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Finding Aid for the
ROBERT MacCRATE
PAPERS, 1959-1962
(APAP-026)

VOLUME: 5.0 cubic feet

ACQUISITION: All items in this manuscript group were donated to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, by Robert MacCrate, on July 7, 1989.

ACCESS: Access to this record group is unrestricted.

COPYRIGHT: The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

Robert MacCrate Papers
Administrative History

Robert MacCrate was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 18, 1921.  He married Constance Trapp on May 4, 1946, and they had three children:  Christopher Robert, Barbara Constance, and Thomas John.

MacCrate received a B.A. from Haverford College in 1943, and an LL.B. from Harvard University in 1948.  He was accepted to the New York bar in 1949 and to the District of Columbia bar in 1965.  He was an associate of the firm Sullivan & Cromwell in New York city from 1948 to 1955, and later he was a partner (1956-59, 1962-present).  He was law secretary to New York Appelate Division Presiding Justice David W. Peck (1951), and counsel to New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller (1959-62). Under Governor Rockefeller, MacCrate, served as associate counsel (Feb. 2, 1959-June 1, 1959) and then counsel (June 1, 1959-June 30, 1962). The primary responsibility of counsel to the governor was to translate the governor's programs into law. He and his staff ensured that bills were correctly drafted and helped to prevent enactment of bills that were antithetical to the governor's programs. Along with the budget director and the secretary to the governor, the counsel was one of the people on whom Governor Rockefeller relied most heavily for administration and program development. Macratae later serves as special counsel to the U.S. Army investigation into the Mylai incident (1969-70), counsel of the New York State Court on Judiciary (1971), and President of the American Bar Association (1987-89).  He has contributed articles to professional journals.[1]
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Notes

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1. Who's Who in America, 45th ed., 1988-89, p. 1949; Series Description from the Governor Nelson Rockefeller Papers housed at the Rockfeller Acrhive Center.

Robert MacCrate Papers
Scope & Content Note

This manuscript collection contains retained copies of memoranda (1959-62) sent to Governor Rockefeller by his counsel, Robert MacCrate, concerning pending bills in the New York Senate and Assembly. Bound with the memoranda are copies of the Governor's approval or veto messages for the bills. The memoranda and approval or veto messages are arranged by year and source of the bill (Senate or Assembly), and thereunder by bill number. All bills considered by the legislature are not included in this collection, but the range of subjects in the bills that were considered by MacCrate was quite large including business regulations, court reorganization, education law and zoning regulations. Yearly subject indexes to the Governor's approval and veto messages for both Assembly and Senate bills appear at the end of the last volume for each year.

Robert MacCrate Papers
Box and Folder List

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Box 1

Assembly Bills, 1-2999, 1959
Assembly Bills, 3000-end, 1959
Senate Bills, 1-2499, 1959
Senate Bills, 2500-end, 1959

Box 2

Assembly Bills, 1-2999, 1960
Assembly Bills, 3000-end, 1960
Senate Bills, 1-2999, 1960

Box 3

Senate Bills, 3000-end, 1960
Assembly Bills, 1-2999, 1961
Assembly Bills, 3000-end, 1961

Box 4

Senate Bills, 1-2499, 1961
Senate Bills, 2500-end, 1961
Assembly Bills, 1-3299, 1962

Box 5

Assembly Bills, 3300-end, 1962
Senate Bills, 1-2699, 1962
Senate Bills, 2700-end, 1962