William Barclay

William Anson Barclay (born January 5, 1969) is an American politician and attorney from the State of New York. A Republican, he has served in the New York State Assembly since 2003. In January 2020, Barclay was elected to the position of Assembly minority leader. In February 2026, Barclay announced that he was stepping down from his leadership position and that he would not seek re-election in the fall.

Early life, family, education, and law practice William Anson Barclay

Barclay earned his B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1992 and his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1995.

Political career Barclay was first elected to the State Assembly on November 5, 2002, He took office in 2003. Barclay won the November 2008 general election with 67 percent of the vote and ran uncontested in the November 2010 and 2012 general elections. A Republican,

On January 7, 2020, Barclay was unanimously elected to the post of Assembly minority leader by his Republican colleagues

Barclay has called for the repeal of the following laws: New York's 2019 bail reform law; the Raise the Age Act, which increased the age at which persons are held accountable for crimes as adults; the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, which he argued has caused increases in prison violence; the Green Light Law, which allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain New York driver licenses; the NY SAFE Act, a 2013 gun control law; and congestion pricing in New York City. Barclay and the Assembly Minority Conference have proposed an Inflation Relief and Consumer Assistance Plan (which would remove sales taxes on some essential goods) as well as tax incentives for families and childcare providers. He opposed 2024 New York Proposal 1, an equal rights amendment to the Constitution of New York.

In February 2026, Barclay announced that he was stepping down from the position of Assembly minority leader and that he would not seek re-election in the fall. Assembly Republicans chose Ed Ra as the next Assembly minority leader.

Personal life Barclay and his wife, Margaret, have two sons: Harry and George. As of 2020, the Barclays lived on a 500-acre farm on the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. Nine generations of Barclays have resided at the farm, and the Barclays' house was built by Barclay's fourth great-grandfather.