Kathy Hochul, governor of New York

Kathy Hochul became the first woman governor of New York state on Aug. 24, 2021. Hochul, a Democrat and the state’s former lieutenant governor, replaced Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned under investigation for sexual harassment. She has held a variety of local, state, and federal government positions.

Kathleen Courtney was born Aug. 27, 1958, in Buffalo, New York. She spent summer vacations volunteering for local politicians. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1980 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. She completed a law degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., three years later. In 1984, she married the American lawyer William Hochul. Kathy Hochul spent nearly a decade working as a private practice attorney and legislative aide in Washington, D.C., before moving back to New York.

Hochul’s political career began in 1994, as a member of the town board for Hamburg, New York. After nine years on the board, she was appointed deputy clerk of Erie County. In 2007, she was appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to fill a vacancy as Erie County clerk. She was reelected to the office later that year, serving until 2011. In that year, she was elected U.S. representative for New York’s 26th Congressional District. She replaced Representative Christopher Lee, a Republican, following his resignation. Hochul’s win was unexpected in the traditionally Republican district.

Hochul served as representative from 2011 to 2013. She lost reelection in 2012 to Republican Chris Collins. Following her defeat, Hochul joined the private sector, serving as vice president for government relations at M&T Bank.

Hochul ran for lieutenant governor in 2014, eventually joining a ticket with Cuomo. During her time as lieutenant governor, Hochul spearheaded a campaign against sexual assaults on college campuses, under the slogan “Enough Is Enough.” She also was appointed by Cuomo to chair the state’s Heroin and Opioid Task Force, along with a number of regional investment councils.

March 4, 2013

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced on March 1 that the state of Michigan is taking over the city of Detroit, the once mighty center of the U.S. auto industry. The takeover came in response to a report by a state review team that found that Detroit is heading towards financial collapse and recommends that an emergency manager be appointed to run the city. The state-appointed manager will have the power to cut spending, renegotiate contracts with labor unions, merge or eliminate city departments, and, if necessary, institute bankruptcy proceedings.

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan and was once one of the world's leading industrial centers. (Corbis)

The 2008-2009 recession and subsequent downturn of the auto industry pushed Detroit, which has for decades struggled with economic hardships, over the edge. It is billions of dollars in debt and currently has a budget deficit topping $300 million. Detroit, which in 1950 was the fourth largest city in the United States with a population of more than 1.8 million people, now has an estimated 700,000 residents. Large sections of the city are abandoned and in an advance state of decay.

Additional World Book articles:

• Automobile 2009 (a Back in Time article)
• Economics 2008 (a Back in Time article)
• Economics 2009 (a Back in Time article)
• Detroit 1990 (Back in Time article)
• The Big Three Roll Again (a special report)
• Economic Crisis: The Government Jumps In (a special report)
• Economic Crises – Then and Now (a special report)

Jan. 18, 2012

Opponents of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on January 17 delivered more than 1 million signatures to the state election board in Madison, the capital, to force a recall election to remove Walker from office. The stacks of petitions, which weighed more than 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms), included about twice as many signatures as needed.  The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, will review the petitions, which could take months.

Walker was elected in 2010 as part of the Tea Party movement that resulted in conservative Republicans gaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives and several governors’ mansions. The petition drive began two months ago, largely in response to a law pushed by Governor Walker that ended nearly all collective bargaining rights for the state’s unionized public employees. (Collective bargaining is the negotiation about wages, hours, and other working conditions between workers organized as a group and their employer or employers.) The governor also cut spending for education and other programs while lowering taxes on businesses. Tens of thousands of people voiced their anger over the legislation by participating in massive protests at the state’s Capitol Building in March 2011.

There have only been two successful gubernatorial recalls in U.S. history: against North Dakota Governor Lynn Frazier in 1921 and California Governor Gray Davis in 2003.

Additional World Book articles:

• Industrial relations
• Labor movement
• North Dakota (History–The Early 1900′s)
• Back in Time 2003 (State government)
• Back in Time 2010 (State government)