Basil Alexander Paterson (1926 - 2014)

Born 27 Apr 1926 in New York City, New York, United States

Died 16 Apr 2014 at age 87 in New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Basil Paterson is Notable.

Private Basil Paterson served in the United States Army in World War II
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Basil Alexander Paterson was a labor lawyer and politician from the state of New York.^[1] He served in the New York State Senate between 1966 and 1971 and as Secretary of State of New York under Governor Hugh Carey between 1979 and 1983.^[1] He was also a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York, a position his son, David, eventually won.^[1] His son was also the first legally blind governor in the United States and the first African American governor of New York.

Basil Alexander Paterson was born in New York City on 27 April 1926. He was the son of Leonard Paterson and Evangeline Alicia Valeria (Rondon) Paterson (1900-1985).

In 1942, Paterson received his high school diploma from De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York City, New York.^[2]

On 17 July 1944, Basil Paterson enlisted as a Private in the Army Reserves or Medical Administrative Corp at Fort Dix, New Jersey.^[3] He served for two years.

In 1948, Paterson earned a B.S. in biology at St John’s College and in 1951, he received his J.D. degree from St John's Law School, Queens, New York.^[2]

Basil A Paterson married Portia Hairston during 1953 at Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.^[4][5] They had two sons:

• David David
• Daniel

Paterson went into politics in Harlem in the 1950's and became part of the group of powerful clubhouse leaders known as the "Gang of Four". During the late 1960s he was the state senator for much of Harlem and northern Manhattan, and in 1970 was New York’s first major-party black candidate for lieutenant governor, running on a Democratic ticket, He lost to the Republican incumbents.^[5] In 1972, Paterson was elected as the first African American Vice Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.^[6]

Basil Paterson was deputy mayor for Mayor Edward I. Koch in 1978 and led labor relations contract negotiations with municipal unions. He was also Secretary of State 1979 to 1982. In 1984, he mediated an end to a strike at numerous private nonprofit hospitals and nursing homes in New York City. Although he flirted with the idea of running for mayor in 1984, he withdrew before the primary elections.^[5] In 1989, Paterson became a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a position he held until 1995. In 2003, he was appointed to the Commission to Promote Public Confidence in Judicial Elections. That same year, Paterson was elected Chairman of the KeySpan Foundation Board of Directors. He has served as Co-Chairman of the New York State Governor's Commission on Determinate Sentencing and the New York State Commission on Powers of Local Government.^[6]

In his later years, he worked at the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein specializing in labor law. He also taught at the State University of New York at New Paltz, Fordham University and Hunter College.^[7]

Paterson received numerous awards, including the Humanitarian Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the St. John's University Medal of Excellence.^[6]

Basil Paterson died at Mt Sinai Hospital, New York City, New York on 16 April 2014.^[5][8] He is buried at the Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, Suffolk County, New York. ^[9] He was survived by his wife Portia, two sons David and Daniel, and five grandchildren.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Wikipedia: Basil A. Paterson
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "The Honorable Basil Paterson" The History Makers; the digital repository for the Black experience; (https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-basil-paterson).
3. ↑ "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8LP-7LF : 5 December 2014), Basil A Paterson, enlisted 17 Jul 1944, Ft Dix, New Jersey, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
4. ↑ Marriage License Index: "New York, New York City Marriage Licenses Index, 1950-1995," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLSY-S5XS : 19 June 2017), Basil A. Paterson and Portia Hairston, 1953, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States;Marriage, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, from Reclaim the Records, The NYC Marriage Index (http://www.nycmarriageindex.com : 2016); citing New York City Clerk's Office. No image.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Obituary: Robert D. McFadden "Basil A. Paterson, 87, a Power in Harlem With Statewide Reach, Dies," The New York Times, 17 Apr 2014, (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/nyregion/basil-a-paterson-harlem-leader-and-father-of-a-governor-dies-at-87.html): accessed 14 Jan 2024.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} "Basil Paterson, Lawyer, and Politician born" African American Registry (https://aaregistry.org/story/basil-paterson-one-of-new-yorks-finest/).
7. ↑ "Harlem trailblazer established political legacy for son to follow." Published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Fri Apr 18, 2014 pA24; (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190836234/basil-alexander-paterson#view-photo=274042485)
8. ↑ Obituary Index: "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVT6-HL47 : Tue Oct 17 19:38:21 UTC 2023), Entry for Basil Paterson and Governor David A Paterson, 18 Apr 2014.
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190836234/basil-alexander-paterson: accessed 14 January 2024), memorial page for Basil Alexander Paterson (27 Apr 1926–16 Apr 2014), Find A Grave: Memorial #190836234, citing Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, Suffolk County, New York, USA; Maintained by Joy Ann Strasser (contributor 46565016).

• "United States Census, 1930," ED 31-779, Assembly District 17, Manhattan Borough, New York County, New York, USA; sheet 29B, family 458, Basil Paterson in Leonard Paterson household; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X42B-7D9.
• "United States Census, 1940," ED 31-913, A.D. 11, Manhattan, New York County, New York, USA; sheet 2A, family 21, Basil Paterson in Leonard Paterson household; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQTX-DLZ.
• "United States Census, 1950," ED 31-1658, Manhattan, New York County, New York, USA; sheet 4-5, dwelling 46, Basil Paterson in Leonard Paterson household; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XRQ-FF68.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q2886807
• FamilySearch Record: GZC3-9JY profile of Basil Alexander Paterson.