Basil Paterson, Father Of Former Governor David Paterson, Dies

The powerful father of former New York Governor David Paterson has died at the age of 87. Basil Paterson served in the Army in World War II before becoming New York’s first African-American Secretary of State in 1979. He also served in the state Senate, representing the Upper West Side of New York City and Harlem, and was appointed Deputy Mayor of New York in 1978.