Majority Leader of the New York State Senate


The Majority Leader of the New York State Senate is elected by the majority of the members of the New York State Senate. The position usually coincides with the title of Temporary President of the State Senate, who presides over the session of the State Senate if the Lieutenant Governor of New York is absent. The Temporary President of the State Senate becomes Acting Lieutenant Governor for the remainder of the unexpired term in case of a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor. In case of a vacancy in the offices of both the governor and lieutenant governor at the same time, the Temporary President of the State Senate becomes Acting Governor. If the double vacancy occurs until three months before the mid-term state elections, a special election for Governor of New York and Lieutenant Governor is held. If the double vacancy occurs later, the Temporary President of the State Senate acts as governor until the end of the unexpired term. The Temporary President of the State Senate retains both majority leadership and a seat in the State Senate while acting as lieutenant governor or governor.
As of January 2019, Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins is the Senate Majority Leader.

History

The position of President pro tempore of the New York State Senate was created as a standing office by a constitutional amendment in 1873. The President pro tempore was elected for the duration of the biennial senatorial term which comprised two sessions, the first in an even-numbered year, the other in the following odd-numbered year.
Before this time, a President pro tempore was elected only in case of vacancy, or if the lieutenant governor was absent. In practice, this new arrangement transferred much power from the lieutenant governor to the President pro tempore, whose political position became comparable to that of the Speaker of the New York State Assembly.
After the impeachment of Governor William Sulzer in October 1913, Lt. Gov. Martin H. Glynn became governor, and President pro tempore Robert F. Wagner became acting lieutenant governor. At the time Wagner – as acting lieutenant governor – was considered to be President of the Senate and it was deemed necessary to elect another member as President pro tempore/Majority Leader, and John F. Murtaugh was chosen.
The precedent of 1913–14 caused some confusion after the death of Lt. Gov. Thomas W. Wallace in 1943. It was unclear if the Majority Leader had to give up his post upon becoming acting lieutenant governor, and if such an acting lieutenant governor became President of the Senate for the remainder of the unexpired term.
There was a lengthy dispute over the leadership of the Senate during June and July 2009. On June 8, 2009, Democrats Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, Jr., joined the 30 Republican members of the State Senate to attempt to issue a motion to replace current Majority Leader Malcolm Smith with Minority Leader Dean Skelos. Following the precedent of 1913, the temporary presidency and the majority leadership would have been separated again under this scenario. Since the office of Lieutenant Governor fell vacant after Lt. Gov. David Paterson succeeded to the governorship upon Gov. Eliot Spitzer's resignation, the majority leaders have acted as lieutenant governors. The motions put forward on June 8 also sought to select Pedro Espada as Temporary President of the State Senate, which would have installed him as acting lieutenant governor. The Democrats have disputed the legitimacy of the motions put forward on June 8. The New York State Senate has been providing a of the legal proceedings since June 11, 2009. The dispute ended July 9, 2009, when Senator Espada announced he would return to the Democratic caucus and take on the position of majority leader, while it was also announced that former majority leader Malcolm Smith had assumed the title of president pro tempore, and John Sampson would serve as Democratic conference leader with the understanding he would assume the presidency at an undetermined future date. Following the 2010 election and the Republican victory in the Senate, Senator Dean Skelos from Long Island served as both Temporary President and Majority Leader, but resigned in May 2015 in the midst of corruption charges.
Traditionally, the positions of acting lieutenant governor and acting governor were considered to be tied to the post of Majority Leader. This means that if the Majority Leader resigns, or is ousted from office, or if the majority changes and a new Majority Leader is chosen, the offices of acting lieutenant governor or acting governor were transferred at the same time to the new Majority Leader.
Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins became Senate Majority Leader in January 2019, the first woman and African-American to do so.

Presidents pro tempore 1874 - 1938

President pro temPartyTook officeLeft officeNotes
William H. RobertsonRepublican1874July 23, 1881resigned his seat during his fourth term to accept appointment as Collector of the Port of New York
Dennis McCarthyRepublicanJuly 23, 1881December 31, 1881elected for the remainder of the term
vacantJanuary 3, 1882December 31, 1882John C. Jacobs was the candidate of the Democratic majority but, due to the split of the Democrats, no President pro tem was chosen by a senate with 14 regular Democrats, 3 Tammany men and 15 Republicans
John C. JacobsDemocratJanuary 11, 1883December 31, 1883elected for the remainder of the term
Dennis McCarthyRepublican1884December 31, 1885Acting Lieutenant Governor 1885
Edmund L. PittsRepublicanJanuary 4, 1886December 31, 1887
Henry R. LowRepublicanJanuary 1888December 1, 1888died in office
Jacob Sloat FassettRepublicanJanuary 1889August 1, 1891vacated his seat during his second term when appointed Collector of the Port of New York
Jacob A. CantorDemocraticJanuary 1892December 31, 1893Minority Leader 1888-1891 and 1894–1898
Charles T. SaxtonRepublicanJanuary 1894December 31, 1894vacated his seat when taking office as Lieutenant Governor of New York
Edmund O'ConnorRepublicanJanuary 1895December 31, 1895elected for the remainder of the term
Timothy E. EllsworthRepublicanJanuary 1896December 31, 1902three terms
John RainesRepublicanJanuary 1903December 16, 1909Acting Lieutenant Governor 1906; died in office during his fourth term
Jotham P. AlldsRepublicanJanuary 5, 1910February 23, 1910elected for the remainder of the term; resigned during bribery investigation, later found guilty by Senate vote
George H. CobbRepublicanMarch 11, 1910December 31, 1910elected for the remainder of the term; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1910
Robert F. WagnerDemocraticJanuary 1911January 6, 1914two terms; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1913-1914; Minority Leader 1915-1918
John F. MurtaughDemocraticJanuary 6, 1914December 31, 1914chosen Majority Leader while Acting Lt. Gov. Wagner continued as Temporary President/Acting Lieutenant Governor
Elon R. BrownRepublicanJanuary 1915December 31, 1918two terms
J. Henry WaltersRepublicanJanuary 1919December 31, 1920
Clayton R. LuskRepublicanJanuary 1921December 31, 1922Acting Lieutenant Governor 1922; Minority Leader 1923-1924
Jimmy WalkerDemocraticJanuary 1923December 31, 1924Minority Leader 1919-1922 and 1925
John KnightRepublicanJanuary 1925March 30, 1931vacated his seat during his fourth term when appointed U.S. Judge for the Western District of NY
George R. FearonRepublicanApril 9, 1931December 31, 1932elected for the remainder of the term
John J. DunniganDemocraticJanuary 4, 1933December 31, 1938three terms; Minority Leader 1931-1932 and 1939–1944

Majority Leaders since 1939

Majority LeaderPartyTook officeLeft officeNotes-
Perley A. PitcherRepublicanJanuary 3, 1939February 20, 1939Minority Leader 1937-1938; died in office-
Joe R. HanleyRepublicanFebruary 27, 1939December 31, 1943elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected twice; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1942 and 1943; vacated his seat when taking office as Lieutenant Governor of New York-
Benjamin F. FeinbergRepublicanJanuary 4, 1944March 30, 1949elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected three times; vacated his seat when appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission-
Arthur H. WicksRepublicanMarch 30, 1949November 19, 1953elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected twice, then resigned; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1953-
Walter J. MahoneyRepublicanJanuary 6, 1954December 31, 1964elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected five times; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1954-
Joseph ZaretzkiDemocraticFebruary 3, 1965December 31, 1965elected after a month of deadlock; Minority Leader 1957-1964 and 1966–1974-
Earl W. BrydgesRepublicanJanuary, 1966December 31, 1972four terms ; Minority Leader 1965-
Warren M. AndersonRepublicanJanuary, 1973December 31, 1988eight terms; longest-serving Majority Leader ; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1973-1974 and 1985–1986-
Ralph J. MarinoRepublicanJanuary, 1989November 25, 1994ousted by his party shortly before the end of his third term-
Joseph BrunoRepublicanNovember 25, 1994June 24, 2008elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected seven times, then resigned; Acting Lieutenant Governor 2008.-
Dean SkelosRepublicanJune 24, 2008December 31, 2008elected for the remainder of the term; Acting Lieutenant Governor 2008.-
Malcolm SmithDemocraticJanuary 7, 2009June 8, 2009Acting Lieutenant Governor Jan. 7 - June 8, 2009; Minority Leader 2007-2008 and June 8–15, 2009-
Dean SkelosRepublicanJune 8, 2009June 15, 2009Skelos was chosen Majority Leader, and Pedro Espada Jr. Temporary President/Acting Lieutenant Governor.-
Dean Skelos/Malcolm SmithDisputedJune 15, 2009July 9, 2009Pedro Espada Jr. continued as Temporary President/Acting Lieutenant Governor, but after the return of Hiram Monserrate to the Democratic caucus, the Senate was tied, and both leaders claimed to be the Majority Leader during the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis.-
Pedro Espada Jr.DemocraticJuly 9, 2009December 14, 2010Malcolm Smith was Temporary President since July 9, 2009, and John L. Sampson was Chairman of the Democratic Conference. As sitting Majority Leader, Espada was indicted on six federal counts of embezzlement and theft on Dec. 14, 2010 and was stripped of his leadership position.-
vacantDecember 14, 2010December 31, 2010While the office of Majority Leader remained vacant, Malcolm Smith continued as Temporary President, and John L. Sampson as Chairman of the Democratic Conference.-
Dean SkelosRepublicanJanuary 1, 2011December 31, 2012-
Jeffrey Klein/Dean SkelosMajority CoalitionJanuary 1, 2013December 31, 2014The leaders of the Republican and the Independent Democratic conferences would have joint and equal authority over bills that the Senate takes up, committee assignments, appointments, and state budget negotiations. Senator Skelos and Senator Klein also take turns as temporary president of the Senate, a position defined in the State Constitution that is next in the gubernatorial line of succession after the lieutenant governor.
Dean SkelosRepublicanJanuary 1, 2015May 11, 2015Republicans won back an outright majority in the State Senate. Resigned as Temporary President and Majority Leader on May 11, 2015, due to federal corruption charges.-
John J. FlanaganRepublicanMay 11, 2015January 2, 2019-
Andrea Stewart-CousinsDemocraticJanuary 9, 2019presentMinority Leader 2013-2019. First woman to hold post.-