Charles S. Whitman

This article is about the New York politician. For the Texas tower sniper, see Charles Whitman.

Charles Seymour Whitman
41st Governor of New York
In office January 1, 1915 – December 31, 1918
Lieutenant	Edward Schoeneck
Preceded by	Martin H. Glynn
Succeeded by	Alfred E. Smith
Personal details
Born	September 29, 1868(1868-09-29) Village of Hanover, in the Town of Sprague, Connecticut
Died	March 29, 1947(1947-03-29) (aged 78)
Political party	Republican
Religion	Presbyterian

Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868 – March 29, 1947) served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention from New York in 1916.

Biography

He was born on September 29, 1868, and graduated from Amherst College in 1890. He served as a New York City municipal judge and as New York County 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. 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.

He served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918

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.)

He died on March 29, 1947.^[1]

His portrait was painted in 1921 by the Swiss-born American portrait painter Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862-1947) and is the property of the New York State Capitol at Albany; Müller-Ury had previously painted a portrait of his baby daughter, Olive (the future Mrs Parsons), which was much admired when exhibited, and was given by her to the Preservation Society of Newport County, R.I. where it now hangs at Green Animals.

Legacy

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

• New York state election, 1918
• New York state election, 1920

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.^[2]
• 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

1. ^ "Death Takes Ex-Governor Of New York. Charles S. Whitman, Hanover, Conn., Native Was Elected in 1914". Associated Press in The Hartford Courant. March 30, 1947. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/897077732.html?dids=897077732:897077732&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+30,+1947&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Death+Takes+Ex-Governor+Of+New+York&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-03-22. "Charles S. Whitman, 78, former governor of New York, died tonight." 
2. ^ 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
Preceded by William Travers Jerome	New York County District Attorney 1910 - 1914	Succeeded by Charles A. Perkins
Political offices
Preceded by Martin H. Glynn	Governor of New York 1915 - 1918	Succeeded by Al Smith

Persondata
Name	Whitman, Charles Seymour
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 29, 1868
Place of birth	Village of Hanover, in the Town of Sprague, Connecticut
Date of death	March 29, 1947
Place of death