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The '''New York State Engineer and Surveyor''' was a state cabinet officer in the State of [[New York (state)|New York]] between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor [[Al Smith]], the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the [[New York State Department of Public Works]], which in turn was absorbed by the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] in 1967.<ref>[http://www.nysarchives.org/a/research/res_topics_env_guide_3_dot.shtml nysarchives.org] History of the office, at NY State Archives</ref>

==History==
The office was established as '''Surveyor General''' in 1781.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=E3sFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA37 Google Books] ''The New York Civil List'' compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 37; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)</ref>

Until 1822, the Surveyor General was appointed by the [[Council of Appointment]] for an indefinite term. The second holder of the office, [[Simeon De Witt]], was considered the most qualified person for the office and was re-appointed without regard to party politics. Even the [[Bucktails]] did not oust him when they were struggling with his first cousin [[DeWitt Clinton]]. The office was at first mostly occupied with [[surveying]] the uncharted area of the State and issuing official maps. In 1817, the Surveyor General became a member of the [[Erie Canal Commission]].

From 1823 to 1845, the Surveyor General was elected by joint ballot of the [[New York State Legislature]] for a term of three years. Simeon De Witt was re-elected in 1823, 1826, 1829, and 1832, and died in office in 1834.

The Constitution of 1846 renamed the office as '''State Engineer and Surveyor''', and the office's major concern was to be the supervision of the maintenance and enlargement of the Canal network. The candidates were required to be practical engineers.

From 1847 on, the State Engineer and the other state cabinet officers were elected by the voters at the state elections in November in odd years to a two-year term, so that, until 1877, they served in the second half of the term of the governor in office and the first half of the term of the succeeding governor, since the governors at the time were elected to a two-year term in even years. From 1877 on, the Governor served a three-year term, while the State Engineer continued to be elected for two years. The State Engineer elected in 1895 received an additional year and served a three-year term, and from 1898 on, the State Engineer and other state officers were elected in even years to a two-year term at the same time as the Governor, and they served concurrently.

==Surveyors General==
{{Clear}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Took office !! Left office !! Party !! Notes
|-
|[[Philip Schuyler]]
|March 30, 1781
|May 13, 1784
|
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|[[Simeon De Witt]]
|May 13, 1784
|December 3, 1834
|Democratic-Republican/Clintonian
|died in office after 50 years of service, re-appointed and re-elected several times
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[William Campbell (NY surveyor)|William Campbell]]
|January 20, 1835
|February 5, 1838
|Democratic
|
|- {{Party shading/Whig}}
|[[Orville L. Holley]]
|February 5, 1838
|February 7, 1842
|[[United States Whig Party|Whig]]
|re-elected to a second term in 1841, but in 1842 all state officers were removed by Dem. legislature
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Nathaniel Jones (representative)|Nathaniel Jones]]
|February 7, 1842
|February 3, 1845
|[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Hugh Halsey]]
|February 3, 1845
|December 31, 1847
|Democratic
|office abolished by Constitution of 1846 and replaced with State Engineer and Surveyor
|}

==Engineers and Surveyors==
{{Clear}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Took office !! Left office !! Party !! Notes
|- {{Party shading/Whig}}
|[[Charles B. Stuart]]
|January 1, 1848
|December 31, 1849
|[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Whig}}
|[[Hezekiah C. Seymour]]
|January 1, 1850
|December 31, 1851
|[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[William J. McAlpine]]
|January 1, 1852
|August 1, 1853
|Democratic
|resigned
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Wheeler H. Bristol]]
|September 21, 1853
|1853
|Democratic
|appointed to fill an unexpired term, ran for the office at the State election in November, was defeated, and resigned
|-
|[[Henry Ramsay (NY engineer)|Henry Ramsay]]
|December 10, 1853
|December 31, 1853
|
|appointed to fill an unexpired term
|- {{Party shading/Whig}}
|[[John T. Clark]]
|January 1, 1854
|December 31, 1855
|[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|
|- {{Party shading/American}}
|[[Silas Seymour]]
|January 1, 1856
|December 31, 1857
|[[Know Nothing|American]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Van Rensselaer Richmond]]
|January 1, 1858
|December 31, 1861
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Unionist}}
|[[William B. Taylor (NY engineer)|William B. Taylor]]
|January 1, 1862
|December 31, 1865
|[[National Union Party (United States)|Union]]
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[J. Platt Goodsell]]
|January 1, 1866
|December 31, 1867
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Van Rensselaer Richmond]]
|January 1, 1868
|December 31, 1871
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[William B. Taylor (NY engineer)|William B. Taylor]]
|January 1, 1872
|December 31, 1873
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Sylvanus H. Sweet]]
|January 1, 1874
|December 31, 1875
|Democratic
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[John D. Van Buren, Jr.]]
|January 1, 1876
|December 31, 1877
|Democratic
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Horatio Seymour, Jr.]]
|January 1, 1878
|December 31, 1881
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Silas Seymour]]
|January 1, 1882
|December 31, 1883
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Elnathan Sweet]]
|January 1, 1884
|December 31, 1887
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[John Bogart]]
|January 1, 1888
|December 31, 1891
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Martin Schenck]]
|January 1, 1892
|December 31, 1893
|Democratic
|
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Campbell W. Adams]]
|January 1, 1894
|December 31, 1898
|Republican
|two terms (1894-95, 1896-98)
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Edward A. Bond]]
|January 1, 1899
|May 1, 1904
|Republican
|resigned during his third term
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Henry A. Van Alstyne]]
|May 10, 1904
|December 31, 1906
|Republican
|appointed to fill an unexpired term, then re-elected
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Frederick Skene]]
|January 1, 1907
|December 31, 1908
|Dem./[[Independence League|Ind. League]]
|
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Frank M. Williams]]
|January 1, 1909
|December 31, 1910
|Republican
|
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[John A. Bensel]]
|January 1, 1911
|December 31, 1914
|Democratic
|two terms
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Frank M. Williams]]
|January 1, 1915
|December 31, 1922
|Republican
|four terms
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Dwight B. La Du]]
|January 1, 1923
|December 31, 1924
|Democratic
|
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Roy G. Finch]]
|January 1, 1925
|December 31, 1926
|Republican
|last State Engineer and Surveyor, office merged into the Department of Public Works
|}

==Notes==
<references/>

{{New York}}
{{NYStateOfficers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State Engineer And Surveyor}}
[[Category:New York State Engineers and Surveyors| ]]
[[Category:State constitutional officers of New York (state)]]