alternatehistory.com
asanh - List of Governors of New York- from the 1951 Constitution to the Syracuse Crisis
List of Governors of New York- from the 1951 Constitution to the Syracuse Crisis
1951-1953: Harold Lang (Liberal)
1951: Marcus Pentin (National), Daniel Oberlin (Socialist)
The first Governor after the adoption of the new, reformed Constitution, Lang had difficulty keeping backbenchers within his own party in line. Ultimately, this led to the collapse of the state's government in the summer of 1953, when right-wingers within the caucus revolted against the government's proposed concessions to striking steel workers in Buffalo. His agricultural policies were alienating to the rural Upstate, and indirectly spurred the entrance of the agrarian Farmers' Alliance onto the political scene.
1953-1960: Thomas Anthony (Liberal-National Coalition)
1953: Oliver Kelly (Socialist), Joseph Pullman (Farmers')
1957: Clarence Adams (Socialist), Joseph Pullman (Farmers')
After the election of 1953, which saw considerable losses by the Liberals, the three main parties were each roughly on par with each other in the Assembly. The Senate still maintained a sizeable Liberal plurality. In a move to deny the ascendant Left a place in government, the Liberal Party's caucus launched a coup against Lang, replacing him with right-winger Anthony, who sought a coalition with the National Party. During his tenure, Anthony governed as a fairly standard centre-right leader, supporting New York's businesses, while maintaining the welfare system and instituting state police crackdowns on anarchist activity in the Adirondacks. The economy was looking up, and standards of living were continuing to rise. Outside of a few terrorist attacks by anti-Catholic groups, there were no major crises facing the state, and no reason for the incumbent Coalition not to be returned in 1957.
Of course, it all came crashing down in 1959.
The economy of the Northeast in the 1950s was built like a bubble, constantly expanding. When that bubble popped, it hit New York hard. Unemployment skyrocketed, bankruptcies rose to record levels, and far-left agitation drew the concern of the New York Security Department. A split within the government on interstate tariffs caused its fall. At the ballot box, voters made their voice heard. And it would be heard.
Clarence Adams (Socialist): 1960-
1960: Emmanuel Bridges (National), August Teller (Liberal), Max Boemer (Farmer's)
So far, Clarence Adams' tenure as Governor has been turbulent. Committed to a policy of economic intervention and nationalization, he provided an aid for the struggling economy, while simultaneously reforming the business code with the help of the Socialist majority in the Assembly. Reconciliation with militant anarchist groups drew the ire of the right, and state police repeatedly refused to carry out the government's directives, leading to mass dismissals from the security forces.
However, the most significant event of Adams' governorship thus far has been the occupation of Syracuse by the far-right, Smythist organization known simply as God's Army. While their political wing, People for Christ, has been banned since the crackdown of 1934, sympathizers have maintained a presence within various local governments upstate. Syracuse has been a stronghold of the right-wing since the June Riots, but the sudden takeover of City Hall by black-clad militiamen was shocking. The Mayor's forces attempted to regain control, but the coup plotters soon seized the police department's weaponry and gained defectors from dismissed StateSec agents. As of this writing, most of the city has been occupied for 15 days, with the Smythists continually calling for the government to dissolve and to allow their leader, Elbert May, to ascend to the governorship. With the general deterioration of law and order in certain upstate areas where law enforcement refuses to comply with the government's wishes, it's difficult for the proper, elected government to mount an offensive.
1951-1953: Harold Lang (Liberal)
1951: Marcus Pentin (National), Daniel Oberlin (Socialist)
The first Governor after the adoption of the new, reformed Constitution, Lang had difficulty keeping backbenchers within his own party in line. Ultimately, this led to the collapse of the state's government in the summer of 1953, when right-wingers within the caucus revolted against the government's proposed concessions to striking steel workers in Buffalo. His agricultural policies were alienating to the rural Upstate, and indirectly spurred the entrance of the agrarian Farmers' Alliance onto the political scene.
1953-1960: Thomas Anthony (Liberal-National Coalition)
1953: Oliver Kelly (Socialist), Joseph Pullman (Farmers')
1957: Clarence Adams (Socialist), Joseph Pullman (Farmers')
After the election of 1953, which saw considerable losses by the Liberals, the three main parties were each roughly on par with each other in the Assembly. The Senate still maintained a sizeable Liberal plurality. In a move to deny the ascendant Left a place in government, the Liberal Party's caucus launched a coup against Lang, replacing him with right-winger Anthony, who sought a coalition with the National Party. During his tenure, Anthony governed as a fairly standard centre-right leader, supporting New York's businesses, while maintaining the welfare system and instituting state police crackdowns on anarchist activity in the Adirondacks. The economy was looking up, and standards of living were continuing to rise. Outside of a few terrorist attacks by anti-Catholic groups, there were no major crises facing the state, and no reason for the incumbent Coalition not to be returned in 1957.
Of course, it all came crashing down in 1959.
The economy of the Northeast in the 1950s was built like a bubble, constantly expanding. When that bubble popped, it hit New York hard. Unemployment skyrocketed, bankruptcies rose to record levels, and far-left agitation drew the concern of the New York Security Department. A split within the government on interstate tariffs caused its fall. At the ballot box, voters made their voice heard. And it would be heard.
Clarence Adams (Socialist): 1960-
1960: Emmanuel Bridges (National), August Teller (Liberal), Max Boemer (Farmer's)
So far, Clarence Adams' tenure as Governor has been turbulent. Committed to a policy of economic intervention and nationalization, he provided an aid for the struggling economy, while simultaneously reforming the business code with the help of the Socialist majority in the Assembly. Reconciliation with militant anarchist groups drew the ire of the right, and state police repeatedly refused to carry out the government's directives, leading to mass dismissals from the security forces.
However, the most significant event of Adams' governorship thus far has been the occupation of Syracuse by the far-right, Smythist organization known simply as God's Army. While their political wing, People for Christ, has been banned since the crackdown of 1934, sympathizers have maintained a presence within various local governments upstate. Syracuse has been a stronghold of the right-wing since the June Riots, but the sudden takeover of City Hall by black-clad militiamen was shocking. The Mayor's forces attempted to regain control, but the coup plotters soon seized the police department's weaponry and gained defectors from dismissed StateSec agents. As of this writing, most of the city has been occupied for 15 days, with the Smythists continually calling for the government to dissolve and to allow their leader, Elbert May, to ascend to the governorship. With the general deterioration of law and order in certain upstate areas where law enforcement refuses to comply with the government's wishes, it's difficult for the proper, elected government to mount an offensive.
- asanh
- Word Count: 610