Eliot Spitzer Biography

Eliot Spitzer is the crusading former prosecutor who resigned as governor of New York in 2008 after he was caught consorting with prostitutes.

Spitzer’s resignation halted an aggressive political climb that some had thought might end with a run for president.

He was born in New York, graduated from Princeton University in 1981 and then attended law school at Harvard.

From 1986-1992 he was an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, where he became head of the labor racketeering unit and pursued a successful prosecution of the Gambino crime family.

After working in private practice, he was elected Attorney General of New York in 1998 and reelected in 2002. His energetic prosecution of securities fraud cases and white collar crimes earned him the nicknames of the “Sheriff of Wall Street.”

Spitzer was elected governor of New York in 2006, defeating Republican John Faso with 69% of the vote. Spitzer was inaugurated on 1 January 2007, promising to focus on ethical government and the economy.

A year later came the stunning report that Spitzer had been caught on a federal phone wiretap making arrangements for a visit from a prostitute named “Kristen” (later identified as Ashley Dupré) while on a trip to Washington, D.C.

As it turns out, Spitzer had spent tens of thousands of dollars on prostitutes.

On 10 March 2008 Spitzer made a brief public apology without confirming the report, saying “I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and that violates my or any sense of right and wrong.” Two days later he resigned, effective 17 March 2008.

The scandal ruined his political career, but not his speaking, writing and lecturing career. After failed attempts as a TV commentator and an unsuccessful run for office in New York, Spitzer took over the family real estate business.