New York State Counsel to the Governor Office Files

Arranged roughly by record type.

B2341-18: None.

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.

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.

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.

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