Basil Paterson
| Basil A. Paterson | |
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Basil Paterson as a New York State Senator in 1966.
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| 59th Secretary of State of New York | |
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In office January 1, 1979 – January 1, 1983 |
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| Governor | Hugh Carey |
| Preceded by | Mario Cuomo |
| Succeeded by | Gail S. Shaffer |
| Member of the New York Senate from the 31st, later the 27th district |
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In office January 1, 1966 – January 1, 1971 |
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| Preceded by | Bernard G. Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Sidney A. von Luther |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Basil Alexander Paterson April 27, 1926 Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Died | April 16, 2014 (aged 87) New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Portia Hairston |
| Children |
David Daniel |
| Alma mater | St. John's University (B.S., J.D.) |
Basil Alexander Paterson (April 27, 1926 – April 16, 2014), a labor lawyer, was a longtime political leader in New York and Harlem and the father of the 55th Governor of New York, David Paterson. His mother was Jamaican, and his father was Carriacouan.
Paterson was born in Harlem on April 27, 1926, the son of Leonard James and Evangeline Alicia (Rondon) Paterson. His father was born on the island of Carriacou in the Grenadines and arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. Vestris on May 16, 1917 in New York City. His mother was born in Kingston, Jamaica and arrived in the United States on September 9, 1919 aboard the S.S. Vestnorge in Philadelphia with a final destination of New York City. A stenographer by profession, the former Miss Rondon once served as a secretary for Marcus Garvey.
In 1942, at the age of 16, Paterson graduated from De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx. He was shaped by his experiences with racism early on. "I got out of high school when I was 16," Paterson told New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, "and the first real job I had was with a wholesale house in the old Port Authority building, down on 18th Street. We'd pack and load these trucks that went up and down in huge elevators. Every year there would be a Christmas party for the employees at some local hotel. Those of us who worked in the shipping department were black. We got paid not to go to the party." He attended college at St. John's University, but his studies were interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army during World War II. After serving honorably, he returned to St. John's to complete his undergraduate studies. While there he was very active in social and community service organizations, including among others the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, where he joined the ranks of the Omicron chapter of New York (now at Columbia University) in 1947. Paterson graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology in 1948. He was later admitted to St. John's Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor degree in 1951.
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Wikipedia