Governors Island Scandal Circa 1702: English King Appoints Drag Queen
Apr 5, 2012 4:34 pm
[caption id=“attachment_4993” align=“aligncenter” width=“224” caption=“Painting of Governors Island’s Lord Cornbury, in drag (painting from the New York Historical Society)”]
[/caption] This week’s New York magazine traces many New York City scandals, some back centuries. One of the earliest scandals involved Governors Island and Lord Cornbury, who was appointed by the King of England as a new Governor of New York and New Jersey in 1702. Lord Cornbury eventually became known as “quite possibly the worst governor in the history of the empire” due to his extravagant spending habits, running up massive debts and his penchant for wearing women’s clothes. In fact, he even opened a session of the New York assembly dressed as his cousin, Queen Anne. He only lasted as Governor for six and a half years before being unceremoniously fired and later imprisoned.