The New York booklet defines an administrator as the person appointed by the court to handle the estate of a deceased person who left no will. The role is practical rather than ceremonial: collecting assets, paying lawful debts, and distributing what remains under the rules that apply when there is no testamentary instrument.
This term is often confused with executor. The difference is simple but important. An executor is named in a will by the decedent; an administrator is selected through the court process when no will controls, or when there is no executor able to act. In glossary work and exam preparation, that distinction is one of the easiest ways to separate estate terms that otherwise feel similar.
Why it matters: In New York notary materials, estate vocabulary shows up because notaries often encounter probate documents, powers of attorney, and acknowledgments tied to transfers after death.
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