Kathy Hochul Bio
Kathleen Courtney Hochul (born 27 August 1958) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 57th governor of New York since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman to hold the office of governor in New York State. Before becoming governor, Hochul was lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021, elected alongside Andrew Cuomo, and succeeded to the governorship following his 2021 resignation. She represented western New York in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2013, and earlier served on the Hamburg Town Board and as Erie County clerk. Trained as an attorney, Hochul has focused on economic development, infrastructure, public safety, and healthcare during her public service career.
Hochul is the first New York governor from outside New York City and its immediate suburbs since 1932, the first from Western New York since 1910, and the first from Buffalo since Grover Cleveland in 1885. A graduate of Syracuse University and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, she has built a career that bridges legal practice, local government, and statewide leadership.
Early Life and Background
Kathleen Courtney Hochul was born in Buffalo, New York, the second of six children of John P. “Jack” Courtney, then a college student and clerical worker, and Patricia Ann “Pat” (Rochford) Courtney, a homemaker. Her family is Irish Catholic, and her parents raised her in modest circumstances. The family struggled financially during her early years and for a time lived in a trailer near a steel plant. By the time Hochul entered college, her father had built a career at the information technology company he later headed.
Hochul graduated from Hamburg High School in 1976. She went on to attend Syracuse University, where she was politically active and became a student government vice president. She led a boycott of the student bookstore over high prices and an unsuccessful effort to name the university stadium after alumnus Ernie Davis, a star running back who died of cancer before joining the National Football League. Hochul also lobbied the university to divest from apartheid South Africa, and The Daily Orange student newspaper awarded her an “A” in spring 1979 for the campus changes she helped drive. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse in 1980.
Path to US Politics
After earning a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in 1984, Hochul began working for a Washington, D.C., law firm, but found the work unsatisfying. She then served as legal counsel and legislative assistant to U.S. Representative John LaFalce and U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan, and also worked for the New York State Assembly before seeking elected office. She became involved in local issues as a supporter of small businesses facing competition from Walmart stores, which drew the attention of local Democratic leaders.
On January 3, 1994, the Hamburg Town Board appointed Hochul to a vacant seat, and she was later elected to a full term and reelected multiple times. In May 2003, Erie County Clerk David Swarts appointed her as his deputy, and in April 2007 Governor Eliot Spitzer elevated her to county clerk after Swarts joined his administration. As county clerk, she gained statewide attention by publicly opposing Spitzer’s proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses without Social Security cards, saying she would seek to have any such applicants arrested. In 2010, she won reelection with 80 percent of the vote across four ballot lines.
Kathy Hochul Career
Early Career (2011-2013)
Hochul won a four-candidate special election in May 2011 for New York’s 26th congressional district, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years. Her Republican opponent, State Assemblymember Jane Corwin, had been favored, but Hochul benefited from voter unease with the Republican Medicare reform plan and the third-party candidacy of Tea Party candidate Jack Davis. She defeated Corwin 47 percent to 42 percent, and was endorsed by EMILY’s List, the Buffalo News, and the Democrat and Chronicle.
Before the 2012 election, redistricting shifted her district to the more heavily Republican 27th. Hochul was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund and, despite campaigning as an “independent Democrat,” lost to Republican Chris Collins 51 percent to 49 percent. Her single term in Congress included work on the passport acquisition process, meetings with President Barack Obama on the economy, and opposition to cuts to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
2014 Gubernatorial Breakthrough (2014-2018)
In 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo selected Hochul as his running mate after Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy announced he would not seek reelection. Hochul, who had been working as a government relations executive for M&T Bank, won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, defeating Timothy Wu in the primary. The Cuomo-Hochul ticket won the general election, and Hochul was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 1, 2015.
Cuomo tasked Hochul with chairing the 10 regional economic development councils and appointed her to chair the Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Abuse and Addiction, where she convened outreach sessions across the state. She spearheaded Cuomo’s “Enough is Enough” campaign to combat sexual assault on college campuses, hosting and attending more than 25 events, and in March 2016 was named to the New York State Women’s Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. In 2018, Hochul won reelection as lieutenant governor, defeating Jumaane Williams 53.3 percent to 46.7 percent, and the Cuomo-Hochul ticket won the general election.
Governorship (2021-Present)
Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation on August 10, 2021, amid sexual misconduct allegations, effective August 24. Hochul was sworn in as the 57th governor of New York at 12:00 AM Eastern Time that day by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. In her early weeks in office, she appointed State Senator Brian Benjamin as lieutenant governor, though he resigned in April 2022 after being indicted on federal charges. Hochul subsequently selected U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado as lieutenant governor, who was sworn in on May 25, 2022.
Hochul won a full term in the 2022 election, defeating Republican U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin in the closest New York gubernatorial race since 1994. Her victory marked the first time a woman was elected governor of New York. In 2024, she announced her intention to run for reelection in 2026, and in September 2025 endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. In January 2026, Hochul and Mamdani announced a $1.7 billion child care plan to expand pre-kindergarten and childcare access statewide.
Notable Events and Milestones
Hochul’s tenure has included major infrastructure and policy decisions, including a 2022 agreement for taxpayers to pay $850 million toward a new Buffalo Bills stadium, the largest taxpayer contribution ever for an NFL facility. In December 2021, she reinstated an indoor mask mandate amid the Omicron variant and expanded the healthcare worker vaccine mandate to include boosters. In June 2024, she indefinitely halted a Manhattan congestion pricing plan shortly before implementation, drawing widespread criticism, before reviving it in November 2024 at a reduced rate, with implementation beginning January 5, 2025.
Kathy Hochul Career Wins
Kathleen Courtney Hochul has compiled a series of significant political victories across local, congressional, and statewide offices. Her career wins include election to the Hamburg Town Board, appointment and election as Erie County clerk, a special election victory for Congress, two terms as lieutenant governor, and a full gubernatorial term.
US Politics Highlights
Hochul’s first major electoral win came in the May 2011 special election for New York’s 26th congressional district, where she won 47 percent of the vote. She was elected lieutenant governor in 2014 alongside Andrew Cuomo and reelected in 2018. Her most recent win was the 2022 gubernatorial election, where she defeated Lee Zeldin in the closest New York gubernatorial contest since 1994 and became the first woman elected governor of New York.
Other Wins and Achievements
Hochul’s additional accomplishments include securing the endorsement of the NRA Political Victory Fund during her 2012 congressional campaign, being named to the New York State Women’s Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission, and chairing the Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Abuse and Addiction. She also founded Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, and co-founded the Village Action Coalition.
Kathy Hochul Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Kathleen Courtney Hochul was raised in Buffalo, New York, in a large Irish Catholic family. She is the second of six children born to John P. “Jack” Courtney and Patricia Ann “Pat” (Rochford) Courtney. The family experienced financial hardship during her early years but became more secure as her father built a career in the information technology sector. Hochul’s upbringing in a working-class community near the steel plants of western New York shaped her early political outlook and her focus on economic development and local industry.
Personal Life
Hochul has been married to William J. Hochul Jr. since 1984. William J. Hochul Jr. is the former United States Attorney for the Western District of New York and serves as senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary to Delaware North, a hospitality and gambling company. The couple has two children. Hochul is Catholic and a founder of Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. In 2024, she was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma on her nose and underwent surgery to remove it.