New York State Education Department Office of the Commissioner Cabinet Meeting Minutes

Chronological by date of meeting.

The departmental cabinet of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) was established shortly after the report of the Regents' Inquiry into the Character and Cost of Public Education, Education For American Life (1938), recommended that such a body be formed. The members and other officials regularly attending Cabinet meetings fluctuated somewhat during this period, but generally included the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Associate Commissioners, Counsel, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner, Secretary to the Board of Regents, and selected assistant commissioners or other high level administrators. Meetings were usually held weekly until 1950, after which minutes exist for meetings held at irregular intervals ranging from two weeks to two months.

This series consists of three-ring binders, or the contents of such, containing minutes, agenda items, and occasionally other materials from meetings of the departmental cabinet of NYSED. The contents of the minutes tend to change with the cabinets of each Commissioner of Education. The minutes of Commissioners Francis T. Spaulding's and Lewis A. Wilson's cabinets generally include lists of members present, lists of items on the agenda, short summaries of presentations given at the meeting, summaries of discussions, and lists of actions to be taken on each agenda item. The meetings appear to have occured on a bi-weekly basis, but there are many gaps. The minutes of Commissioner Ewald B. Nyquist's cabient tend to be briefer, containing a few agenda items along with actions to be taken by various cabinet members on each item. They seem to have been more akin to "to-do lists," rather than detailed accounts of the meetings. The meetings generally appear to have occurred on a weekly basis.

15080Series 15080, of which the subject files of Commissioners Francis T. Spaulding, Lewis A. Wilson (both 15080-78), and Ewald B. Nyquist (15080-80 and 15080-93) form part, contains material on the operation of the commissioner's office under the control of the commissioners documented in this series.

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