New NY Governor David Paterson A Freemason

The situation involving New York's resigning governor Eliot Spitzer and his $80,000 traipse through Eros' garden gives way to a new beginning for the state.

Far more optimistic hopes are had for soon-to-be Governor, David Paterson. Along with becoming New York's first African-American governor, and being legally blind, Brother David Paterson is a member of Boyer Lodge #1, of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York. Thanks to Brother Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey for the news.

While the circumstances are most unfortunate, it is encouraging for New Yorkers that Bro. Paterson is well respected by Democrats and Republicans alike.

From the Lt. Governor's site:

Elected to represent Harlem in the New York State Senate in 1985, David Paterson has demanded and achieved change at every level, not simply by what he stands for but by who he is.

In 2002, David Paterson was elected minority leader of the New York State Senate, the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history. In 2004 in Boston, he became the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention. And 2006 saw Mr. Paterson make history again by being elected New York’s first African-American lieutenant governor.

As New York State Senate minority leader, David Paterson led the charge on several crucial issues for New York’s future, proposing legislation for a $1 billion voter-approved stem cell research initiative, demanding a statewide alternative energy strategy, insisting on strong action to fight against domestic violence, and serving as the primary champion for minority- and women-owned businesses in New York. As a result, Governor Spitzer asked Mr. Paterson to continue to lead New York State on these issues as lieutenant governor.

Lt. Governor Paterson, who is legally blind, is also nationally recognized as a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. A graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra Law School, Mr. Paterson also currently serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia’s School for International and Public Affairs. David Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Ashley and Alex, and he is the son of Basil Paterson, the first non-white secretary of state of New York and the first African-American vice-chair of the national Democratic Party.

Congratulations to our brother, and best wishes for the job ahead.

Boyer Lodge No. 1 was established in 1812 and is the oldest continuously operating Prince Hall lodge in the world. Located in Harlem, the lodge is named in honor of Haitian soldier-statesman Jean Pierre Boyer, who later became the first president of Haiti after their war of liberation from France. In the 1820s, Boyer Lodge and two others for free blacks in New York that had been chartered by Prince Hall's African Lodge in Massachusetts, formed what was then called the "Boyer Grand Lodge," for the state of New York. After the schism over the National Compact in the 1840s, the lodges descended from, or aligned with, Boyer Lodge eventually came together to form what is today the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York.

WBro. Walter S. Cook III, Past Master of Apollo-King Solomon's Lodge No. 13 of the Grand Lodge of New York has reported that Brother Paterson has requested the use of St. John's Lodge No. 1's famous "Washington Bible" for his swearing in ceremony, and that the request was granted.