| Charles Seymour Whitman | |
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41st Governor of New York
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| In office 1915 – 1918 |
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| Lieutenant | Edward Schoeneck |
| Preceded by | Martin H. Glynn |
| Succeeded by | Alfred E. Smith |
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| Born | September 29, 1868 Village of Hanover, in the Town of Sprague, Connecticut |
| Died | March 29, 1947 (aged 78) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868 – March 29, 1947) served as Republican Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention from New York in 1916. Whitman graduated from Williams College, class of 1890. Prior to his election as governor, he served as a New York City municipal judge and as Manhattan District Attorney. As District Attorney, he gained national fame in prosecuting New York City Police Lt. Charles Becker for the July 16, 1912 murder of Times Square gambling house operator Herman Rosenthal in front of West 43rd Street's Hotel Metropole (owned by Lower East Side Tammany Hall leader "Big Tim" Sullivan). Later, as Governor, Whitman signed Becker's death warrant and presided over his electrocution.
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Biography
Whitman was a member of the Union League Club of New York and, fearing he was under surveillance, used the clubhouse to secretly interview witnesses during the Becker case.
In 1916, Whitman won re-election as Governor against reform Democratic Judge Samuel Seabury. In 1918, he was defeated for re-election by Tammany Hall Democrat Alfred E. Smith (then President of the New York City Board of Aldermen.)
His grandson, John R. Whitman, married Christine Todd, who went on to be a Republican Governor of New Jersey and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
See also
Sources
- Appointed City Magistrate, in The New York Times, December 15, 1903
Further reading
- Robert Slayton's biography, Empire Statesman: the Rise and Redemption of Al Smith, discusses Whitman's governorship and campaigns for the office against Smith.[1]
- Whitman is a character in E.L. Doctorow's historical novel Ragtime (although he does not figure significantly in the later film based on the novel).
Footnotes
- ^ Robert A. Slayton, Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith (New York, 2001: The Free Press; ISBN 978-0684863023), especially pages 116 to 121.
External links
- Charles Seymour Whitman at Flickr
- People v. Seidenshner 210 NY 341
- People v. Becker 210 NY 274
- People v. Becker 215 NY 126
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by William Travers Jerome |
District Attorney - New York County, New York 1908-1915 |
Succeeded by Charles Albert Perkins |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Martin H. Glynn |
Governor of New York 1915 - 1918 |
Succeeded by Al Smith |
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