while its publisher was out of town, for which he was promptly fired. He then moved to Troy, New York, where he worked for the Troy Whig and Troy Times. While working as a night reporter, clerk in the Troy post office, and process server, he studied law at the firm of Robertson & Foster. Black attained admission to the bar in 1879 and began to practice in Troy. In 1888, Black campaigned for Benjamin Harrison for president. In 1892, he campaigned for Harrison's reelection, but Harrison was defeated by former President Grover Cleveland. His continued political activities included serving as chairman of the Republican Party in Rensselaer County. In March 1894, an election day dispute between Republicans and Democrats in Troy culminated with the murder of Robert Ross, a Republican. Black assisted in the prosecution of the defendants, Democrats Bartholomew "Bat" Shea and John McGough, who were convicted. McGough was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Shea was executed. U.S. House Largely as the result of publicity from the Ross murder case, in November 1894, Black was elected to the 54th United States Congress, representing New York's 19th congressional district. He served from March 4, 1895 to January 7, 1897, when he resigned because he had been elected governor. During his House term, Black was a member of the Committee on Pacific Railroads and the Committee on Private Land Claims. He was a delegate to the 1896 Republican National Convention and supported William McKinley for president. Governor Black was elected governor in 1896 and served from January 1, 1897 to December 31, 1898. A highlight of his governorship was completion of construction on the New York State Capitol, which had fallen far behind schedule and had been plagued with cost overruns. As governor, Black advocated for conservation of the area now known as the Adirondack State Park. As part of this effort, he oversaw the establishment of the New York State College of Forestry. During Black's governorship, the boroughs that now make up New York City were consolidated into one municipality. Black also oversaw New York's participation in the Spanish–American War. Under his leadership, 16,000 New York soldiers were raised, trained, and equipped for accession into the United States Army as it expanded for the war. In addition, he successfully advocated for election reforms, including allowing soldiers to vote while they were out of state or outside the