American politician (born 1950)
Andrea Stewart-Cousins
|
---|
Stewart-Cousins in 2020
|
|
|
|
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
|
Deputy
| Michael Gianaris
|
---|
Governor
| Andrew Cuomo
Kathy Hochul
|
---|
Preceded by
| John J. Flanagan
|
---|
|
In office
April 12, 2022 ? May 25, 2022
|
Governor
| Kathy Hochul
|
---|
Preceded by
| Brian Benjamin
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Antonio Delgado
|
---|
In office
August 24, 2021 ? September 9, 2021
|
Governor
| Kathy Hochul
|
---|
Preceded by
| Kathy Hochul
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Brian Benjamin
|
---|
|
In office
December 17, 2012 ? January 9, 2019
|
Deputy
| Michael Gianaris
Jeffrey D. Klein
|
---|
Preceded by
| John L. Sampson
|
---|
Succeeded by
| John J. Flanagan
|
---|
|
|
Assumed office
January 1, 2007
|
Preceded by
| Nicholas Spano
|
---|
|
In office
1996?2007
|
Preceded by
| Herman Keith
|
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Succeeded by
| Ken Jenkins
|
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|
|
Born
| Andrea Alice Stewart
(
1950-09-02
)
September 2, 1950
(age 73)
New York City
,
New York
, U.S.
|
---|
Political party
| Democratic
|
---|
Spouse
|
Thomas Cousins
(
m.
1979; died 2007)
|
---|
Children
| 3
|
---|
Education
| Pace University
(
BA
,
MPA
)
Lehman College
(
GrCert
)
|
---|
Website
| Official website
|
---|
|
Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins
[1]
(
nee
Stewart
; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from
Yonkers, New York
. A member of the
Democratic Party
, Stewart-Cousins has represented
District 35
in the
New York State Senate
since 2007 and has served as
Majority Leader
and Temporary President of that body since 2019. She has previously served twice as acting
lieutenant governor of New York
under Governor
Kathy Hochul
, for 16 days in 2021 and between April and May 2022. Stewart-Cousins is the first
Black woman
to serve as the New York lieutenant governor, although in an acting capacity. She is the first woman in the history of New York State to lead a conference in the
New York State Legislature
and is also the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
Stewart-Cousins was first elected to the
New York State Senate
in 2006. She previously served as a
Westchester County Legislator
from 1996 to 2006. In 2012, she was chosen by her colleagues to lead the Senate Democratic Conference. After the Democratic Party won an outright Senate majority in the
2018 elections
, Stewart-Cousins became Majority Leader in January 2019. She became acting lieutenant governor on August 24, 2021, when Governor
Andrew Cuomo
resigned and Lieutenant Governor
Kathy Hochul
ascended to the governorship. Hochul announced she would be appointing a lieutenant governor, following the precedent set in 2009 by Governor
David Paterson
's appointment of Lieutenant Governor
Richard Ravitch
. Hochul selected
Brian Benjamin
, who took office on September 9, 2021. However, Benjamin resigned less than a year later on April 12, 2022, after being arrested in a corruption scandal. This caused Stewart-Cousins to once again assume the role of acting Lieutenant Governor.
[2]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Andrea Alice Stewart was born on September 2, 1950, in
New York City
. She is the daughter of Bob Stewart, a decorated
World War II
veteran and repairman, and Beryl Stewart, a stenographer and community activist.
[3]
The Stewart family resided in public housing in
Manhattan
and
the Bronx
, and Andrea suffered from
chronic asthma
.
Stewart-Cousins spent twenty years in the private sector, including thirteen years in sales and marketing with
New York Telephone
(later known as
AT&T
).
[4]
After New York Telephone was acquired through a merger with
Bell Atlantic
, she received a buyout and pursued a college degree while working for
Gannett
.
[3]
She earned her
Bachelor of Science
Degree from
Pace University
and her teaching credentials in Business Education from
Lehman College
.
[5]
She received her
Masters of Public Administration
from Pace University in May 2008 and is a member of
Pi Alpha Alpha
, the public administration honor society. She also pursued careers in journalism and teaching before entering public service.
[6]
Career
[
edit
]
Stewart-Cousins's public service career began in 1992 when she was appointed Director of Community Affairs in the City of Yonkers.
[7]
In that role, she created an internship program for the hearing-impaired and for children in working families. She also advocated for and contributed to the revitalization of the City of Yonkers and was a founder of the original "Art on Main Street". Stewart-Cousins was a co-creator of "River Fest", a widely attended multi-cultural citywide celebration on the Hudson River in Yonkers.
[8]
Westchester County Legislator
[
edit
]
Prior to her election to the New York State Senate in 2006, Stewart-Cousins served as a Westchester County Legislator representing Yonkers. First elected in 1995,
[9]
she served from 1996 to 2006.
[10]
During her tenure, she was elected Majority Whip and vice-chair. Stewart-Cousins authored living wage laws, smoke-free workplace laws, tougher gun laws, laws that prosecute predatory lenders, tax cuts for seniors and veterans, and Westchester County's first human rights laws.
[11]
New York State Senate
[
edit
]
Stewart-Cousins first ran for New York State Senate in 2004, but incumbent Republican Sen. Nicholas Spano defeated her by a margin of 18 votes.
[12]
In 2006, she challenged Spano again and defeated him.
[13]
[14]
As of 2019, Senate District 35 includes all of the Towns of
Greenburgh
and
Mt. Pleasant
, and portions of
Yonkers
.
[15]
Stewart-Cousins voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009, but the bill was defeated.
[16]
A
same-sex marriage law
was eventually passed in 2011. Stewart-Cousins is a vocal supporter of abortion rights, and has pushed for legislation to expand abortion access in the State of New York.
[17]
On April 17, 2010, it was reported that Stewart-Cousins was under consideration by then-gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo to be his running mate. Cuomo ultimately chose
Rochester mayor
Bob Duffy
instead.
[18]
Senate Democratic Leader
[
edit
]
On December 17, 2012, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Democratic Leader.
[19]
[20]
Stewart-Cousins is the first woman in history to lead a conference in the
New York State Legislature
.
[21]
Senate Majority Leader
[
edit
]
The Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections. On January 9, 2019, Stewart-Cousins was elected
Senate Majority Leader
. She serves as the body's
Majority Leader
and Temporary President, and is the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
[22]
In 2019, Stewart-Cousins sponsored the
Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019
, which overhauled the rules affecting rent-controlled apartments in New York City.
[23]
[24]
During Stewart-Cousins's first year as Senate Majority Leader, New York passed a variety of progressive laws on issues like climate change, voting rights, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, gun control, marijuana decriminalization, LGBT rights, and immigration.
[25]
According to City & State New York, Stewart-Cousins employs a "consensus-driven approach" to leading the Senate Democratic Conference that sets her "apart from her predecessors".
[26]
Following the resignation of
Gov.
Andrew Cuomo
due to multiple allegations of
sexual harassment
,
Lt. Gov.
Kathy Hochul
succeeded him as governor.
[27]
Per state law, as state Senate Majority Leader, Stewart-Cousins became the state's Acting Lieutenant Governor until Hochul appointed a full-time replacement.
[28]
She was the first Black woman to serve in this role.
[28]
[29]
This was also the first time New York was governed by both a female governor and lieutenant governor.
[29]
Honors
[
edit
]
In 2019, Stewart-Cousins was named to
Crain's New York Business
biennial
list of the "Most Powerful Women in New York".
[30]
In February 2021, she was presented with the
Nelson A. Rockefeller
Award for 2020.
[31]
On September 14, 2021, Stewart-Cousins received the
Samuel Untermyer
award for distinguished civic leadership.
[32]
She was honored at
Untermyer Gardens
in her hometown of
Yonkers, New York
.
Personal life
[
edit
]
In 1979, Stewart married Thomas Cousins, and the couple moved to Yonkers.
[
citation needed
]
Stewart-Cousins has three children and four grandchildren.
[33]
Thomas Cousins died on November 26, 2007.
[34]
Electoral history
[
edit
]
Westchester County Legislature
[
edit
]
New York State Senate
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970 - Ancestry.com contains the baptismal record for Andrea Alice Stewart born on 02 Sep 1950, and baptized on 10 Dec 1950 at St. Cyprians Episcopal Church in Manhattan, now part of Calvary and St. Cyprians in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
- ^
"NY lieutenant governor resigns after arrest in federal probe"
.
AP NEWS
. April 12, 2022
. Retrieved
April 12,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Cioppa, Deanna (August 19, 2014).
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins' Quiet Storm"
.
Westchester Magazine
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
Eidler, Scott (November 12, 2018).
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins: I'll protect suburban interests in Albany"
.
Newsday
. Archived from
the original
on February 1, 2019
. Retrieved
February 1,
2019
.
- ^
"
"Daily Voice" featured Pace University's double alumna Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester in "Stewart-Cousins' Elevation As NY's First Female Majority Leader Lauded By Cuomo, Pace President" | PACE UNIVERSITY"
.
www.pace.edu
. Archived from
the original
on February 1, 2019
. Retrieved
February 1,
2019
.
- ^
Coltin, Jeff (September 17, 2018).
"She waited. Will good things come to Andrea Stewart-Cousins?"
.
City & State New York
.
- ^
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins"
.
Westchester Magazine
. November 10, 2015.
- ^
Samin, Suzanne (September 8, 2013).
"Riverfest Celebrates 21st Birthday in Yonkers"
. Yonkers Daily Voice
. Retrieved
January 4,
2019
.
- ^
Santos, Fernanda (November 17, 2006).
"Perseverance Pays Off for a State Senate Challenger"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
Lipsitz, Raina (February 12, 2019).
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins Is Albany's Best Hope"
.
The Nation
.
- ^
Lungariello, Mark (November 7, 2018).
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins re-elected, likely to be leader of New York State Senate"
.
LoHud.com
. Retrieved
February 1,
2019
.
- ^
Foderaro, Lisa W. (February 9, 2005).
"In State Senate Marathon, Incumbent Wins"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
Wilson, David McKay (April 4, 2018).
"Five things to know about state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins"
.
LoHud.com
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 35 Race - Nov 07, 2006"
.
www.ourcampaigns.com
. Retrieved
February 1,
2019
.
- ^
"About Andrea Stewart-Cousins"
.
NY State Senate
.
- ^
"How the Votes Were Cast"
.
The New York Times
. December 2, 2009.
- ^
Vielkind, Jimmy (May 5, 2015).
"On abortion, Stewart-Cousins accuses Senate of 'slumbering'
"
.
Politico PRO
.
- ^
Spector, Joe (April 17, 2010).
"N.Y. eager for Cuomo to announce bid"
.
LoHud.com
. Archived from
the original
on June 6, 2014
. Retrieved
May 10,
2010
.
- ^
Paybarah, Azi (December 17, 2012).
"Moving on from Sampson, State Senate Democrats elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins"
.
Politico PRO
.
- ^
Campbell, Colin (December 17, 2012).
"Democratic Senators Embrace Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Their New Leader"
.
Observer.com
.
- ^
Spector, Joseph (November 26, 2018).
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins makes history as first woman Senate leader"
.
LoHud.com
. Retrieved
November 27,
2018
.
- ^
Precious, Tom (January 9, 2018).
"After 242 years, a woman is in charge of the State Senate"
.
Buffalo News
. Archived from
the original
on January 10, 2019
. Retrieved
January 10,
2018
.
- ^
Bredderman, Will (December 13, 2019).
"Newsmaker 2019: Stewart-Cousins makes history and upsets Albany's status quo"
.
Crain's New York Business
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
"Senate Bill S6458"
.
New York State Senate
. June 11, 2019.
Archived
from the original on July 20, 2019.
- ^
Campbell, Jon; Spector, Joseph (June 21, 2019).
"20 major laws passed at the New York State Capitol this year"
.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
Williams, Zach (August 11, 2019).
"New room, new rules"
.
City & State New York
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
Marina Villeneuve (August 10, 2021).
"Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment allegations"
.
Associated Press
. Retrieved
October 7,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Booker, Brakkton (August 13, 2021).
"Turning the page on Cuomo's scandalous chapter"
.
Politico
. Retrieved
October 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Andrea Stewart-Cousins Set To Become New York's First Black Woman Lt. Governor When Cuomo Resigns"
.
NewsOne
. August 10, 2021
. Retrieved
January 3,
2022
.
- ^
Crain's New York
2019
- ^
New York Water Environment Association, Inc. 2021-02-21
- ^
"Soiree 2021"
.
- ^
Craig, Jon (November 13, 2018).
"Stewart-Cousins Poised To Make History As Democrats Take Over State Senate"
.
Yonkers Daily Voice
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
"Sen. Stewart-Cousins' Husband, Thomas Cousins, Passes Away"
.
Yonkers Tribune
. November 27, 2007
. Retrieved
February 7,
2020
.
- ^
Greene, Donna (September 17, 1995).
"For Herman Keith, Relief Follows a Bitter Defeat (Published 1995)"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Campaigns - Westchester County Legislature 16 Race - Nov 07, 1995"
.
www.ourcampaigns.com
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Campaigns - Westchester County Legislature 16 Race - Nov 04, 1997"
.
www.ourcampaigns.com
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
"1999 General Canvass Election Results"
(PDF)
. Westchester County Board of Elections. 1999. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on September 30, 2007.
- ^
"2001 General Canvass Election Results"
(PDF)
. Westchester County Board of Elections. 2001. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on September 11, 2008.
- ^
"2003 General Canvass Election Results"
(PDF)
. Westchester County Board of Elections. 2003. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on September 11, 2008.
- ^
"2005 General Canvass Election Results"
(PDF)
. Westchester County Board of Elections. 2005. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on September 11, 2008.
- ^
"NYS Board of Elections - Senate Vote - Nov. 2, 2004"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 35 Race - Nov 07, 2006"
.
www.ourcampaigns.com
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"New York State Board of Elections Senate Election Returns Nov. 4, 2008"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 2, 2010"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 6, 2012"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns Nov. 4, 2014"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns Nov. 8, 2016"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"2018 Election Results | New York State Board of Elections"
.
www.elections.ny.gov
. Retrieved
November 30,
2020
.
- ^
"Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Senate"
(PDF)
.
New York State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
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2020
.
- ^
"2020 Election Results | New York State Board of Elections"
.
www.elections.ny.gov
. Retrieved
December 4,
2020
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Italics
indicate presidents pro tempore
*Unicameral body
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Majority
leaders
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Minority
leaders
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*Unicameral body
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Governors
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Lieutenant
governors
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- Italics
indicate acting officeholders
|