List of people associated with Albany County, New York

This is a list of notable people whose lives were significantly associated with Albany County, New York.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Chronological list

18th century

• Peter Van Brugh Livingston (1710–1792), born in Albany; politician who supported the American Revolution; presiding officer of the first New York provincial congress in 1775 ^[1]
• Philip Livingston (1716–1778), born in Albany; local merchant; delegate to the Continental Congress; signer of the Declaration of Independence ^[1]
• William Livingston (1723–1790), born in Albany; newspaper publisher; member of the Continental Congress; first Governor of New Jersey ^[1]
• Henry Bogart (1729–1821), signer of the Sons of Liberty Constitution in 1766; elected representative of the first ward on the Albany Committee of Correspondence
• Abraham Cuyler (1742–1810), born in Albany; former mayor of Albany, merchant, land owner and British loyalist
• John Tayler (1742–1829), businessman and politician; represented Albany County in the New York State Assembly (1777–1779, 1780–1781, and 1785–1787); appointed City Recorder (Deputy Mayor) of Albany in 1793; justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1797; represented Albany in the New York Senate 1802–1813; Lieutenant Governor (1811-1822); Acting Governor in 1817; died in Albany and is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands
• Peter W. Yates (1747–1826), lawyer and Continental Congressman; grew up in Albany and developed a prosperous legal practice there; served on the Albany City Council and in the county militia at the start of the American Revolution; represented Albany in the New York State Assembly and the Continental Congress
• Peter Gansevoort (1749–1812); colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War; born and died in Albany ^[1]
• Isaac Mitchell (1759–1812), born in Albany; journalist, author, and editor of the Poughkeepsie Guardian, Albany Republican Crisis, and Poughkeepsie Republican Herald ^[1]
• Alexander Boyd (1764–1857), U.S. Congressman; born in Albany ^[1]
• James Cochran (1769–1848), U.S. Congressman from New York; journalist; born in Albany ^[1]
• Jacob Cuyler (1773–1854), born in Albany; British officer involved in the settlement of the 1820 Settlers to the Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Harmanus Bleecker (1779–1849), U.S. Congressman; born in Albany ^[1]
• Herman Knickerbocker (1779–1855), U.S. Congressman; born in Albany ^[1]
• John Duer (1782–1858), born in Albany; jurist; author; chief judge of New York Superior Court ^[1]
• Harmanus Peek (1782–1838), born in Albany; U.S. Congressman from New York ^[1]
• Gerrit Y. Lansing (1783–1862), born in Albany; U.S. Congressman; bank and insurance company president ^[1]
• John K. Kane (1795–1858), born in Albany; politician, attorney, and jurist ^[1]
• Joseph Henry (1797–1878), born in Albany; inventor of low- and high-resistance galvanometers; first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution ^[1]
• Robert Sanders (1705–1765), mayor of Albany from 1750 to 1754 ^[2]

19th century

• James Montgomery Bailey (1841–1894), journalist and author; founder of newspapers Danbury News and Danbury Evening News; native of Albany ^[1]
• William Bliss Baker (1856–1886), landscape artist in the Realism movement
• William Barnes Sr., attorney and Republican Party organizer ^[3]
• Herman Bendell (1843–1932), physician; Civil War surgeon; Superintendent of Indian Affairs Arizona Territory; American Consul Elsinore, Denmark; native of Albany
• James H. Blessing (1837–1910), mayor of Albany from 1900 to 1901 ^[4]
• William Henry Bogart (1810–1888), member of the New York Legislature; author ^[1]
• Francis Putnam Burns (1811–?), piano maker in Albany ^[5]
• Joseph Bradford Carr (1828–1895), born in Albany; Union Army general; Secretary of State of New York ^[1]
• Robert Carter (1819–1879), born in Albany; author and editor; involved in the foundation of the Republican Party ^[1]
• Nanette Comstock (1866–1942), born in Albany, stage actress ^[6]
• Roscoe Conkling (1829–1888), United States Congressman and United States Senator from New York; born in Albany ^[1]
• William Jermyn Florence (1831–1891), born in Albany; actor; comedian; improvisationalist ^[1]
• Joseph R. Grismer (1849–1922), actor, playwright and theatrical producer; born in Albany ^[7]
• Abraham Oakey Hall (1826–1898), born in Albany; mayor of New York City; author ^[1]
• Learned Hand (1872–1961), United States judge and judicial philosopher
• Henry James Sr. (1811–1882), born in Albany; Swedenborgian theologian; father of William James, Henry James, and Alice James ^[1]
• Lucy Stedman Lamson (1857–1926), businesswoman, educator
• Daniel Manning (1831–1887), born in Albany; journalist and later United States Secretary of the Treasury ^[1]
• Homer Dodge Martin (1836–1897), born in Albany; painter whose talent was not recognized until his death ^[1]
• James Campbell Matthews (1844–1930), New York's first African-American law school graduate and judge of Albany's Recorder's Court ^[8]
• John McKeon (1808–1883), born in Albany; district attorney for New York County and Southern New York; US Congressman from New York ^[1]
• Henry B. Metcalfe (1805–1881), born in Albany; prosecuting attorney, judge, and US Congressman from New York ^[1]
• John Pitkin Norton (1822–1852), born in Albany; chemist and educator; helped found the Sheffield Scientific School ^[1]
• Emily Sullivan Oakey (1829–1883), born in Albany; educator, author, poet, hymnist ^[9]
• John Rathbone Oliver (1872–1943), born in Albany; psychiatrist, medical historian, author, and priest
• Annie L. Y. Orff (1861–1914), journalist; magazine editor and publisher
• William Page (1811–1885), born in Albany; considered the leading American painter of his time ^[1]
• Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809–1873), lawyer, judge, and U.S. congressman; born in Rensselaerville; the county's district attorney, 1838–1841; served on the New York Supreme Court, Third Judicial District (1861–1869) seated in Albany, then on the New York Court of Appeals (1870–1873); was lost at sea; his cenotaph is in Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands
• Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1838–1909), New York state court judge and U.S. Supreme Court justice; son of Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809–1873)
• Wheeler Hazard Peckham (1833–1905), lawyer and defeated nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court; son of Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809-1873)
• Cy Seymour (1872–1919), native of Albany, major league baseball player ^[10]
• Theobald Smith (1859–1934), born in Albany; epidemiologist, bacteriologist, pathologist and professor
• Gilbert R. Spalding (1812–1880), showman and circus owner
• Frances E. Townsley (1850–1909), Baptist minister
• Luther Tucker (1802–1873), Publisher of The Cultivator and Country Gentleman
• Oren Elbridge Wilson (1844–1917), mayor of Albany from 1894 to 1895 ^[11]
• Alice Ames Winter (1865–1944), litterateur, author and clubwoman

20th century

• Adam Aleksic, linguist and content creator on YouTube and TikTok ^[12]
• Philip Amelio (1977–2005), actor and teacher; graduated from the University at Albany and received a master's degree in education from The College of Saint Rose in Albany
• Norman C. Armitage (1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn–1972), Olympic medalist saber fencer
• Robert Alan Beuth (b. 1957); actor, playwright and sculptor
• Rita Chatterton (b. 1957), professional wrestling referee ^[13]
• William Barnes Jr. (1866–1930), Newspaper publisher and Republican Party leader ^[14]
• Talor Battle (b. 1988), basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for Northwestern Wildcats
• Greg Chevalier (b. 1985), soccer player and coach ^[15]
• Ann Curless (b. 1963), Exposé singer
• Edmund L. Daley (1883–1968), U.S. Army major general ^[16]
• Kirsten Gillibrand (b. 1966), current U.S. Senator from New York since 2009; born in Albany
• Kevin Huerter (b.1998), National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Sacramento Kings
• William Kennedy (b. 1928), writer and journalist; wrote several books based in Albany, including Pulitzer Prize-winning Ironweed
• Thomas D. Kinley (b. 1945), US Army major general ^{[17] [18]}
• Mary Mellish (1890–1955), soprano at the Metropolitan Opera; born and died in Albany ^[19]
• Howard C. Nolan Jr. (1932–2023), former member of the New York State Senate
• Martha Quinn (b. 1959), an original video jockey on MTV
• Emanuel Rackman (1910–2008), born in Albany, Modern Orthodox rabbi; President of Bar-Ilan University
• Andy Rooney (1919–2011), radio and television writer; 60 Minutes
• Shoenice, (b. 1969 as Christopher Schewe), American YouTuber and competitive eater
• Elise Stefanik (b. 1984), U.S. representative for New York ^[20]
• Israel Tsvaygenbaum (b. 1961), Russian-American artist
• Beth Van Duyne (b. 1970), U.S. representative for Texas and mayor of Irving, Texas ^[21]
• Anthony Vinciquerra (b.1954), former CEO of Fox Networks and current CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, born in Albany.
• Franklin W. Ward (1870–1938), Adjutant General of New York ^{[22] [23]}
• Edward J. Westcott (1873–1926), Adjutant General of New York ^{[24] [25]}

Alphabetical index

• Adam Aleksic, linguist and content creator on YouTube and TikTok ^[12]

• Philip Amelio (1977–2005)
• James Montgomery Bailey (1841–1894)
• William Bliss Baker (1856–1886)
• William Barnes Jr. (1866–1930)
• William Barnes Sr. (1824–1913)
• Talor Battle, basketball player who last played for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli League
• Herman Bendell (1843–1932)
• Harmanus Bleecker (1779–1849)
• William Henry Bogart (1810–1888)
• Alexander Boyd (1764–1857)
• Joseph Bradford Carr (1828–1895)
• Robert Carter (1819–1879)
• Greg Chevalier (b. 1985), soccer player and coach ^[15]
• James Cochran (1769–1848)
• Roscoe Conkling (1829–1888)
• Edmund L. Daley (1883–1968)
• John Duer (1782–1858)
• William Jermyn Florence (1831–1891)
• Peter Gansevoort (1749–1812)
• Abraham Oakey Hall (1826–1898)
• Learned Hand (1872–1961)
• Joseph Henry (1797–1878)
• Henry James Sr. (1811–1882)
• John K. Kane (1795–1858)
• William Kennedy (born 1928)
• Thomas D. Kinley (born 1945)
• Herman Knickerbocker (1779–1855)
• Gerrit Y. Lansing (1783–1862)
• Peter Van Brugh Livingston (1710–1792)
• Philip Livingston (1716–1778)
• William Livingston (1723–1790)
• Daniel Manning (1831–1887)
• Homer Dodge Martin (1836–1897)
• John McKeon (1808–1883)
• Henry B. Metcalfe (1805–1881)
• Isaac Mitchell (1759–1812)
• Howard C. Nolan Jr. (1932–2023)
• John Pitkin Norton (1822–1852)
• William Page (1811–1885)
• Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809–1873)
• Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1838–1909)
• Wheeler Hazard Peckham (1833–1905)
• Harmanus Peek (1782–1838)
• Cy Seymour (1872–1919)
• John Tayler (1742–1829)
• Franklin W. Ward (1870–1938)
• Edward J. Westcott (1873–1926)
• Beth Van Duyne (b. 1970), U.S. representative for Texas and mayor of Irving, Texas ^[21]
• Peter W. Yates (1747–1826)

References

1. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
2. Reynolds, Cuyler (1906). Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically. Albany, NY: J. B. Lyon Company. p. 244 – via Internet Archive.
3. New York State Bar Association (1913). Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting. Albany, NY: The Argus Company. pp. 713–716 – via Google Books.
4. Fitch, Charles Elliott (1916). Encyclopedia of Biography of New York. New York, NY: American Historical Society. p. 42 – via Google Books.
5. Makers of the Piano: 1820-1860, Martha Novak Clinkscale, Oxford University Press, 1993, page 68. ISBN   9780198166252.
6. Miss Nanette Comstock, 68, Retired Actress. The New York Times, June 24, 1942, p. 19
7. Browne, Walter & Koch, E. De Roy-Who's Who on the Stage, 1908; pg. 209-210 accessed July 5, 2012
8. Simmons, William J. (1887). Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. Cleveland, OH: Geo. M. Rewell & Co. p.  964.
9. Herringshaw, Thomas William (1914). Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography: Contains Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States; Illustrated with Three Thousand Vignette Portraits ... (Public domain ed.). American publishers' association.
10. Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN   0-02-578970-8.
11. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XVII. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1927. p. 7 – via Google Books.
12. Aleksic, Adam (December 2, 2020). "Viewpoint: Albany should adopt a new flag. Here's why". Times Union . Retrieved August 1, 2025.
13. Riesman, Abraham (June 27, 2022). "The First Female Referee in WWE Says Vince McMahon Raped Her". New York Magazine . Retrieved December 25, 2023.
14. Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting.
15. "Greg Chevalier". Atlanta Silverbacks FC . Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
16. Brown, Horace M. Jr., ed. (Spring 1970). "Obituary, Edmund Leo Daley". Assembly. West Point, NY: Association of Graduates, U.S.M.A. pp. 105–106 – via Google Books.
17. General Officer Management Office (October 31, 1996). "Biography, Major General Thomas D. Kinley". Senior Leader Management Office. Arlington, VA: National Guard Bureau. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
18. "Funeral Tomorrow for Banker's Wife". Times Union . Albany, NY. September 28, 1965. p. 15 – via GenealogyBank.com.
19. "Opera Has Lost: Mary Mellish". Opera News . Vol. 19, no. 17. February 28, 1955. p. 28.
20. "STEFANIK, Elise M." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . Retrieved January 30, 2025.
21. Samuels, Alex (December 17, 2020). "Beth Van Duyne could be the GOP's antidote to high-profile progressives when she joins Congress". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved October 2, 2025.
22. Suavet, Henry E., ed. (December 1934). "Adjutant General Ward Retires From the National Guard After a Service of 46 Years" (PDF). The New York National Guardsman. New York, New York: National Guard of the State of New York. p. 4.
23. "Major-General Ward to Be Buried in Arlington Plot". Daily Sentinel . Rome, New York. Associated Press. March 18, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
24. Waterbury, Fred M., ed. (February 1926). "Death Calls Adjutant General Westcott" (PDF). The New York National Guardsman. New York: National Guard of the State of New York. p. 9 – via Google Books.
25. "Gen. Westcott, State Adjutant Dies In Albany". The Post-Star . Glens Falls, New York. Associated Press. February 10, 1926. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.