Eliot Spitzer biography

Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician of the Democratic Party. He has served as Governor of New York from January 2007, and announced on March 12, 2008 that he plans to resign effective Monday, March 17, 2008. Prior to being elected governor, Spitzer served as New York State Attorney General.

Spitzer was born and raised in The Bronx borough of New York City. He attended Princeton University for his undergraduate studies and Harvard University for law school. It was there that he met his future wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, who later founded Children for Children, a non-profit organization. After earning his Juris Doctor degree, he joined the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Two years later, he joined the Manhattan district attorney's office, headed by Robert M. Morgenthau, to pursue organized crime. In 1992, he launched a successful investigation that brought down the Gambino family's control over Manhattan's garment and trucking industry. In the next six years, he worked at the law firms of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Constantine and Partners.

In 1998, he defeated incumbent Republican Dennis Vacco by a slim margin to become elected as the New York State Attorney General. His campaign was financed largely in part by a controversial multi-million dollar loan from his father. As attorney general, Spitzer took cases relating to corporate white collar crime, securities fraud, internet fraud and environmental protection. He most notably pursued cases against companies involved in computer chip price fixing, investment bank stock price inflation, and the 2003 mutual fund scandal. He also sued Richard Grasso, the then-chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, who he claimed had violated his position after receiving an upwards of $140 million as a deferred compensation pay package.

In 2006, Spitzer was elected governor of New York after defeating Republican John Faso in the November election. During his time in office, he has proposed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York and issued an executive order allowing illegal aliens to be issued driver's licenses, which have both attracted controversy. In July 2007, he was admonished for his administration's involvement in ordering the State Police to record the whereabouts of State Senate majority leader Joseph L. Bruno.

In March 2008, Spitzer admitted to wrongdoing after The New York Times reported that he was linked to a prostitution ring under investigation by the federal government. On March 12, 2008, Spitzer announced in a press conference his intention to step down as governor of New York, effective March 17.





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