding Father to modern Americans, but he played a pivotal role in shepherding one of the largest states through the American Revolution. Clinton was the first elected official to die in the White House and was one of only two people to serve as vice-president under two different presidents, the second being John C. Calhoun. Clinton died of a heart attack on April 20, 1812 and was buried in Washington DC. His body was reinterred in Kingston, New York in 1908.
//www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com
Jack Manning
President General
2019 – 2021
National Society Sons of the American Revolution
www.sar.org
“If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify.”
Alexander Hamilton (1788)
PrevPreviousLoyalists win the Battle of the House in the Horseshoe
NextRachel Fletcher confirms the Betsy Ross Flag storyNext
An America 250 SAR Project of the California Society, Sons of the American Revolution. Return to CaliforniaSAR.org or our America 250 SAR Page
The governor of New York, heads the government of the U.S. state of New York. They also head the executive branch of New York's state government. Along with that the Governor fills in the shoes of commander-in-chief of the state's military forces
List of Governors of New York: Find out what they do
The governor of New York, heads the government of the U.S. state of New York. They also head the executive branch of New York's state government. Along with that the Governor fills in the shoes of commander-in-chief of the state's military forces
Their duty is to enforce state laws and convene the New York State Legislature, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the legislature.
Along with that to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.
In total Fifty-seven people have fulfilled the role of a state governor, where four of whom served non-consecutive terms including; George Clinton, DeWitt Clinton, Horatio Seymour, and Al Smith.
Kathy Hochul has been the only female to be governor of New York so far.
ALSO READ:
List of new Cabinet Ministers of India 2022: Check the updated list with Portfolio
List of all Presidents of India from 1947 to 2022
Governor
Term Start
Term End
Party
George Clinton
Jul 30, 1777
Jun 30, 1795
Democratic– Republican
John Jay
Jul 1, 1795
Jun 30, 1801
Federalist
George Clinton
Jul 1, 1801
Jun 30, 1804
Democratic– Republican
Morgan Lewis
Jul 1, 1804
Jun 30, 1807
Democratic– Republican
Daniel D. Tompkins
Jul 1, 1807
Feb 24, 1817
Democratic– Republican
John Tayler (Acting)
Feb 24, 1817
Jun 30, 1817
Democratic– Republican
DeWitt Clinton
Jul 1, 1817
Dec 31, 1822
Democratic– Republican
Joseph C. Yates
Jan 1, 1823
Dec 31, 1824
Democratic– Republican
DeWitt Clinton
Jan 1, 1825
Feb 11, 1828
Democratic– Republican
Nathaniel Pitcher
Feb 11, 1828
Dec 31, 1828
Democratic– Republican
Martin Van Buren
Jan 1, 1829
Mar 12, 1829
Democratic
Enos T. Throop
Mar 12, 1829
Dec 31, 1832
Democratic
William L. Marcy
Jan 1, 1833
Dec 31, 1838
Democratic
William H. Seward
Jan 1, 1839
Dec 31, 1842
Whig
William C. Bouck
Jan 1, 1843
Dec 31, 1844
Democratic
Silas Wright
Jan 1, 1845
Dec 31, 1846
Democratic
John Young
Jan 1, 1847
Dec 31, 1848
Whig
Hamilton Fish
Jan 1, 1849
Dec 31, 1850
Whig
Washington Hunt
Jan 1, 1851
Dec 31, 1852
Whig
Horatio Seymour
Jan 1, 1853
Dec 31, 1854
Democratic
Myron H. Clark
Jan 1, 1855
Dec 31, 1856
Whig (fusion)
John A. King
Jan 1, 1857
Dec 31, 1858
Republican
Edwin D. Morgan
Jan 1, 1859
Dec 31, 1862
Republican
Horatio Seymour
Jan 1, 1863
Dec 31, 1864
Democratic
Reuben Fenton
Jan 1, 1865
Dec 31, 1868
Union
John T. Hoffman
Jan 1, 1869
Dec 31, 1872
Democratic
John Adams Dix
Jan 1, 1873
Dec 31, 1874
Republican
Samuel J. Tilden
Jan 1, 1875
Dec 31, 1876
Democratic
Lucius Robinson
Jan 1, 1877
Dec 31, 1879
Democratic
Alonzo B. Cornell
Jan 1, 1880
Dec 31, 1882
Republican
Grover Cleveland
Jan 1, 1883
Jan 6, 1885
Democratic
David B. Hill
Jan 6, 1885
Dec 31, 1891
Democratic
Roswell P. Flower
Jan 1, 1892
Dec 31, 1894
Democratic
Levi P. Morton
Jan 1, 1895
Dec 31, 1896
Republican
Frank S. Black
Jan 1, 1897
Dec 31, 1898
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt
Jan 1, 1899
Dec 31, 1900
Republican
Benjamin Odell
Jan 1, 1901
Dec 31, 1904
Republican
Frank W. Higgins
Jan 1, 1905
Dec 31, 1906
Republican
Charles Evans Hughes
January 1, 1907
Oct 6, 1910
Republican
Horace White
Oct 6, 1910
Dec 31, 1910
Republican
John Alden Dix
Jan 1, 1911
Dec 31, 1912
Democratic
William Sulzer
Jan 1, 1913
Oct 17, 1913
Democratic
Martin H. Glynn
Oct 17, 1913
Dec 31, 1914
Democratic
Charles Seymour Whitman
Jan 1, 1915
Dec 31, 1914
Democratic
Al Smith
Jan 1, 1923
Dec 31, 1920
Democratic
Nathan L. Miller
Jan 1, 1921
Dec 31, 1922
Republican
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jan 1, 1929
Dec 31, 1932
Republican
Herbert H. Lehman
Jan 1, 1933
Dec 3, 1942
Democratic
Charles Poletti
Dec 3, 1942
Dec 31, 1942
Democratic
Thomas E. Dewey
Jan 1, 1955
Dec 31, 1954
Republican
W. Averell Harriman
Jan 1, 1955
Dec 31, 1958
Republican
Nelson Rockefeller
Jan 1, 1959
Dec 18, 1973
Republican
Malcolm Wilson
Jan 1, 1959
Dec 31, 1974
Republican
Hugh Carey
Jan 1, 1975
Dec 31, 1982
Democratic
Mario Cuomo
Jan 1, 1983
Dec 31, 1994
Democratic
George Pataki
Jan 1, 1995
Dec 31, 2006
Republican
Eliot Spitzer
Jan 1, 2007
Mar 17, 2008
Democratic
David Paterson
Mar 17, 2008
Dec 31, 2010
Democratic
Andrew Cuomo
Jan 1, 2011
Aug 23, 2021
Democratic
Kathy Hochul
Aug 24, 2021
-
Democratic
In summary of the data presented above, the longest-serving governor was George Clinton, who took the office first on July 30, 1777.
He administered for seven terms in two different periods, totaling just under 21 years in office.
18 of those years were consecutive.
Not only that but Clinton also administered for the lengthiest consecutive period in office for a New York governor.
While Charles Poletti had the shortest term, he served only 29 days following the resignation of the previous governor, Herbert H. Lehman in 1942.
The first African American governor of New York was David Paterson.
He was also the first legally blind governor. He is the fourth African American to hold the office of governor in the United States.
The current governor is Democrat Kathy Hochul, who is the state's first female governor. She assumed the office on August 24, 2021 after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo
Who was governor the longest?
How many years can a governor serve in NY?
Governor of New York | |
Term length | Four years, no term limit |
Constituting instrument | New York Constitution of 1777 |
Precursor | Royal Governor of the Province of New York |
Inaugural holder | George Clinton |