Research


New York State Counsel to the Governor Office Files


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

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

Summary:
This series consists of records, including subject and personnel files, maintained by various staff members of the Counsel to the Governor's office. Other types of records include news clippings, correspondence, invitations, memorandums, press releases, and reports. Records in the series relate to subjects such as the National Guard legislative program, civil defense in the event of a natural disaster, military pension increases, amendments to the Waterfront Commission Act, and conflicts within county-level Democratic Party committees.
Creator:
Title:
Counsel to the Governor office files
Quantity:

3.25 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:
1955-1958
Series Number:
B2341

Arrangement

Arranged roughly by record type.

B2341-18: None.

Administrative History

Governor W. Averell Harriman chose Judge Daniel Gutman, President Justice of the Municipal Court of New York, as his counsel. Mr. Gutman, a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and an Assistant District Attorney of Kings County, served in the New York State Assembly from 1938 to 1939 and the New York State Senate from 1939 to 1943. In 1943, he was elected as a Justice of the Municipal Court and in February 1954, he was appointed President Justice.

The duties of the Counsel to the Governor included clearing and making recommendations on proposed legislation; acting as a liaison between the Governor's Office and the State Legislature; negotiating interstate or international agreements; clearing all contracts, as to content and form, which required the Governor's signature (Power Authority contracts, etc.); making recommendations on all appointments to the judiciary; acting as a liaison between the Governor and all investigative bodies; making recommendations on applications for pardons and clemency; and advising the Governor on many policy and program matters.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of records, including subject and personnel files, maintained by various staff members of the Counsel to the Governor's office. Other types of records include news clippings, correspondence, invitations, memorandums, press releases, and reports. Staff members particularly well-represented in this series are Alfred Callahan and Bernard Ruggieri (Assistant Counsels to the Governor), as well as Laura Davis (Assistant to Special Counsel Milton Stewart). Records in the series relate to subjects such as the National Guard legislative program, civil defense in the event of a natural disaster, military pension increases, amendments to the Waterfront Commission Act, and conflicts within county-level Democratic Party committees.

Acquisition Information

This series was transferred to Syracuse University from Governor Harriman in 1959, and was transferred to the New York State Archives in 2006. It was accessioned in November 2011.

Access Restrictions

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

Access Terms

Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
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Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box

Accretion: B2341-11
1958 Memoranda to Governor Harriman 1
Laura Davis 1
1958 Memoranda to Mr. Bingham 1
1958 DeLuca - Lieutenant Governor 1
1958 DeSapio - Carmine 1
1958 Memoranda to Mr. Evans 1
1958 Memoranda to Senator Gaspari 1
1958 Memordanda - Mr. Kaplan 1
1958 Memoranda - Mr. Kasmire 1
1958 Memoranda - Mr. Lifflander 1
Mr. Loeb 1
1958 Memoranda to Mrs. McCray 1
Moynihan, Pat 1
Mr. Palomino 1
1958 Memoranda to Mr. Stewart 1
1958 Memoranda to Mr. Van Devander 1
Willison, George 1
1958 Zaretzki, Memoranda to 1
1957 Memoranda to Governor Harriman 1
1957 Bannigan - Memos to 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Bingham 1
1957 DeLuca - Lieutenant Governor 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Evans 1
1957 Memoranda to Senator Gaspari 1
Memo to Milton Kaplan 1
Memo - Mr. Lifflander 1
Memoranda - Mr. Kasmire 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Long 1
1957 Memoranda to Mrs. McCray 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Ruggieri 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Stewart 1
1957 Memoranda to Mrs. Terko 1
1957 Memoranda to Mr. Van Devander 1
1957 Zaretzki, Memoranda to 1
Lieutenant Governor DeLuca 1
1955-1956 Memorandums from Judge Gutman 1
Memos to Department Heads 1
Executive Memoranda 1
Mahoney, Senator Francis J. - Memoranda to 1
1957 Biography - Judge Gutman 1
Mrs. Barker - Office Staff 1
Counsel's Staff 1
Office Personnel Appointments 1
Duty Roster 1
Office Procedure 1
1957 Invitations - Declined 1
1957 Invitations - Accepted 1
1956 Invitations - Accepted 1
1956 Invitations - Declined 1
1955 Acknowledgements 1
Minority Leader, Assembly 1
Democratic County Chairmen 1
Democratic Conference of Candidates 1
Miscellaneous 1
Alfred J. Callahan - Miscellaneous Memoranda 1
Alfred J. Callahan - Pending Corespondence 1
Alfred J. Callahan - Federal-State Disaster Agreement 1
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Selective Service 2
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Colosseum - Syracuse State Fair 2
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Civil Defense (Natural Disaster) 2
1955 Bernard J. Ruggieri - Legislation - National Guard Program 2
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Military Request for Increased Pensions 2
1957 Bernard J. Ruggieri - Constitutional Convention 2
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Appointments 2
Bernard J. Ruggieri - Drafts of Amendment to the Waterfront Commission Act 2

Accretion: B2341-18
Correspondence of Laura Davis relating to county and local conditions; records related to the 1957 legislative session 1
Records related to New York State's economy; records related to unemployment insurance, newspaper clippings regarding Governor Harriman 2
Printed material and press releases created by the New York State Department of Commerce and Department of Labor 3
Press releases created by the New York State Department of Commerce and Department of Labor; printed material created by the New York State Department of Civil Service 4