Case Name: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Delia Gaul Ray, Respondent, v. Sarah E. Henry, as Superintendent of the House of Refuge for Women, at Hudson, New York, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1900-01
Citations: 47 A.D. 133
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Delia Gaul Ray, Respondent, v. Sarah E. Henry, as Superintendent of the House of Refuge for Women, at Hudson, New York, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 47
Pages: 133–136

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York ex rel. Delia Gaul Ray, Respondent, v. Sarah E. Henry, as Superintendent of the House of Refuge for Women, at Hudson, New York, Appellant.
Civil service — supervisor of House of jRefuge for Women at Hudson — she holds for no specified term and, may he removed without ehao’ges.
The general supervisor of the House of Eefuge for Women at Hudson, H. Y., is a subordinate female officer or employee of that institution within the meaning of subdivision 3 of section 144 of chapter 546 of the Laws of 1896' (the State Charities Law), authorizing the superintendent of that institution to appoint and remove all subordinate female officers and employees subject to the approval of the .board, and is subject to removal by the. superintendent without charges, without assigning any cause and without notice to any third party, under section 3 of article 10 of the Constitution of the State of Hew York,' which provides that if the term of an office is not fixed by law it “ shall be held during the pleasure of the authority making the appointment."
It is immaterial whether the civil service rules in terms apply to such a position, as, if they did, they are not effective to limit the power conferred by the Constitution.
Appeal by tlie defendant, Sarah E. Henry, as superintendent of the House of Eefuge for Women, at Hudson, New York, from an order of the Supreme Court, made at the Eensselaer Special Term and entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Columbia on the 15th day of September, 1899, granting the relator’s motion that a peremptory writ of mandamus issue directed to the defendant requiring her to reinstate, recognize and restore the relator to the position of general supervisor of the House of Eefuge for Women at Hudson, N. Y.
The relator formerly held the position of general supervisor of the House of Eefuge for Women, at, Hudson, N. Y. The defendant was at that time, and is now, the superintendent of such institution.
On or about the 3d day of August, 1899, the-board of managers of said house of refuge made written charges against the relator, and a copy of them .was served upon her, and on the seventh day of August a copy of such charges was 'filed with the Civil Service Commission. Thereafter, and on the tenth day of * August, a copy of these charges was delivered to the defendant by the president of the board of managers. On the fifth day of August the relator served upon said board of managers an answer in writing to such charges, which answer was delivered to the defendant on the tenth ) day of August.
On the 10th day of. August, 1899, the defendant', removed the relator from her office of general supervisor, and notice in writing of such removal was served upon her personally. - On the same day a resolution was duly adopted by the board of managers of such house of refuge, approving and ratifying the action of the defendant in removing the relator. A copy of such resolution was served upon the relator, with the notice of removal.
Thereafter the relator served upon the defendant a written demand that she forthwith reinstate the relator in the office of general supervisor of such house of refuge; the defendant refused to comply with such demand, whereupon the relator made application for a writ of peremptory mandamus to compel the defendant to reinstate ' her in such position, and from the order granting such writ of peremptory mandamus this appeal is taken.
John C. Davies, Attorney-General, and John H. Coyne, Deputy Attorney-General, for the appellant.
Allen W. Corwin and J. Rider Cady, for the respondent.

Opinion:
Herrick, J.:
The relator contends that she has been removed from the office of general supervisor of the House of Refuge for Women at Hudson, N. Y., in violation of the civil service laws and the rules, and regulations of. the Civil Service, Commission, and for that reason seeks a reinstatement. .
In the view that I have taken of this case, it is of no copsequence whether the rules promulgated.by the State Civil Service Commission in terms apply to the relator's case or# not, and I, therefore, decline to discuss that question.
There is no fixed or definite term of office for a general supervisor of the House of Refuge for Women at Hudson, or for any other officer or employee of that institution, so far as I can discover from an examination of the statutes of the State.
The Legislature has conferred upon the superintendent of that institution power to appoint and remove all subordinate female officers and employees, subject to the approval of the board. (Subd. 3, § 144, chap. 546, Laws of 1896; The State Charities Law.) The relator was a subordinate female officer or employee of that institution.
Section 3 of article 10 of the Constitution of the State reads as follows: " When the duration of any office is not provided by this Constitution, it may be declared by law, and if not so declared, such office shall be held during the pleasure of the authority making the appointment." ,
It may be that a law making the term of office to last during good behavior, as- is frequently done, would be a compliance with this section of the .Constitution. But neither the statute in relation to the House of Refuge for Women at Hudson, the Civil Service Law or any law of the State that I have been able to find, fixes any such tenure of office for persons occupying the jiosition formerly held by the relator. Indeed, the law in relation to subordinate female offi•cers and employees of the House of Refuge for Women at Hudson makes the term of such officers and employees dependent upon the will and pleasure of the general superintendent, subject to the approval of the board of managers, thus negativing the idea of any fixed tenure of office for such female subordinate officers or employees; and in the absence of any law declaring the duration of such term of office, it is, in the words of the Constitution, to " be held during the pleasure of the authority making the appointment."
That authority in this case was the defendant, the superintendent of said house of refuge. Assuming that the rules promulgated by tlie Civil Service Commission are in their terms applicable to persons holding positions like those of the relator, it must be obvious that such rules cannot in any way limit or restrain the power conferred by the Constitution. To hold otherwise, would be to deprive the appointing authority of the power expressly1 conferred upon it by the section of the Constitution I have cited.
It, therefore, becomes of no consequence whether the rules of the Civil Service Commission were complied with or not; the defendant could have removed the relator without any charges, without assigning any cause, and. without giving notice to any person, except the relator herself; because no duration being fixed for such office by the law, she held her position only during the defendant's pleasure, and when the defendant signified her pleasure that the relator's •occupancy should cease, that ended her right to hold it.
The order appealed from should, therefore, be reversed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements of this appeal, and the motion for the writ of peremptory mandamus denied.
All concurred.
Order reversed, with ten dollars costs' and disbursements, and motion for writ of peremptory mandamus denied.