Marcy Avenue is named after William Learned Marcy (born in Southbridge, Massachusetts on December 12, 1786; died July 4, 1857), who served as U.S. Senator and Governor of New York, as well as U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.
Marcy was a strong force in New York politics and was considered one of the leaders of the Hunkers, which was a conservative, office-seeking, and pro-slavery faction of the Democratic Party in New York.