John Tayler
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John Tayler (July 4, 1742 - March 19, 1829) was a trader, merchant, and politician, and served in Indian Affairs. For nine years he was lieutenant governor, and served four months in the office of Governor of New York, and also served in both houses of the New York State Legislature.
Tayler was born in New York City and at age seventeen left to haul military stores to British forts at Oswego and Fort William Henry. He married Margarita Van Valkenburgh in Albany in1764. He became a merchant-supplier, bought a large farm, and operated a store in "Balls Town," (Ballston Spa) in Saratoga County, New York.
During the Revolutionary War, Tayler supported the Independence Movement, and in 1775 served as a member of the Saratoga Committee of Correspondence. His farm was in Stillwater, and was near the Battles of Saratoga. He was drawn into public service and served in three capacities. He negotiated with the Oneida, removed British Loyalists, and supplied the colonial army mostly with meat and clothing.
After the war, he lived in Albany and served in state politics. He was an Anti-Federalist, and Clintonian or follower of George Clinton. He later allied himself with the Democratic-Republicans, and was a Jeffersonian Democrat.
He represented Albany County in the New York State Assembly three times (1777-1779; 1780-1781; and 1785-1787). He was appointed City Recorder (or Deputy Mayor) of Albany in 1793, and was a justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1797. He served in the New York State Senate from 1802 to 1813. In August 1810, when he was Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, he became Acting Lieutenant Governor after Lieutenant Governor Broome died in office. Tayler finished Broome's term, which ended in June 1811. Tayler was succeeded by DeWitt Clinton. Tayler left office because of a provision in Article 20 of the New York State Constitution of 1777, stating the lieutenant governor had to be elected by vote. He did not run for office.
In 1813, Tayler campaigned for the seat, and was elected Lieutenant Governor. He remained in that office until 1822. He served under Daniel D. Tompkins until 1817, and later under De Witt Clinton.
Was John Tayler a Governor of New York State?
In February 1817, Daniel D. Tompkins resigned as governor of New York after being elected Vice President of the United States under James Monroe.
When the governor's office became vacant, the legislature referred to the state constitution for direction. They discovered that the framers of the constitution never established procedures to fill the vacated office of governor. They needed someone to serve and administer state affairs for four months, or until the legislative session ended on June 30. Tayler's position as lieutenant governor and president of the senate made him ideal for the office. He took office after a senate recommendation and election, and after assembly and senate approval. He served from February 24 to June 30, 1817.
Article 17 of the constitution stated that "...as often as the seat of government shall become vacant, a wise and descreet freeholder of this State shall be, by ballot, elected governor..." This meant a new governor would be elected by popular vote the following election day. Tayler chose not to run for governor. In April 1817, DeWitt Clinton was elected governor, and Tayler was re-elected lieutenant governor. Tompkins' resignation, and Tayler serving as governor, was the only instance there was a vacancy in the governor's office under the first State Constitution.
Many call John Tayler "acting governor" and argue that he was not "governor." His title is often the subject of debate. Many refer to Tayler as acting governor, because he was not elected by the people. Some argue that he was appointed by the legislature, and note that he did not take oath of office as governor. Tayler, however, did take an oath of office as lieutenant governor, but the state constitution did not require him to take a new oath as governor. He may not have been voted into office by freeholders or citizens allowed to vote, but he was voted into office by the legislature. He was governor in the sense that he had absolutely no limitations, and he had complete power and took full authority. He performed all administrative duties, appointed state officials, advised on legislation, and is said to have pardoned more prisoners than any other governor in state history.
The constitutional issue was resolved at the 1821 state constitutional convention. The convention revised the constitution, and stipulated that if the office of governor was vacated, the lieutenant governor would succeed as governor and serve out the elected governor's term. The protocol was still in effect in 2008, and implemented with the resignation of Eliot Spitzer. The lieutenant governor is required to take an oath of office before serving as governor, and only serves until the next gubernatorial election.
The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804 is often linked to ill words spoken by Tayler's son-in-law, Charles Cooper.
Tayler continued in public service until he was in his late seventies. He molded several young men for public office, and outlived most of his peers, or the "Revolutionary Generation" of politicans. He died at age eighty-six, March 19, 1829, in Albany, New York. He was honored with a formal and elaborate state funeral, as the Albany Gazette reported, because he was a former "governor" of New York State. He was buried in the public cemetery near the State Capitol, near his wife. He was reinterred at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York because the State Street cemetery was removed.
[edit] External links
- Barbagallo, Tricia (2007). Fellow Citizens Read a Horrid Tale.
- Barbagallo, Tricia (2003). Biography of John Tayler.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Broome |
Lieutenant Governor of New York acting 1811 |
Succeeded by DeWitt Clinton |
| Preceded by Dewitt Clinton |
Lieutenant Governor of New York 1813 - 1817 |
Succeeded by (unknown) |
| Preceded by Daniel D. Tompkins |
Governor of New York acting 1817 |
Succeeded by DeWitt Clinton |
| Preceded by (unknown) |
Lieutenant Governor of New York 1817 - 1822 |
Succeeded by Erastus Root |
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