John Hanna, Jr. Professional Papers

John Hanna, Jr. graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1960. He practiced with the firm of Root, Barrett, Cohen, Knapp & Smith in New York City, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, and with the firm of Ropes and Gray in Boston, Massachusetts.

From June 1969 to June 1973, Hanna served as Counsel to the New York State Office of Employee Relations, joining the agency the day after it was created by the Legislature as the Governor's Taylor Law negotiating representative with State employees. Later, in June 1973, Hanna was appointed Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

John Hanna is a founder of the law firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in Albany, New York, where he has practiced environmental and commercial law as an advisor and advocate. He has also served as an international and domestic arbitrator and mediator. From 1996 to 2013, Hanna held the position of Chair of the Board of the New York Archives Partnership Trust.

These papers consist of John Hanna's files he created while serving as Counsel to the New York State Office of Employee Relations (predecessor to the Governor's Office of Employee Relations, or GOER) and as Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). As such, the materials do not completely document his tenure in these positions but rather highlight significant legal issues and cases he handled. One such issue that is well covered by the files is the Taylor Law and Hanna's role in mediating labor disputes between public employee unions and State and local governments. Noteworthy materials from Hanna's service with DEC include copies of outgoing correspondence sent from his office, dating 1973-1975, and meeting minutes of the Environmental Facilities Corporation Board. Types of records found in the papers include correspondence, minutes, comments and memoranda on legislation, legal documents, research notes, labor agreements, copies of publications, and material documenting the national conferences and associations in which Hanna was involved.

13063Series 13063, Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner's subject and correspondence files, and

16243Series 16243, Governor's Office of Employee Relations subject files, contain related records.

Folder list is available at the repository.

These papers were donated to the State Archives by John Hanna, Jr. in 2012. They were accessioned as accretion 13063-12, Department of Environmental Conservation commissioners' and deputy commissioners' correspondence, subject files, and orders. In April 2014, they were reexamined and subsequently re-accessioned as a separate series.

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