It all started here.
In December 1936, high school students took over the New York State Capitol for the first time. Ninety years later, they still do.
1936
A red light by the Capitol
Clement A. "Pete" Duran of the Albany YMCA and William "Billy" Burger, New York's State Boys Work Secretary, wanted teens to do more than talk about citizenship. Older boys planning a state conference that fall complained that their ideas were "filed in the Y.M.C.A. Secretary's desk and nothing ever happens."
Duran later told the story himself. Stopped at a red light by the Capitol, he said that if they could get young people into the State Capitol and let them see for themselves how laws are made, "we could really teach them citizenship in a big way." Burger told him he would never get the Capitol. He did.
Governor Herbert Lehman opened the doors and addressed the delegates. Afterward he wrote to Duran that if the YMCA did not plan to repeat the conference, "I would like to do it myself."
Democracy must be learned by each generation.
Founder Clement A. Duran addresses delegates. Duran, born in Barcelona in 1902, came to the United States as a boy and spent his career with the YMCA. He was inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame in 2010.
90 years
Milestones
- 1936
The first Hi-Y Assembly meets in the New York State Capitol in December. More than 800 high school students take the chambers, and Governor Herbert Lehman addresses them.
- 1937
At Governor Lehman's invitation the Assembly returns, now sized to the real seats in the Senate and Assembly. Legislators and the clerks of both houses coach the delegates.
- 1938
The idea spreads. New Jersey holds its first assembly and elects the first YMCA Youth Governor in the country.
- 1944
Connecticut holds its first Youth and Government program.
- 1950
Harley Albro becomes New York's first Youth Governor.
- 1957
A youth lobby program begins, encouraged by Senator Thomas C. Desmond.
- 1961
The 25th anniversary. Since 1936, more than 57,000 New York teens have taken part.
- 1970s
The Press Corps is created, and in 1975 a lobbyist program and Governor's Cabinet positions are added.
- 1981
The first Judicial Conference and Model Court of Appeals.
- 1987
The 50th anniversary, led by Jim Tompkins, who served as a Page and Lt. Governor in the program's first years.
- 1990s
The State Conference moves to the Desmond Hotel in Albany.
- 2002
College students join the program as collegiate advisors.
- 2005
The Teddy Roosevelt program welcomes first-year delegates.
- 2009
A second Assembly chamber is added to make room for more delegates.
- 2021
The State Conference goes virtual, with more than 250 students meeting on Zoom.
- 2022
A grant helps the program grow into neighboring states, with the NYS YMCA Foundation as administrator.
- 2025
The largest New York conference to that point, with 735 delegates.
- 2026
The 90th anniversary, and a new record of more than 800 high school students at the Capitol.
From youth bill to real law
Student ideas that became New York law
Program records document student bills that went on to pass the real Legislature. These are some of the earliest.
Premarital health testing
Irving Birdseye and Charles Malloy of the Vocational Alpha Hi-Y in Syracuse proposed it. With Senator Thomas C. Desmond's help it became part of the Domestic Relations Law, one of the first student bills to become law.
Car insurance for every driver
Margaret Sullivan of the Saranac Lake Will Rogers Girls' Hi-Y proposed required liability insurance for motor vehicle owners. New York enacted the Motorist Responsibility Law in 1958.
Colored margarine
Students first proposed letting oleomargarine be sold colored in 1940, and again in 1951 and 1952. It became law in 1952.
Student accident insurance
Hi-Y clubs from Watertown, Jamestown, Rochester and Flushing proposed school accident insurance plans. It became Education Law in 1951.
Treatment, not punishment
Clubs from across the state proposed treating drug use by minors as a health issue rather than a crime. It became Public Health Law in 1952.
Fair trucking taxes
Clubs from Buffalo, Rochester and Flushing proposed taxing trucks and buses by weight and mileage. It became Tax Law ten months later.
Microfilm records in court
A Nyack student proposed accepting microfilm copies of business records as evidence. It became law two years later.
Thruway minimum speed
Sara Lonstein of Lynbrook proposed a minimum speed on the New York State Thruway, and the Governor signed it into law.
Good Samaritan protection
A bill supported by Allan Vincent of Little Falls protected doctors who give free emergency care from liability.
The 90th anniversary
2026: Ninety years at the Capitol
The 90th State Conference, March 20 to 22, 2026, brought more than 800 high school students to Albany, the largest in the program's history.
- An Alumni and Leadership Dinner honoring longtime Cortland advisor Janine "G" Giordano.
- A conversation with YMCA of the USA CEO Suzanne McCormick.
- Recognition on the Assembly floor for the program and its 90th year.
- Visits from Congressman Tonko, Senator Fahy and Assemblymembers Woerner and McDonald.
- "9 for 90" and "90 for 90" fundraisers for student scholarships, with a commemorative 90th pin.
Keeping the record
Help us fill the gaps
Our records come from scrapbooks, old bill books and the files of past state directors. Some years are missing.
If you have photos, programs or stories from your years in Youth and Government, we would love to add them. Connect with us.
Leadership through the years
New York Youth Governors
Elected by their peers each year. Years not shown are missing from our records.
- 1950Harley Albro
- 1952Thomas Ray
- 1960Donald Adair
- 1961Tom Vischi
- 1962James Findley
- 1963William R. McCormic
- 1964Paul Franklyn Lozier
- 1965Joseph Patrick Shea
- 1966Lewis B. Collier
- 1967Elizabeth Ann Noel
- 1968Lauren Robert Weissman
- 1969Douglas V. Crossley
- 1970Fred Monaco
- 1971Lizabeth Lee
- 1972Craig A. Masback
- 1974Jess L. Bickelhaupt
- 1976Evan H. Wasserman
- 1979Kirk T. Hughes
- 1986Kei Sochi
- 1987Mark Doty
- 1988Denise Lenning
- 1989Danille Stark
- 1990Timothy Min
- 1992Jim Kieffer
- 1993Adrian Sandiford
- 1994John Cancellara
- 1995Robert Lewin
- 1996Jason Oleet
- 1997Jovonna Harris Roberts
- 1998Joe Hiro
- 1999Tara Castillo
- 2000Jacob Bergman
- 2001Atrion Raimundi
- 2002Dan Getman
- 2003Evan Eckfield
- 2004Joe Caloruso
- 2005Alex Bowerman
- 2006Andrew Vigliotta
- 2007Michael Couzens
- 2008Matthew Vigliotta
- 2009Megan Hynes
- 2010Nicholas Collins
- 2011James Evans
- 2012Paige Hughes
- 2013Christopher Walker
- 2014Kelsey Barnett
- 2015Christy Zegel
- 2015-16Andrew Jacobi
- 2016-17A.G. Chancellor IV
- 2017-18Aminata Toumbou
- 2018-19Nicholas Imam
- 2019-20Maille Bowerman
- 2020-21Zahraa Abdulrazak
- 2021-22Katrina Christopher
- 2022-23Jae Kim
- 2023-24Nikolas DelVecchio
- 2024-25Olivia Phillips
- 2025-26Olivia Harris
- 2026-27Joyce Chen
Alumni spotlights
- Harley AlbroNew York's first Youth Governor in 1950, later a Cortland social studies teacher and principal.
- Atrion RaimundiYouth Governor in 2001, who came back to speak to delegates at the 2011 State Conference.
- Lee ZeldinLt. Governor in the late 1990s, later elected to Congress.
- Jane HendersonChief Justice in 2008 and a CONA Presiding Officer in 2009, who later worked in voter registration and returned to volunteer with the judicial program.
- Leigh ArsenaultDuran Scholarship winner in 2002 and Dodge Award winner in 2006.
New Yorkers who led CONA as Presiding Officers
- Timothy Min1991
- Andrew Vigliotta2007
- Laura Bolan2008
- Jane Henderson2009
- Emily Vigliotta (collegiate)2014
- Matthew Tobin2024
- Olivia Sharp2025
- Olivia Harris2026
New York State Directors
- Dominic Brancato1985
- Robert Nori1986
- Jim Tompkins1987
- Dave Johnson1988
- Fritz Simmon1989 to 1990
- Barbara Linsky1991
- Sharon Watts-Williams1993 to 2002
- Mark Rutkowski2002 to 2016
- Drew CaldwellToday
See every past award winner and scholarship recipient on the Honor Roll, and the people who built the program in the Hall of Fame.