New York State Governor Ledgers of Governors' Actions and Decisions

Arranged by type of appointment or action, then chronological by date of appointment or action. Notary public and loan commissioner appointments are alphabetical by county, then chronological by date of commission.

These volumes provide a central record of appointments made and other actions taken by the governor. The volumes were compiled from the chronologically-arranged information in series A0607, Journals of Governors' Actions and Decisions, to provide the governor's staff with more organized access to this information. 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.

Each volume is divided into a number of sections, each recording different types of appointments, decisions, and other actions taken during the time span covered by the volume. The sections included and the order in which they are presented vary somewhat between volumes, but they generally include the following:

1) "Civil appointments" to positions such as: governor's secretary or clerk; Superintendent of the Banking Department; Auditor of the Canal Department; Commissary General; Canal Appraiser; Superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs; Indian agents or attorneys; military offices; managers or trustees of state institutions; railway policemen; Harbor Master or Port Warden of the Port of New York; commissioners established under various laws; judgeships; notary public (volumes 1-3); and loan commissioner. These sections provide the following information about each appointment: office; citation to the law establishing the office or institution; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of appointment to that office); how vacated (e.g. deceased, reappointment, etc.); by whom succeeded and when (date); page (in unidentified volumes); name of appointee; residence; appointed in place of (name); date of commission; and date commission expires.

2) Discharges and resignations from office, providing: date; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of discharge or resignation); name of appointee; residence; office; date of commission; and date commission expires.

3) Applications granted or denied for pardons, restoration of citizenship rights, and commutation of sentences, providing: date; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of granting or denial of application); name of convict; date of sentence; county; crime; term of sentence; and prison.

4) Mandates granted or denied on requisitions (extradition requests) by governors of other states, and requisitions on governors of other states granted or denied, providing: date; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of granting or denial of requisition); name of alleged fugitive; state from which or on which requisition was made; papers filed (e.g. copy of indictment, copy of sentence of court, etc.); crime; county in which crime committed; mandate to (name of state official; for requisitions from other states); warrant to (name of state official; for requisitions on other states granted); and at expense of (e.g. county, complainant, prosecutor; for requisitions on other states granted).

5) Messages to the legislature, providing: date; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of message); house (Senate or Assembly); and type or topic of message (e.g. annual message, veto or approval message, messages regarding issues of concern).

6) Proclamations, providing: date; page (in volume from series A0607 covering year of proclamation); and subject.

7) Incidental expenses of government, providing: date; name of account; reason for or type of expenditure; and amount.

8) Additional sections listing miscellaneous appointments, actions, visits, etc.

A0607Series A0607, Journals of Governors' Actions and Decisions, is the chronological record from which these ledgers were compiled and to which page numbers cited in the ledgers refer.

Alphabetical subject/office index in Volume 1.

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