Downtown in Albany in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
51 South Swan Street
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 24, 2026
1. 51 South Swan Street Marker
Mathew Hale between
1870 & 1887
c1831
with alterations
Erected by Historic Albany Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Historic Albany Foundation series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.
Location. 42° 39.307′ N, 73° 45.498′ W. Marker is in Albany, New York, in Albany County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of South Swan Street and Elk Street, on the left when traveling north on South Swan Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 51 S Swan Street, Albany NY 12210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Capital District. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. State Education Building (was about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).
Regarding 51 South Swan Street. Matthew Hale (1829–1897), whose residence at this location between 1870 and 1887 is commemorated by the Historic Albany Foundation plaque, was a prominent New York attorney, state senator, and legal educator.
Born in Chelsea, Vermont, Hale graduated from the University of Vermont in 1851 and was admitted to the New York bar in 1853. After practicing law in Poughkeepsie, New York City, and Elizabethtown, he was elected to the New
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 24, 2026
2. 51 South Swan Street with Marker
Door on the left.
Hale moved to Albany in 1868 and practiced law with Samuel Hand and Nathan Swartz. His subsequent partnerships included several prominent Albany attorneys. He also taught domestic relations and criminal law at Albany Law School from 1870 until his death in 1897.
One of Hale's most consequential public assignments came in 1886, when Governor David B. Hill appointed him to a three-member commission investigating alternatives to hanging as a method of capital punishment. The commission recommended electrocution, which New York adopted as its method of execution in 1888. Hale helped draft the legislation implementing the change, which would have a lasting and controversial influence on the history of capital punishment in the United States.
Hale's career reflects Albany's importance as a center of legal practice, education, and state government during the late nineteenth century. The Historic Albany Foundation plaque identifies the brick residence as dating to approximately 1831, with later alterations.
Sources
Albany City Directory. Albany, 1876, p. 107, entry for Matthew Hale.
Harsha, David Addison. Noted Living Albanians and State Officials: A Series of Biographical Sketches. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Company, 1891. Biography of Matthew Hale.
Parker, Amasa J., Jr., ed. Landmarks of Albany County, New York. Syracuse: D. Mason & Company, 1897. Biographical sketch of Matthew Hale.
Duggan, W. Dennis. A History of the Bench and Bar of Albany County. Historical Society of the New York Courts, 2021, pp. 106, 196.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 5, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
