Following similar moves across the country, Mayor Kathy Sheehan has signed an Executive Order directing the removal of the Major General Philip Schuyler statue from the front of Albany City Hall.
Part of a famed Colonial Albany family, the general in the Continental Army who later served as a U.S. Senator from New York owned slaves. The statue was dedicated in 1925.
“Scores of community members have reached out to my office requesting the removal of the statue of former slave owner Gen. Philip Schuyler and I thank those residents for making their voices heard,” said Sheehan in a statement. “Our Chief Diversity Officer first raised this issue to me last year and we discussed opportunities to engage the community in a conversation about its removal. It has become clear that now is the time to act and confront the unfortunate history of our nation.”
Visitors to Albany City Hall and the nearby state capitol can’t miss Schuyler facing uptown along Washington Ave., wearing a traditional hat and coat from the Colonial era.
The Thursday order directs the statue to be given to a museum or other institution for future display. The mayor’s office did not say when the statue will come down.
