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Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (Democratic Party) was the Governor of New York. He assumed office in 2007 and left office on March 17, 2008.
Prior to being elected governor, Spitzer served as Attorney General of New York from 1999 to 2006.
Biography
Eliot Spitzer was born in the Bronx, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1981 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1984.[1] Spitzer clerked for Judge Robert W. Sweet in Manhattan, then joined the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. In 1986, he joined the staff of Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau.[2] Spitzer left the District Attorney's office in 1992 to work at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he stayed until 1994. From 1994 to 1998, he worked at the law firm Constantine and Partners on a number of consumer rights and antitrust cases.
Spitzer ran for Attorney General of New York in 1994 and was defeated in the primary. He ran for the same seat in 1998 and defeated incumbent Dennis Vacco (R) in the general election. He served in the position until 2006 when he ran for Governor of New York.
In 2002, Governing magazine named Spitzer one of eleven "Public Officials of the Year" for his aggressive legal campaigns, particularly against corporate fraud.[3] Beginning in 1994, Governing selected state and local officials each year to honor for standout job performance. The Public Officials of the Year program "recognizes leaders from state, city and county government who exemplify the ideals of public service."[4]
Elections
2006
On December 8, 2004, Spitzer announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for governor of New York.
In January 2006, Spitzer selected New York State Senate minority leader David Paterson as his choice for Lieutenant Governor and running mate. On May 30, 2006, Spitzer and Paterson won the endorsement of the New York State Democratic Party.[5] In the Democratic primary held on September 12, 2006, Spitzer defeated Thomas Suozzi, securing his party's nomination with 81 percent of the vote.
Spitzer was elected governor on November 7, 2006, with 69 percent of the vote, defeating Republican John Faso and Libertarian John Clifton, among others.
2002
On November 5, 2002, Eliot Spitzer won re-election to the office of New York Attorney General. He defeated Dora Irizarry (R), John J. Broderick (RTL), Mary Jo Long (G) and Daniel A. Conti, Jr. (L) in the general election.
| New York Attorney General, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Eliot Spitzer Incumbent |
66.4% | 2,744,302 | |
| Republican | Dora Irizarry | 29.9% | 1,234,899 | |
| Right to Life | John J. Broderick | 1.9% | 78,268 | |
| Green | Mary Jo Long | 1.2% | 50,755 | |
| Libertarian | Daniel A. Conti, Jr. | 0.6% | 23,213 | |
| Total Votes | 4,131,437 | |||
| Election results via New York Board of Elections. | ||||
1998
That election of a Republican in 1994 allowed Spitzer to run again in 1998. Now more experienced in party politics, he won the Democratic primary, defeating Koppell, State Senator Catherine Abbate, local representative Jeff Orlick, and former Governor's Counsel Charles Davis. He went on to defeat the incumbent Vacco by 48.2 percent of the vote to Vacco's 47.6 percent.
1994
In 1994, long-serving Democratic New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams decided to leave office after having unsuccessfully challenged Al D'Amato for the seat of U.S. Senator from New York in 1992. Several Democrats saw weakness in Abrams' replacement as Attorney General, G. Oliver Koppell, and ran for the party's nomination, Spitzer among them. At the time, he was young and unknown, and, despite heavy funding from his own family, his campaign ended when he placed last among four candidates for the nomination. Judge Karen Burstein won. Burstein subsequently lost to Republican Dennis Vacco in the general election, part of a Republican sweep that included the election of Governor George Pataki.
Noteworthy events
2008: Resignation following prostitution investigation
On March 10, 2008, The New York Times reported that Spitzer had previously patronized a prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP and met with a sex worker in Washington.[6][7] According to published reports, investigators believe Spitzer paid up to $80,000 for sex workers over a period of several years during his years as attorney general and governor.[8][9][10] Spitzer first drew the attention of federal investigators when his bank reported suspicious money transfers, which initially led investigators to believe that Spitzer had been taking bribes. The investigation of the governor led to the discovery of the prostitution ring.[11]
Spitzer announced on March 12, 2008, that he would resign his post as governor effective on March 17.[12] "I cannot allow for my private failings to disrupt the people's work," Spitzer said at a news conference in New York City. "Over the course of my public life, I have insisted—I believe correctly—that people take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor."[8][13]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica, "Eliot Spitzer," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Time Magazine, "Wall Street's Top Cop," Dec. 30, 2002
- ↑ Governing, "Super-Activist: Expanding the Scope of Consumer Protection," 2002
- ↑ Market Wired, "GOVERNING Announces 2012 Public Officials of the Year," October 19, 2012
- ↑ The New York Times, "Convention Notebook; Controversy Over Ground Zero's Fate Is Front and Center in Buffalo," May 30, 2006
- ↑ New York Times, "Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring," March 10, 2008
- ↑ New York Times, "Woman at the Center of Governor’s Downfall," March 3, 2008
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Gazzette, "Spitzer resigns amid sex scandal,"March 12, 2008
- ↑ Associated Press, "Disgraced NY Governor won't Need New Job," March 12, 2008
- ↑ 80G New York Post, "'Addicted to Love' Gov," March 12, 2008
- ↑ ABC News, "It Wasn't the Sex; Suspicious $$ Transfers Led to Spitzer," March 10, 2008
- ↑ CNN, "Spitzer to step down by Monday," March 12, 2008
- ↑ AM New York, "Text of Governor Spitzer's resignation letter," March 12, 2008
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