Basil Paterson
Encyclopedia
Basil Alexander Paterson (b. April 27, 1926), a labor lawyer, is a longtime political leader in New York
and Harlem
and father of the 55th Governor
of New York
, David Paterson
. His mother was Jamaica
n, his father Grenadian
.
on April 27, 1926, the son of Leonard James and Evangeline Alicia (Rondon) Paterson. His father was born on the island of Carriacou in the Grenadines
and arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. Vestris on May 16, 1917 in New York City. His mother was born in Kingston, Jamaica
and arrived in the United States on September 9, 1919 aboard the S.S. Vestnorge in Philadelphia
with a final destination of New York City. A stenographer by profession, the former Miss Rondon once served as a secretary for Marcus Garvey
.
, "and the first real job I had was with a wholesale house in the old Port Authority building, down on 18th Street. We'd pack and load these trucks that went up and down in huge elevators. Every year there would be a Christmas party for the employees at some local hotel. Those of us who worked in the shipping department were black. We got paid not to go to the party." He attended college at St. John's University, but his studies were interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army during World War II
. After serving honorably, he returned to St. John's to complete his undergraduate studies. While there he was very active in social and community service organizations, among them the Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity., joining the ranks of the Omicron chapter of New York (now at Columbia University
) in 1947. Patterson graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology in 1948. He was later admitted to St. John's Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor
degree in 1951.
" – with former New York Mayor David Dinkins
, former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton
, and Congressman Charles Rangel – Paterson has been a leader of the "Harlem Clubhouse", which has dominated Harlem politics since the 1960s.
In 1965, Paterson was elected to the New York State Senate
representing the Upper West Side
of New York City and Harlem
. He gave up his Senate seat in 1970 to run for Lieutenant Governor of New York
, as the running mate of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg
. The Goldberg/Paterson ticket lost to the Republican ticket of incumbent Gov. Nelson Rockefeller
and Lt. Gov. Malcolm Wilson
.
In 1978, Paterson was appointed as a Deputy Mayor
of New York City by then Mayor Ed Koch
. He stepped down as deputy mayor in 1979 to become Secretary of State of New York
, the first black person in the post, and served until the end of the Hugh Carey
administration in 1982.
Currently, Paterson is a member of the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., where he is co-chair of the firm's labor law practice.
Paterson is the father of former New York Governor David Paterson
, who was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Gov. Eliot Spitzer
. David Paterson succeeded to the governor's office upon Spitzer's resignation on March 17, 2008. When his son became lieutenant governor, Basil Paterson said that fact may actually "get in the way" of his livelihood as a negotiator and lawyer for the Hospital Workers and Teamsters unions.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and father of the 55th Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
. His mother was Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n, his father Grenadian
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
.
Early life
Paterson was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
on April 27, 1926, the son of Leonard James and Evangeline Alicia (Rondon) Paterson. His father was born on the island of Carriacou in the Grenadines
Grenadines
The Grenadines is a Caribbean island chain of over 600 islands in the Windward Islands.-Geographic boundaries:They are divided between the island nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. They lie between the islands of Saint Vincent in the north and Grenada in the south. Neither...
and arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. Vestris on May 16, 1917 in New York City. His mother was born in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
and arrived in the United States on September 9, 1919 aboard the S.S. Vestnorge in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
with a final destination of New York City. A stenographer by profession, the former Miss Rondon once served as a secretary for Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
.
Teenage years and education
In 1942, at the age of 16, Basil Paterson graduated from De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx. He was shaped by his experiences with racism early on. "I got out of high school when I was 16," Paterson told New York Times columnist Bob HerbertBob Herbert
Robert “Bob” Herbert is an American journalist op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times. His column was syndicated to other newspapers around the country. Herbert frequently writes on poverty, the Iraq war, racism and American political apathy towards race issues...
, "and the first real job I had was with a wholesale house in the old Port Authority building, down on 18th Street. We'd pack and load these trucks that went up and down in huge elevators. Every year there would be a Christmas party for the employees at some local hotel. Those of us who worked in the shipping department were black. We got paid not to go to the party." He attended college at St. John's University, but his studies were interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After serving honorably, he returned to St. John's to complete his undergraduate studies. While there he was very active in social and community service organizations, among them the Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity., joining the ranks of the Omicron chapter of New York (now at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
) in 1947. Patterson graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology in 1948. He was later admitted to St. John's Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1951.
Political career
Paterson became involved in Democratic politics in Harlem in the 1950s and 1960s. A member of the "Gang of FourGang of Four (Harlem)
The Gang of Four, also known as the Harlem Clubhouse, was an African-American political coalition from Harlem whose members later ascended to top political posts. It is named after the Gang of Four of China...
" – with former New York Mayor David Dinkins
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.-Early life:...
, former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton
Percy Sutton
Percy Ellis Sutton was a prominent black American political and business leader. A civil-rights activist and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X...
, and Congressman Charles Rangel – Paterson has been a leader of the "Harlem Clubhouse", which has dominated Harlem politics since the 1960s.
In 1965, Paterson was elected to the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
representing the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of New York City and Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. He gave up his Senate seat in 1970 to run for Lieutenant Governor of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
, as the running mate of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg
Arthur Goldberg
Arthur Joseph Goldberg was an American statesman and jurist who served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Supreme Court Justice and Ambassador to the United Nations.-Early life:...
. The Goldberg/Paterson ticket lost to the Republican ticket of incumbent Gov. Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
and Lt. Gov. Malcolm Wilson
Malcolm Wilson (New York)
Charles Malcolm Wilson was the 50th Governor of New York from December 18, 1973, to December 31, 1974. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1939 to 1958. He also served in the Navy during World War II...
.
In 1978, Paterson was appointed as a Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
of New York City by then Mayor Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
. He stepped down as deputy mayor in 1979 to become Secretary of State of New York
Secretary of State of New York
The Secretary of State of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York.The current Secretary of State of New York is Cesar A...
, the first black person in the post, and served until the end of the Hugh Carey
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey was an American attorney, the 51st Governor of New York from 1975 to 1982, and a seven-term United States Representative .- Early life :...
administration in 1982.
Currently, Paterson is a member of the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., where he is co-chair of the firm's labor law practice.
Paterson is the father of former New York Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
, who was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Gov. Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
. David Paterson succeeded to the governor's office upon Spitzer's resignation on March 17, 2008. When his son became lieutenant governor, Basil Paterson said that fact may actually "get in the way" of his livelihood as a negotiator and lawyer for the Hospital Workers and Teamsters unions.