New York (State). Governor. Secretary to the Governor.

Dr. William J. Ronan was secretary to the governor until 1965, when he became the first chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

Jonathan B. Bingham served as Secretary to the Governor from January 1, 1955 to June 30, 1958 when he went on a leave of absence to run for the New York State Senate. Bingham was Deputy Administrator of the Technical Co-operation Administration or "Point IV" Program from October 1951 to March 1953. During W. Averell Harriman's campaign for Governor, he served as Director of Research for the Citizens' Committee for the Election of Averell Harriman, George B. DeLuca, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., Arthur H. Levitt and Adrian P. Burke.

The Secretary to the Governor was responsible for the policy and program development of the Harriman Administration and shared this responsibility with the Counsel - the division of responsibility between the two being the subject matter. For instance, Secretary Bingham was primarily responsible for such areas as social welfare, education, mental health, housing and traffic safety, while Counsel Daniel Gutman was responsible for such matters as crime and correction, clemency and parole, most authorities and metropolitan problems, investigations, and the judiciary. Bingham also served as the chief liaison between the Governor's Office and many of the heads of the various state departments. He was also responsible for the initial drafting of the Governor's annual message and the various special messages the Governor sent to the Legislature.