City Hall Dispatch: Albany edition
We've spent the better part of the day here trying to figure out why everybody is referring to David Paterson as the 55th governor of New York. The Green Book, the bible for all city reporters, lists 56 governors ahead of him in its chronological listing from George Clinton (1777-1795) to Eliot Spitzer (2007-2008.)
The reason for the discrepancy, it turns out, is this guy, DeWitt Clinton.
And Al Smith. And Horatio Seymour.
Each of them served non-consecutive terms thus inflating the number. So while there are 55 governors of New York state, there have been, as of tomorrow, 57 inaugurations.
Yes. Our head hurts too.
--David Freedlander
