Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
DeputyMichael Gianaris
Preceded byJohn J. Flanagan
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office
April 12, 2022 – May 25, 2022
GovernorKathy Hochul
Preceded byBrian Benjamin
Succeeded byAntonio Delgado
In office
August 24, 2021 – September 9, 2021
GovernorKathy Hochul
Preceded byKathy Hochul
Succeeded byBrian Benjamin
Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office
December 17, 2012 – January 9, 2019
DeputyMichael Gianaris
Jeffrey D. Klein
Preceded byJohn L. Sampson
Succeeded byJohn J. Flanagan
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 35th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2007
Preceded byNicholas Spano
Member of the
Westchester County Board of Legislators
from the 16th district
In office
1996–2007
Preceded byHerman Keith
Succeeded byKenneth Jenkins
Personal details
Born
Andrea Alice Stewart

(1950-09-02) September 2, 1950 (age 74)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Thomas Cousins
​
​
(m. 1979; died 2007)​
Children3
EducationPace University (BA, MPA)
Lehman College (GrCert)
WebsiteOfficial website

Andrea Stewart-Cousins (born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York[1] She is a Democrat. Stewart-Cousins worked for District 35 with the New York State Senate starting in 2007. She became the Majority Leader and Temporary President with the New York Senate in 2019.[2] She became the acting Lieutenant Governor of New York with Kathy Hochul, the first female governor of the state, twice in 2021 and in 2022.[3]

Stewart-Cousins was the first female in the history of New York State to lead a conference with the New York State Legislature.[4] She was also the first female Senate Majority Leader in the history of the state.

Early life

Andrea Alice Stewart was born on September 2, 1950, in New York City.[5][6] The Stewart family lived in public housing in Manhattan and the Bronx. She had chronic asthma when she was young.

Stewart-Cousins spent twenty years in the private sector, working with New York Telephone (later known as AT&T).[7] She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Pace University and her teaching credentials in Business Education from Lehman College.[8] She received her Masters of Public Administration from Pace University in May 2008.[9]

New York State Senate

Stewart-Cousins first ran for New York State Senate in 2004. Incumbent Republican Sen. Nicholas Spano, however, defeated her by a margin of 18 votes.[10] In 2006, she challenged Spano again and defeated him.[11][12] As of 2019, Senate District 35 includes all of Greenburgh and Scarsdale and portions of Yonkers, White Plains and New Rochelle.[13]

Stewart-Cousins voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009. The bill was later defeated.[14] A same-sex marriage law was eventually passed in 2011. Stewart-Cousins supports abortion rights. She has pushed for legislation to expand abortion access across the State of New York.[15]

Senate Democratic Leader

On December 17, 2012, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Democratic Leader.[16][17]

Senate Majority Leader

The Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections. On January 9, 2019, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Majority Leader. She operates as the body's Majority Leader and Temporary President.[18] In 2019, Stewart-Cousins sponsored the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. This act overhauled the rules that had affected rent-controlled apartments in New York City.[19][20] During Stewart-Cousins' first year as the Senate Majority Leader, New York passed a variety of progressive laws on issues. Those included climate change, voting rights, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, gun control, marijuana decriminalization, LGBT rights and immigration.[21] According to City & State New York, Stewart-Cousins employs a "consensus-driven approach" to leading the Senate Democratic Conference. This is what sets her "apart from her predecessors".[22]

Acting Lieutenant Governor

After the resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo because of multiple allegations of sexual harassment, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul replaced him as governor in August 2021.[23] Per state law, as state Senate Majority Leader, Stewart-Cousins became the state's Acting lieutenant governor until Hochul appointed a full-time replacement.[24] She was the first Black woman to serve in this role.[25][26] This was also the first time New York was governed by both a female governor and lieutenant governor.[26]

Hochul picked Brian Benjamin, who took office on September 9, 2021, as her replacement for lieutenant governor. However, Benjamin resigned less than a year later on April 12, 2022 after being arrested in a corruption scandal. This caused Stewart-Cousins to once again become acting Lieutenant Governor.[27]

Personal life

In 1979, Stewart married Thomas Cousins, and the couple moved to Yonkers, New York. Stewart-Cousins has three children and four grandchildren.[28] Thomas Cousins died on November 26, 2007.[29]

References

  1. ↑ "The Background of Andrea Stewart-Cousins". The New York State Senate. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ "New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins". New York State Senate. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Kathy Hochul is Sworn as New York's First Female Governor". Axios. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Turning the Page on Andrew Cuomo's Scandalous Chapter". Politico. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Cioppa, Deanna (August 19, 2014). "Andrea Stewart-Cousins' Quiet Storm". Westchester Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ Vincent, Isabel (January 6, 2019). "Letitia James and Stewart-Cousins talk breaking barriers". New York Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. ↑ Eidler, Scott (November 12, 2018). "Andrea Stewart-Cousins: I'll protect suburban interests in Albany". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ↑ ""Daily Voice" featured Pace University's double alumna Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester in "Stewart-Cousins' Elevation As NY's First Female Majority Leader Lauded By Cuomo, Pace President" | PACE UNIVERSITY". www.pace.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. ↑ Coltin, Jeff (September 17, 2018). "She waited. Will good things come to Andrea Stewart-Cousins?". City & State New York. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Foderaro, Lisa W. (February 9, 2005). "In State Senate Marathon, Incumbent Wins". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Wilson, David McKay (April 4, 2018). "Five things to know about state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins". LoHud.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 35 Race - Nov 07, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  13. ↑ "About Andrea Stewart-Cousins". NY State Senate.
  14. ↑ "How the Votes Were Cast". The New York Times. December 2, 2009.
  15. ↑ Vielkind, Jimmy (May 5, 2015). "On abortion, Stewart-Cousins accuses Senate of 'slumbering'". Politico PRO.
  16. ↑ Paybarah, Azi (December 17, 2012). "Moving on from Sampson, State Senate Democrats elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins". Politico PRO.
  17. ↑ Campbell, Colin (December 17, 2012). "Democratic Senators Embrace Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Their New Leader". Observer.com.
  18. ↑ Precious, Tom (January 9, 2018). "After 242 years, a woman is in charge of the State Senate". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  19. ↑ Bredderman, Will (December 13, 2019). "Newsmaker 2019: Stewart-Cousins makes history and upsets Albany's status quo". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Senate Bill S6458". New York State Senate. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019.
  21. ↑ Campbell, Jon; Spector, Joseph (June 21, 2019). "20 major laws passed at the New York State Capitol this year". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  22. ↑ Williams, Zach (August 11, 2019). "New room, new rules". City & State New York. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  23. ↑ Marina Villeneuve (August 10, 2021). "Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment allegations". Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  24. ↑ Brakkton Booker (August 13, 2021). "Turning the page on Cuomo's scandalous chapter". Politico. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  25. ↑ Booker, Brakkton. "Turning the page on Cuomo's scandalous chapter". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Andrea Stewart-Cousins Set To Become New York's First Black Woman Lt. Governor When Cuomo Resigns". NewsOne. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  27. ↑ "NY lieutenant governor resigns after arrest in federal probe". AP NEWS. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  28. ↑ Craig, Jon (November 13, 2018). "Stewart-Cousins Poised To Make History As Democrats Take Over State Senate". Yonkers Daily Voice. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Sen. Stewart-Cousins' Husband, Thomas Cousins, Passes Away". Yonkers Tribune. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andrea Stewart-Cousins.