Florence Knapp
Toronto Daily Star, October 10 1927
Florence E. S. Knapp (1875-1949) was elected to the post of secretary of state for New York, holding the position from 1925 to 1927. She was convicted of grand larceny in 1928: during the compiling of the 1925 census, she put her stepdaughter on the payroll, forged her signature on her paycheques, and spent the money on clothes.
Ms. Knapp was the last elected secretary of state in New York; the position went to an appointee afterwards. The next woman to be elected to a statewide office in New York was Mary Anne Krupsak, who was elected lieutenant governor in 1974.
Created November 11, 2025.