Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer, political commentator, and former Democratic Party politician. He served as the 54th Governor of New York State from January 2007 until his resignation on March 17, 2008, from the exposure of his involvement as a regular client of the escort agency, Emperors Club VIP. Prior to being elected governor, Spitzer served as New York State Attorney General. After serving as Governor, he became a political commentator, and was the host of Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, a nightly news and commentary program on Current TV, which he left. John Fugelsang replaced Spitzer on the show. Prior to Viewpoint, he was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN from October 2010, to July 2011.

Spitzer was born in New York, and raised there by his father, real estate tycoon Bernard Spitzer. He attended Princeton University for undergraduate studies and then Harvard Law School for his Juris Doctor. It was there that he met his future wife, Silda Wall. He went on to work for the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and subsequently the Manhattan District Attorney's office to pursue organized crime. He launched the investigation that brought down the Gambino crime family's control over Manhattan's garment and trucking industries. In 1994, Spitzer left to work at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and, later, Constantine and Partners.

In the 1998 election, Spitzer defeated incumbent Republican Dennis Vacco by a slim margin to become New York State Attorney General. His campaign was financed by a controversial multi-million dollar loan from his father. As attorney general, Spitzer prosecuted cases relating to corporate white collar crime, securities fraud, internet fraud and environmental protection. He most notably pursued cases against computer chip price fixing, investment bank stock price inflation, predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders, fraud at American International Group, and the 2003 mutual fund scandal. He also sued Richard Grasso, the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange over a compensation package perceived to be excessive.

In 2007, Spitzer was inaugurated Governor of New York after defeating Republican John Faso. During his time in office, he proposed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New York and issued an executive order allowing illegal immigrants to be issued driver's licenses; both attracted controversy. In July 2007, he was admonished for his administration's involvement in ordering the New York State Police to record the whereabouts of State Senate majority leader Joseph L. Bruno. On March 10, 2008, it was reported that Spitzer was a client of Emperors Club VIP. The scandal prompted him to resign as Governor on March 17.