Kathleen Hochul, née Courtney (/ˈhoʊkəl/ HOH-kull; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician serving as Lieutenant Governor of New York since 2015. She served as the U.S. Representative for New York's 26th congressional district from June 1, 2011, to January 3, 2013, after winning the four-candidate special election of May 24, 2011, to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Republican Chris Lee,[1][2] and was the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years. Wikipedia.