Erastus Corning 2nd (1909-1983), was a member of the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate, and was served as the Mayor of Albany, New York, from 1942-1983. This collection contains correspondence, clippings, photographs, and other personal and political materials.

Erastus Corning I (1794-1872) was born in Norwich, Connecticut to Bliss Corning. He moved to Troy, New York at age 13 to work with an uncle, and moved to Albany at age 19 for a job in the mercantile business with James Spencer. Corning had multiple business interests during his life, including Erastus Corning & Co., which bought and sold iron products, involvement in numerous railroad companies, served as Mayor of Albany, a member of the New York Senate, and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He married Harriet Weld in 1819, and together, they had five children. This collection contains account books, business records, correspondence, financial records, and other materials.

A collection of family papers from George Hornell and Ursula Jane (Boyd) Thacher and their three children, Margaret Euphemia, John Boyd and George Hornell. The bulk of the collection is correspondence to and from various family members between the 1830’s to the 1880’s. The collection has a limited amount of the children’s schoolwork and grades; financial papers concerning day-to-day living and educational expenses including numerous bill heads of Albany business from that period; and a limited amount of unidentified photographs. Lastly, the collection includes financial materials from the Albany Army Relief Bazaar in 1864. A list of who donated money and other items is included.

D-Cady Herrick was a prominent Albany lawyer, jurist, and democratic politician whose influence and recognition extended to the national level during the late 19th and early 20th century. This collection contains correspondence, clippings, obituaries, scrapbooks, ledger books, and other business records.

Hybertie Lansing Pruyn Hamlin (1873-1964) was born in Albany, New York, to John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn and Anna Fenn Parker Pruyn. Her father was a U.S. Congressman, representing New York’s 14th District. Hybertie married Charles Sumner Hamlin (1861-1938) in 1898. Charles was a lawyer, delegate to three international peace conferences, and later, the first Governor appointed to the Federal Reserve Board in 1914. Hybertie’s social circle included Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor.

The New York State Legislative Correspondents Association is an organization that began in 1890 and is composed of journalists who cover the State Capitol in Albany. They have held a dinner each year, during which they make jokes regarding New York politics and politicians. This collection includes the programs for these dinners.

Buffalo native George K. Arthur has been active on the local political scene for nearly half a century. Notably, he served on the Erie County Board of Supervisors from 1964-1967, as Ellicott District Councilman from 1970-1978, and then as Councilman-at-Large in 1978, eventually serving as Common Council President from 1984 until his retirement in 1996. Along the way, he ran for mayor in 1985 as the unendorsed Democratic candidate, narrowly losing to incumbent Jimmy Griffin. In 2010, he served as Secretary of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. The collection contains a wealth of information concerning politics in the Buffalo and Western New York region.

The George Borrelli Political Newspaper Clippings and Materials [1962-2003] contains his extensive collection of original clippings derive from his often daily columns (the bulk of which were written by the donor for the Buffalo News) and present, for many years, a day-by-day examination of the Buffalo and Niagara Region, New York, political scene.

William Christian Bouck (1786-1859) was from Schoharie County, New York. He became a politician, serving as Sheriff of Schoharie County, terms in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate, on the Erie Canal Commission, and as Governor of New York. He also served in the militia in New York’s 18th Regiment and rose to become Colonel. This collection includes correspondence, financial records, legal records, and photographs.