Malcolm Wilson, 50th governor of New York State and a longtime member of the Board of Trustees of The Public Policy Institute of New York State, died March 13.
"Governor Wilson brought commitment and class to state government," said Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh. "He was always the gentleman and always the one who asked, 'What is best for the people of New York?'"
He was elected to the state Assembly at the age of 24, where he served for 20 years. After helping Nelson Rockefeller become governor, he was his lieutenant governor for 15 more years. He became governor when Rockefeller resigned in 1973. He was defeated by Hugh Carey in 1974.
He joined The Institute's Board of Trustees in 1984, and was a strong proponent of its agenda for New York's economic recovery. With former Governor Hugh Carey, also an Institute trustee, he wrote a forward to The Comeback State, The Institute's landmark 1994 book, in which they said New York could restore prosperity if it worked to improve its business climate.
"We're convinced that our state's motto-'Excelsior'-can predict our future as accurately as it describes our past," the Governors wrote.