Basil A. Paterson

Basil Alexander Paterson (April 27, 1926 – April 16, 2014) was an American labor lawyer and politician. He served in the New York State Senate from 1966 to 1971 and as the first African-American secretary of state of New York, serving under Governor Hugh Carey from 1979 to 1983. In 1970, Paterson was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York on the Arthur Goldberg ticket. Paterson's son David served as the state's first African-American governor from 2008 to 2011.

At his death in 2014, The New York Times described Paterson as "one of the old-guard Democratic leaders who for decades dominated politics in Harlem and influenced black political power in New York City and the state into the 21st century," 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 New York City aboard the S.S. Vestris on May 16, 1917. His mother was born in Kingston, Jamaica and arrived in Philadelphia on September 9, 1919, aboard the S.S. Vestnorge (with a final destination of New York City).

Paterson 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 active in social and community service organizations including the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity—where he joined the ranks of the Omicron chapter of New York (now at Columbia University) in 1947. Paterson graduated with a B.S. degree in biology in 1948. He was later admitted to St. John's University Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor degree in 1951.

Political career 'Harlem Clubhouse' Paterson became involved in Democratic politics in Harlem in the 1950s. He was elected head of the NAACP in 1964, which was widely recognized as the prelude to a political career. Along with former Mayor David Dinkins, Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, and Congressman Charles Rangel, he was a leader of the influential Gang of Four (also known as the "Harlem Clubhouse") in the 1960s. Their influence waned in the 1990s, as blacks left Harlem.

New York State Senate Paterson was elected to the New York State Senate in 1966 and represented the Upper West Side and Harlem in the 176th, 177th and 178th New York State Legislatures. While in office, he played a key role in preventing Columbia University from building a gym in Morningside Park. In the Senate he supported special education, reform of the state's divorce laws and other progressive measures. He also was an early supporter of liberalized abortion laws despite his Catholic faith.

The Goldberg/Paterson ticket ultimately lost to Republican incumbents Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and Lt. Gov. Malcolm Wilson. Paterson was passed over for the 1974 governor's race even though he was the highest vote-getter in 1970. His son, David Paterson, would go on to become lieutenant governor in 2007.

Appointments In 1972, Paterson was the first elected African American Vice Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

In 1978, Paterson was appointed Deputy Mayor of New York City by Ed Koch. He stepped down from that post in 1979 to become Secretary of State of New York in Governor Hugh Carey's administration. Paterson was the first African-American to hold the post, and he served until 1983.

As Koch prepared to seek a third term in 1985, Paterson explored a mayoral candidacy of his own but ultimately chose not to run. He cited "pressing family problems" in declining to run for mayor.

Paterson chaired the New York City Mayor's Judiciary Committee for four years and the New York State Governor's Judicial Screening Panel for the Second Department for eight years. He ended his tenure at the Commission on Judicial Nominations after serving for twelve years. Paterson was appointed by Mario Cuomo to the State Committee's and Michael Bloomberg to the city's Judiciary Committee.

Involvement in son's political career Paterson's son David was the 55th Governor of New York. Prior to his tenure as Governor, his son served in the state Senate from 1985 to 2006. David ran for the Senate at the behest of Percy Sutton, after the death of the incumbent, Leon Bogues. David rose to the post of state senate minority leader from 2003 to 2006. He was subsequently 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. Basil was present at his son's swearing in and was recognized by his son during his speech.

Paterson was ambivalent about David's political career due to his blindness. For years he kept his distance from David's political career to avoid conflicts of interest, especially after David became lieutenant governor in 2006. Outside of public service, he was a member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. and co-chaired the firm's labor law practice.