Majority Leaders Since 1939
| Majority Leader | Party | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perley A. Pitcher | Republican | January 3, 1939 | February 20, 1939 | Minority Leader 1937-1938; died in office |
| Joe R. Hanley | Republican | February 27, 1939 | December 31, 1943 | elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected twice; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1942 and 1943; vacated his seat when taking office as Lieutenant Governor of New York |
| Benjamin F. Feinberg | Republican | January 4, 1944 | March 30, 1949 | elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected three times; vacated his seat when appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission |
| Arthur H. Wicks | Republican | March 30, 1949 | November 19, 1953 | elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected twice, then resigned; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1953 |
| Walter J. Mahoney | Republican | January 6, 1954 | December 31, 1964 | elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected five times; Acting Lieutenant Governor 1954 |
| Joseph Zaretzki | Democratic | February 3, 1965 | December 31, 1965 | elected after a month of deadlock; Minority Leader 1957-1964 and 1966–1974 |
| Earl W. Brydges | Republican | January, 1966 | December 31, 1972 | four terms (1966, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72); Minority Leader 1965 |
| Warren M. Anderson | Republican | January, 1973 | December 31, 1988 | eight terms; longest-serving Majority Leader (16 years); Acting Lieutenant Governor 1973-1974 and 1985–1986 |
| Ralph J. Marino | Republican | January, 1989 | November 25, 1994 | ousted by his party shortly before the end of his third term |
| Joseph L. Bruno | Republican | November 25, 1994 | June 24, 2008 | elected for the remainder of the term, then re-elected seven times, then resigned; Acting Lieutenant Governor 2008. |
| Dean Skelos | Republican | June 24, 2008 | December 31, 2008 | elected for the remainder of the term; Acting Lieutenant Governor 2008. |
| Malcolm Smith | Democratic | January 7, 2009 | June 8, 2009 | Acting Lieutenant Governor Jan. 7 - June 8, 2009; Minority Leader 2007-2008 and June 8–15, 2009 |
| Dean Skelos | Republican | June 8, 2009 | June 15, 2009 | Skelos was chosen Majority Leader, and Pedro Espada Jr. Temporary President/Acting Lieutenant Governor. |
| Dean Skelos/Malcolm Smith | Republican | June 15, 2009 | July 9, 2009 | Pedro Espada Jr. continued as Temporary President/Acting Lieutenant Governor, but after the return of Hiram Monserrate to the Democratic caucus, the Senate was tied, and both leaders claimed to be the Majority Leader during the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis. |
| Pedro Espada Jr. | Democratic | July 9, 2009 | December 14, 2010 | Malcolm Smith was Temporary President since July 9, 2009, and John L. Sampson was Chairman of the Democratic Conference. As sitting Majority Leader, Espada was indicted on six federal counts of embezzlement and theft on Dec. 14, 2010 and was stripped of his leadership position. |
| vacant | December 14, 2010 | December 31, 2010 | While the office of Majority Leader remained vacant, Malcolm Smith continued as Temporary President, and John L. Sampson as Chairman of the Democratic Conference. | |
| Dean Skelos | Republican | January 1, 2011 | present |
Read more about this topic: Majority Leader Of The New York State Senate
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