MAYOR ADAMS NAMES LYNELLE MAGINLEY-LIDDIE CORRECTION COMMISSIONER Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie & Mayor Eric Adams. [This page is under re-construction] Below, throughout the page: Thumbnail image boxes for Commissioners and Acting Commissioners since 1896.

Robert J. Wright 1/l/1896 -- 12/31/1897

Francis J. Lantry 1/l/1898 -- 12/31/1901 1/l/1904 -- 10/10/06

Thomas W. Hynes 1/l/02 -- 12/31/03

Robert J. Wright 1/l/1896 -- 12/31/1897

Francis J. Lantry 1/l/1898 -- 12/31/1901 1/l/1904 -- 10/10/06

Thomas W. Hynes 1/l/02 -- 12/31/03

Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack noted, “There’s more work to do, and with her leadership, we will build on the initial progress we’ve made . . . the people working and living in our facilities will be safer — and better — as a result.” Chief Advisor Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin said “I thank Commissioner Molina for the great work done as our Correction commissioner. During his tenure, our administration and the Departmentmade incredible progress reversing dangerous trends and putting our jail system on the right path.” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III declared, “I am confident that she will continue to expand on that progress, and I can think of no one better to build off of Louis Molina’s success at DOC than Lynelle. I also want to commend Louis for his stellar work at the Department of Correction, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

John V. Coggey 10/11/06 -- 12/31/08

John J. Barry 1/1/09 -- 1/18/10

Patrick A. Whitney 1/19/10 -- 12/31/13

Katharine Bement Davis 1/1/14 -- 12/27/15

Burdette G. Lewis 12/27/15 -- 12/31/17

“Thank you, Mayor Adams, for the honor and opportunity to lead and serve this department and the people of this great city,” said DOC Commissioner Maginley-Liddie. “As commissioner, I will work tirelessly to support our staff and create safe and humane conditions for those entrusted in our care. I further pledge to follow and set standards for correctional best practices; the people working and living in our jails deserve nothing less.”

On Oct.31, 2023, Adams announced the appointment of then DOC Commissioner Molina as assistant deputy mayor for public safety. As assistant deputy mayor, Molina will be tasked with coordinating with all city agencies on public safety matters to ensure they align with the Mayor's vision to "keep every New Yorker safe."

Adam's statement continued: “Public safety and justice are the prerequisites to prosperity, and that’s why, every day, Louis Molina gets up and ensures we are delivering both those priorities to those in our care. Over the last 22 months, Lou has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication as the commissioner of the Department of Correction, helping to reverse decades of mismanagement and neglect.

Lou has brought this organization back from the brink of collapse, which is why I am thrilled to promote him to assistant deputy mayor of public safety,” said Mayor Adams. “I know that with Lou supporting Deputy Mayor Banks in this new role, our good work will only continue.”

James A. Hamilton 1/l/18 -- 12/31/22

Frederick A. Wallis 1/l/23 -- 8/14/27

Richard C. Patterson 8/15/27 -- 9/30/32

“Louis Molina is a battle tested and dynamic leader who has proven himself to be an innovator when it comes to law enforcement and public safety here in New York City,” said Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III. “In this new and expanded role, he will not only help lead the continued progress being made at the Department of Correction but will help us further the gains being made across our city’s entire public safety apparatus to ensure that New York remains the safest big city in the nation.” The incoming Assistant Deputy Mayor Molina responded, “After the tremendous success we have achieved at the Department of Correction to reduce violence and improve safety, I’m honored Mayor Adams has selected me to take on even greater responsibility for public safety in our city. “I returned to the city where I was born and raised to serve in the Adams administration because public safety has been my life’s mission. As an NYPD officer, a detective, a U.S. Marine, a law enforcement chief, and a commissioner, I am immensely proud of the work I have done throughout my career. I’m eager to take on this next challenge. Working together with the leadership of every agency with a role in protecting others, we will continue to deliver greater public safety that leads to prosperity for every New Yorker.”

The new Correction Commissioner becomes the 38th or the 39th or the 46rd or the 47th person to be recognized and function as such since the NYC Department of Correction began operating as a separate agency Jan. 1, 1896.

Robert L. Tudor 10/l/32 -- 5/25/33

William J. Cahill 5/26/33 -- 10/6/33

Wilbur T. Wright 11/28/33 -- 12/31/33

Austin H. MacCormick 1/l/34 -- 1/15/40

Col.David "Mickey" Marcus 1/16/40 -- 10/15/40

It all depends how the count is done. If all Acting Commissioners are excluded, even those who served months heading the agency, the number could be 38 persons upon whom the title NYC Correction Commissioner has been conferred. But it could also be 39 as the number of times that title has been conferred.

That's because Francis J. Lantry served two non-consecutive terms; once at the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th and later in the 20th's first decade.

But if as this web site believes and practices, the count ought rightly include all those who fully managed DOC as Acting Commissioners when a vacancy existed in the Commissioner post, then the number increases by nine (9) to 47 if Lantry's tenures are considered a single Commissionership. Or the number increases to 48 if his non-consecutive Commissionships are counted individually.

Prior to Jan. 1, 1896, NYC Correction had been part of a dual agency, the Department of Public Charities and Correction. The men and women whose names and thumbnail images appear on this page, their having served as NYC Correction Commissioners, reflect the diverse and rich history of the City and this Department. They include:

• a businessman (Robert J. Wright),
• a union head (Francis J. Lantry),
• a suffragist leader (Katharine Bement Davis),
• a medical doctor (Peter F. Amoroso),
• a leader in charitable services (Thomas W. Hynes)
• a U.S. and Israeli military hero (Col. David "Mickey" Marcus),
• a former judge (Anna M. Kross), and
• a number who rose through the ranks to the top spot (William J. Fraser, Jacqueline McMickens, Gerald Mitchell, James Hunter, George R. Vierno). Cranston also began as a C.O.

Doctor Peter F. Amoroso 10/16/40 -- 12/27/46

Albert Williams 12/27/46 -- 12/31/53

Anna M. Kross 1/l/54 -- 3/30/66

George F. McGrath 3/31/66 -- 1/23/72

Benjamin Malcolm 1/24/72 -- 11/77

Robert J. Wright was the first to head the agency when it emerged after the dual Dept. of Public Charity and Correction was split (1895/6). He was a member of fusion reform Mayor Walter Strong's cabinet that also included Teddy Roosevelt as Police Commissioner.

Lantry was the first to served as DOC Commissioner when New York became a five-borough City (1898). Lantry also has the distinction of being the only Commissioner to serve twice as head of DOC. He even served once as Fire Commissioner.

Others who saw service directing other NYC agencies include Benjamin Ward and Bernard B. Kerik, each of whom later also served as NYPD head; Katharine Bement Davis, who afterward led the City Parole Commission, and Catherine Abate, Michael P. Jacobson, Martin F. Horn, and Vincent Schiraldi, each of whom had headed Probation before coming to Correction.

Both Commissioners Frederick A. Wallis and Albert Williams served as NYPD Deputy Commissioners before heading DOC.

Some listed here served as Commissioners --

• Joseph D'Elia,

  Joseph D'Elia (Interim) 11/77 -- 1/8/78

  William Ciuros 1/9/78 -- 8/12/79

  Benjamin Ward 8/13/79 -- 12/31/83

  Peter Seitchik (Interim) 1/1/84 -- 1/18/84

  Jacqueline McMickens 1/18/84 -- 9/22/86

• Peter Seitchik,
• James Hunter,
• George R. Vierno,
• Gerald Mitchell,
• Gary M. Lanigan
• John J. Antonelli and
• Mark Cranston.

Among the eight Interim Commissioners, Seitchik served about two and a half weeks, Vierno and Hunter each served a little more than a month, Antonelli and D'Elia about two months plus, Mitchell about two and a half months, Cranston and Lanigan about three months total.

The most commissioners to serve in any one year has been three.

In 1933, Robert L. Tudor, William J. Cahill and Wilbur T. Wright headed DOC.

In 1990, James Hunter, George R. Vierno and Allyn Seilaff served.

By contrast, the commissioner serving the most years was Anna M. Kross.

She headed the agency about a dozen years -- from the start of 1954 through early 1966.

Richard Koehler 9/23/86 -- 12-23-89

James Hunter (Interim) 12/24/89 -- 2/2/90

George R. Vierno (Interim) 2/3/90 -- 3/11/90

Allyn Seilaff 3/12/90 -- 12-24-91

Gerald Mitchell (Interim) 12/23/91 -- 3/18/92

Catherine Abate 4/20/92 -- 3/26/94

Anthony Schembri 3/28/94 -- 1/24/95

Because Mrs. Kross served so many years, at such a pivotal juncture in the Department's development, and because she left such an enduring legacy at a time when few woman exercised such lasting influence in the public arena, many assume AMK was the Department's first woman Commissioner.

Mrs. Kross wasn't; she was the second. The first was Katharine Bement Davis, Bedford Hills Reformatory superintendent appointed NYC DOC Commissioner in 1914 before women had the right to vote.

The DOC appointment of Dr. Davis -- she had a Ph. D in political economy from the University of Chicago, a first -- also made her the first woman to run any major agency of municipal government in NYC history and any city uniformed force in the country.

Michael P. Jacobson 1/24/95 -- 12/31/97

Bernard B. Kerik 1/1/98 -- 8/21/00

Gary M. Lanigan (Interim) 8/22/00- 11/8/00 & 12/15-31/02

William J. Fraser 11/9/00 to 12/31/02

Martin F. Horn 1/1/03 to 7/31/09

John J. Antonelli (Interim) 8/1/09 to 9/20/09

The third was Jacqueline McMickens, who rose through the ranks to Commissionership in 1984.

The fourth was Catherine M. Abate named to the DOC post in 1992. She had been Probation Commissioner.

The fifth was Dora Schriro. appointed Sept. 9, 2009. She had been Special Advisor to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Detention and Removal, and was the founding Director of the Office of Detention Policy and Planning for that department. Ms. Schriro, in 1985 - 1989,was NYC DOC Assistant Commissioner For Special Programs. After leaving NYC DOC as Commissioner Feb. 1, 2014, she became Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Servies and Public Protection.

The sixth was former Commissioner Cynthia Brann, veteran penologist, appointed DOC Commissionerby by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Oct. 3, 2017 which she had headed as Acting Commissioner following Joseph Ponte's retirement that he announced May 12. Having been appointed Acting First Deputy earlier in May, Ms. Brann took command of the Department as Acting Commissioner upon Mr. Ponte's retirement taking effect in June. Not only her take-charge performances in her two "Acting" roles at the helm of the agency during the three-month interim, but also her work since her joining DOC as Deputy Commissioner of Quality Assurance and Integrity in August 2015 made a positive impression on the city administration.

Dora B. Schriro 9/21/09 to 2/1/2014

Mark J. Cranston (Interim) 1/6/14 to 4/7/14

Joseph Ponte 3/11/14 to June/2017

Cynthia Brann 10/3/2017 to 5/31/2021

Vincent N. Schiraldi 6/1/2021 to 12/31/2022

Similarly, clicking underlined captions under many of the other Commissioners' thumbnail photos on the page accesses additional information.

Use your browser's "back" button to return to this list page.

More portraits and biographical material links will be added as they emerge from continued research.

All points bulletin: Be on the lookout for individual head-and-shoulders photos of five Commissioners:

• William J. Cahill and Wilbur T. Wright, both from 1933, and
• John V. Coggey, John J. Barry and Patrick A. Whitney from the 1908-13 era.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: We gratefully acknowledge NYC DOC's permission to post here material used in creating the original version of the NYC DOC Commissioners list posted on NYC LINK.-- Thomas McCarthy, NYCHS webmaster