Cornbury: the Queen's Governor January 29, 2009

Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, was the English governor of New York and New Jersey, from 1702-1708. A controversial figure, he is now remembered primarily for his rumored habit of dressing as his first cousin, Queen Anne. In other words, an early English governor of New York was quite possibly a drag queen -- and not a very pretty one, if the portrait reportedly of him in women's clothing that hangs in the New York Historical Society is an accurate portrayal. Through its fictional accounting of events around Lord Cornbury's governorship, 'Cornbury: The Queen's Governor' celebrates the ongoing cultural diversity and vitality of the Big Apple.