United States. In his 1894 and 1896 campaigns, Black had been nominated at Republican conventions by political operative Louis F. Payn, who was widely regarded as a corrupt associate of Thomas C. Platt, the boss of New York State's Republican Party. As governor, Black caused a controversy when he appointed Payn as state insurance superintendent. Despite criticism from advocates of good government and civil service reform, Black continued to support Payn. Even though he backed Payn, Black incurred Platt's displeasure when Black successfully opposed a bill Platt favored, which would have banned from newspapers editorial cartoons critical of state government officials. (As governor, Theodore Roosevelt won a showdown with Platt over Payn's reappointment, which resulted in the selection of another candidate.) Late in Black's term, state officials were accused of squandering taxpayer money on a project to expand the Erie Canal, which had come to be regarded as a boondoggle because of delays and excessive costs. Black's chances for reelection were jeopardized, so Republicans replaced him as their 1898 gubernatorial nominee with Theodore Roosevelt, who had recently attained hero status in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Roosevelt won the November general election by narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Augustus Van Wyck. In 1899, an investigating commission appointed by Black, in conjunction with two special counsels appointed by Roosevelt, exonerated those involved of criminal wrongdoing. Later life After leaving office, Black resumed his law practice. Among the noteworthy cases in which he was involved, Black took part in the defense of Roland B. Molineaux in the famed People v. Molineux case. After Molineaux was convicted of murder, the conviction was overturned and he won an acquittal at retrial. The case was the source of the well-known "Molineux rule" which limits the ability of prosecutors to use prior crimes as proof that a defendant committed the crime with which he is charged. Black also took part in the defense of Caleb Powers for the assassination of Kentucky governor William Goebel. Black maintained his interest in politics even after leaving office. He was a delegate to the 1904 Republican National Convention, and nominated President Theodore Roosevelt for election to a full term. Later that year, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senator, but withdrew in favor of incumbent Chauncey Depew, who went on to win reelection. In 1908, Black, who had fallen out with Roosevelt, supported Charles Evans Hughes