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In 1944, Governor Thomas E. Dewey appointed an interdepartmental committee to study the problem of juvenile delinquency. Upon the recommendation of this committee, the New York State Youth Commission, a temporary state commission comprised of a chairperson appointed by the governor and the commissioners of the departments of Correction, Education, Health, Mental Hygiene, and Social Welfare, the industrial commissioner, and the chairperson of the Board of Parole, was established in 1945 (Chapter 556).

Creation of the Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970 (Chapter 140) was preceded by over a century of State conservation activity carried out by a number of agencies. The first, a three-member Fisheries Commission, was established in 1868 (Chapter 285) to restore and protect the propagation of fish in the State's rivers, lakes, and streams.

New York State's first civil service law, enacted in 1883 (Chapter 354), provided for a merit system of competitive examinations for the appointment and promotion of State government employees. It established a Civil Service Commission, consisting of three persons appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the senate, to administer the law. In 1884 civil service provisions were extended to some local governments; municipal civil service commissions were established and supervised by the state commission.

This department's roots can be traced back to the establishment of the Dairy Commission in 1884 (Chapter 202). The commission, headed by a commissioner appointed by the governor, was empowered to regulate agriculture by inspecting dairy production and sales facilities to ensure product quality.

The Executive Department resulted from the constitutional reorganization of State government in 1925. Prior to reorganization, the executive branch of the government had grown to include nearly 200 administrative departments, boards, and commissions. Constitutional amendments in 1925 and 1927 abolished or significantly consolidated these offices and expanded the power of the executive office. In 1925 an amendment provided for the consolidation of all administrative agencies into not more than twenty State departments, including an Executive Department.

The department evolved from two separate organizations created in 1935: the Division of State Planning, in the Executive Department, and the Bureau of State Publicity, in the Conservation Department. The Division of State Planning (Laws of 1935, Chapter 304) was established to coordinate plans for State economic development. It was headed by the State Planning Council, which consisted of five members appointed by the governor. The Conservation Department's Bureau of Publicity was established to undertake advertising and promotion of tourism (Laws of 1935, Chapter 808).

Early State park and recreation policies were closely related to conservation efforts. A Temporary State Park Commission, established in 1872 (Chapter 848) to study the feasibility of forming a public park in the "timbered regions" of the Adirondack Mountains, rejected a proposal to create a park for recreational purposes but recommended preservation of the land and timber resources. No action was taken until 1884, when the legislature directed the comptroller to establish a committee to formulate a plan for forest preservation.

The World Trade Center Relief Fund was established on September 14, 2001 to assist the 3,000 families (spouses, children, domestic partners, fianc{acute}es, and parents) of the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Fund was created to benefit all victims, including civilians, firefighters, police, and relief workers. It covered victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, {dollar}79 million in donations were received and distributed. Payments were made to 5,343 beneficiaries of victims.

The legislature can trace its origins to several representative councils that met during the 1640s and 1650s, the period of Dutch rule in New Netherland. The director general of the colony, assisted by an appointed council, held exclusive executive, legislative, and judicial authority. In 1641, representatives chosen by the people met and called for this authority to be limited. Over the next several years, similar meetings were called to represent popular interests before the colony's director general.

The first State constitution of 1777 and all subsequent constitutions designated the governor as the commander-in-chief of the State's armed forces. In 1786 the governor appointed an adjutant general to supervise the militia and all military establishments in the State. The governor was authorized to appoint an adjutant general by the constitutions of 1821 and 1846 in response to the passage of a federal statute of 1792 requiring each state to appoint such an officer.