Marcy Park South

Welcome to New York City's Marcy Park South located in Brooklyn. This small urban park is named for William Learned Marcy, a lawyer and veteran of the War of 1812 who served in both the New York State Government as comptroller and then on the State Supreme Court, and in the Federal Government when he was elected a United States Senator during the Martin Van Buren Presidency.

In 1833 Marcy was elected Governor of the State of New York and resigned from the United States Senate. At that time, gubernatorial terms in New York were 2 years and Marcy served three terms. As governor he helped resolve conflicts with the State of New Jersey and oversaw the completion of the Erie Canal. In 1845 he returned to service in the Federal Government as the Secretary of War under President James Polk and helped guide the President through the Mexican War in 1848. President Franklin Pierce appointed Marcy Secretary of State in 1853 and he held onto that office until he died in 1857. His most notable political achievement is considered to be the Gadsden Purchase which allowed the United States to purchase territory from Mexico that would ultimately become the states of Arizona and New Mexico.