Research


New York State Governor Blotters of Governors' Actions and Decisions


Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources


Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
These blotters served as a preliminary record of the governor's actions and decisions. These records were kept pursuant to Laws of 1858, Chapter 64, which required the governor to record in books all applications made to him for appointments, pardons, commutations of sentences, or other gubernatorial actions, and to keep on file the original documentation relating to each application. The permanent record of these activities is found in Series A0607, Journals of Governor's Actions and Decisions.
Title:
Blotters of governors' actions and decisions
Quantity:

49 cubic feet

89 volumes

Inclusive Dates:
1859-1938
Series Number:
A0608

Arrangement

Chronological by date of action or decision.

Scope and Content Note

These blotters served as a preliminary record of actions and decisions as they were made by the governor. Information was transcribed from this preliminary record into the journals comprising series A0607, Journals of Governors' Actions and Decisions, which served as the permanent record of these activities. These records were kept pursuant to Laws of 1858, Chapter 64, which required the governor to record in books all applications made to him for appointments, pardons, commutations of sentences, or other gubernatorial actions, and to keep on file the original documentation relating to each application.

The blotters generally provide information on the following: appointments and nominations of civil, judicial, and military officers; names of applicants for appointments, pardons, commutations of sentences, or restoration of citizenship rights; resignations accepted by the governor; grants or refusals of extradition requests ("requisitions") from governors of other states; titles or introductory numbers of legislative bills received, signed, or vetoed, often accompanied (for vetoes) by transcriptions of the governor's veto message to the legislature; and expenditures approved.

The first few blotters contain handwritten entries similar to those in the journals. However, most of the volumes contain pasted-in copies of original documents recording the actions and decisions. For instance, many volumes are comprised of certificates of appointment or veto messages. Also found less frequently in these blotters are documents such as approval messages for legislation; special messages to the legislature; incoming correspondence; reports; and determinations after special investigations. Information from these documents was later extracted for entry into the journals, and the blotter documents were then crossed out or checked off. For this reason, the blotters often contain more complete information than do the journals (in addition to covering a broader time span). However, the blotters often lack entries which are present in the journals (e.g., transcriptions of the governors' annual messages to the legislature). In addition, blotters for 1897-1904 are missing.

Related Material

A0599 Extradition Requisition and Mandate Registers and Blotters

A0607 Journals of Governor's Actions and Decisions and

A0622 Ledgers of Governors' Actions and Decisions, contain related records regarding requisitions and mandates.

Processing Information

Two volumes (1861 and 1908) were reintegrated with this series after previously having been misfiled as Volumes 3 and 4 (mislabeled as Volumes 1 and 4) of Series A0625 (old collection #625).

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.

Access Terms

Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
Function(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box Volume

Accretion: A0608-78
1859 January 1-1859 December 28 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 1 1
1861 January 2-1861 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 2 1A
1860 January 4-1862 March 3 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 3 2
1861 July 25-1862 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 4 2A
1863 March 27-1863 August 6 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 5 3
1863 March 11-1863 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 6 3A
1864 January 2-1864 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 7 4
1875 July 1-1875 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 8 4A
1875 January 1-1875 June 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 9 5
1876 July 3-1876 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 10 5A
1876 January 1-1876 June 28 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 11 5B
1883 January 1-1883 May 4 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 12 6
1883 May 9-1883 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 13 6A
1884 May 14-1884 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 14 7
1884 January 4-1884 May 16 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 15 8
1885 January 2-1885 May 15 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 16 9
1885 May 16-1885 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 17 9A
1886 May 22-1886 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 18 10
1886 January 1-1886 May 20 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 19 10A
1887 January 1-1887 May 26 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 20 11
1887 May 27-1887 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 21 11A
1888 May 14-1888 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 22 12
1888 January 2-1888 May 11 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 23 12A
1889 May 18-1889 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 24 13
1889 January 1-1889 May 22 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 25 14
1890 January 1-1890 May 9 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 26 15
1890 May 10-1890 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 27 16
1891 May 1-1891 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 28 17
1891 January 2-1891 April 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 29 18
1892 January 1-1892 April 21 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 30 19
1892 April 26-1892 December 24 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 31 19A
1893 April 21-1893 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 32 20
1893 January 1-1893 April 20 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 33 21
1894 January 1-1894 April 27 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 34 22
1894 May 8-1894 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 35 22A
1895 May 20-1895 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 36 23
1908 January 1-1908 June 11 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 37 23A
1895 January 1-1895 May 16 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 38 24
1896 May 1-1896 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 39 25
1896 January 1-1896 April 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 40 26
1905 January 2-1905 May 5 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 41 27
1905 May 5-1905 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 42 28
1906 January 1-1906 May 3 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 43 29
1906 May 4-1906 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 44 30
1907 January 14-1907 December 27 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 45 31
1908 January 1-1908 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 46 32
1909 January 1-1909 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 47 33
1911 January 1-1911 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 48 34
1912 January 2-1912 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 49 35
1913 January 4-1913 September 16 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 50 36
1913 September 3-1914 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 51 37
1915 January 19-1915 December 23 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 52 38
1914 December 26-1915 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 53 39
1916 January 1-1916 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 54 40
1917 January 1-1917 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 55 41
1918 January 1-1918 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 56 42
1919 January 1-1919 October 16 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 57 43
1919 February 26-1919 May 19 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 58 43A
1928 January 1-1928 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 59 44
1921 January 1-1921 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 60 45
1922 January 1-1922 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 61 46
1923 January 1-1923 December 28 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 62 47
1924 January 1-1924 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 63 48
1925 January 1-1925 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 64 49
1926 January 1-1926 July 27 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 65 50
1926 September -1926 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 66 51
1928 January 3-1928 October 5 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 67 52
1930 January 6-1930 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 68 53
1933 August 18-1933 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 69 54
1933 January 1-1933 August 18 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 70 55
1934 May 21-1934 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 71 56
1934 January 1-1934 April 20 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 72 56A
1934 April 20-1934 May 25 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 73 56B
1927 January 1-1927 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 74 57
1935 January 1-1935 April 16 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 75 57A
1935 April 16-1935 September 26 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 76 57B
1935 September 28-1935 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 77 57C
1936 September 12-1936 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 78 58
1936 January 4-1936 December 30 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 79 59
1936 January 1-1936 May 4 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 80 60
1936 May 4-1936 September 14 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 81 60A
1937 June 5-1937 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 82 61
1937 January 1-1937 May 3 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 83 62
1937 April 30-1937 June 5 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 84 62A
1938 September 9-1938 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 85 63
1939 January 1-1939 June 5 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 86 64
1939 June 5-1939 December 31 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 87 64A
1938 January 1-1938 March 18 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 88 65
1938 March 18-1938 September 7 Blotters of Governor's Actions and Decisions 89 65A