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A member of the [[Democratic National Committee]] and a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Paterson addressed the [[2004 Democratic National Convention]] in Boston as well as the Democratic mayors at the [[U.S. Conference of Mayors]].
A member of the [[Democratic National Committee]] and a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Paterson addressed the [[2004 Democratic National Convention]] in Boston as well as the Democratic mayors at the [[U.S. Conference of Mayors]].


He has been mentioned in some political circles as a possible successor to [[Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton]] should the fellow [[New York]] Democrat win the [[2008 US presidential election]] and resign the seat to assume the presidency. Paterson is currently a Democratic party national convention superdelegate and Clinton endorser.<ref name="blogspot">{{cite web
He has been mentioned in some political circles as a possible successor to [[Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton]] should the fellow [[New York]] Democrat win the [[2008 US presidential election]] and resign the seat to assume the presidency. Paterson is currently a Democratic party national convention [[superdelegate]] and Clinton endorser.<ref name="blogspot">{{cite web
|url=http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/03/ny-governor-eliot-spitzer-linked-to.html
|url=http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/03/ny-governor-eliot-spitzer-linked-to.html
|title=NY Governor Eliot Spitzer linked to prostitution ring
|title=NY Governor Eliot Spitzer linked to prostitution ring

Revision as of 22:06, 11 March 2008

Template:Otherpeople4

David Paterson
File:DavidPaterson.jpg
69th Lieutenant Governor New York
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1 2007
GovernorEliot Spitzer
Preceded byMary Donohue
Personal details
Born (1954-05-20) May 20, 1954 (age 70)
Brooklyn, New York
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseMichelle Paige Paterson
ProfessionPolitician

David Alexander Paterson (born May 20 1954) is an American politician and the current Lieutenant Governor of New York. He is the first African American and the first legally blind person to hold this position. He was selected as running mate by New York Attorney General and Democratic Party nominee Eliot Spitzer in the 2006 New York gubernatorial election.[1] With current news reports indicating that Governor Spitzer may resign as soon as the morning of March 12 2008, Paterson could become the first African-American Governor of New York and the first legally blind governor in the nation.[2]

Early life and education

Paterson was born in Brooklyn, with no sight in his left eye and severely limited vision in his right.[1] He has optic atrophy. Paterson received a BA from Columbia University in 1977 and later his law degree from Hofstra Law School.[3] After law school, he went to work for the Queens District Attorney's Office, but failed the New York bar examination, and so did not become an attorney at law. He attributed this to insufficient accommodation for his visual impairment, and has since advocated for changes in bar exam procedures.[4]

Paterson is the son of former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson, who was the first African American NYC Deputy Mayor and the first to run for statewide office in New York. Secretary Paterson was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1970. The elder Paterson also served in the NY state Senate in the same seat his son occupied. The elder Paterson was also the first African-American vice-chair of the national Democratic Party.[5]

Professional history

In 1985, he joined the campaign staff of David Dinkins for Manhattan Borough President. In October of that year, longtime state Senator Leon Bogues, representing a district covering Manhattan neighborhoods Harlem, Manhattan Valley and the Upper West Side, died and Paterson won a highly competitive New York (Manhattan) County Democratic party Committee selection process to serve the rest of Bogues' term. The following year, 1986, he won the seat for his first full term representing the 29th District in the New York State Senate.

In 1993, David Paterson ran citywide for the office of the Public Advocate, the second highest elected office in New York City.

Paterson was elected Senate Minority Leader in 2002, becoming both the first non-white state legislative leader and the highest-ranking black elected official in the history of New York State.

During their 2006 campaign, Paterson was involved in a dispute with Spitzer over "turf wars" between staff members.[6]

In addition to serving as lieutenant governor, he serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School for International and Public Affairs.[5]

In accordance with New York law, if current Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns following the current prostitution allegations and scandal (first reported by the New York Times on March 10, 2008), Paterson would become the first African-American governor of New York - the fourth-ever African-American United States governor, following Deval Patrick, Douglas Wilder, and P. B. S. Pinchback - and the first legally blind governor in the United States.[7]

Role in Democratic Party politics

A member of the Democratic National Committee and a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Paterson addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston as well as the Democratic mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

He has been mentioned in some political circles as a possible successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton should the fellow New York Democrat win the 2008 US presidential election and resign the seat to assume the presidency. Paterson is currently a Democratic party national convention superdelegate and Clinton endorser.[8]

Activism

Paterson is an active advocate for people with visual and physical impairments. He was elected as a member of the American Foundation for the Blind. Paterson serves on the board of directors of the the Achilles Track Club, an organization which sponsors disabled athletes and disabled veterans competing in marathons.[9]

Personal life

He has a younger brother, Daniel, who is a New York government official. Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson. They have two children: Ashley, who entered Ithaca College in fall, 2006; and Alex, who attends school in New York City.

Paterson is an avid fan of New York sports teams, and has been known to call in to WFAN, a major sports talk radio station in New York City.[10]

Paterson completed the New York City Marathon in 1999.[11]

Controversy

A 2006 New York Observer article described criticism of Paterson for inaccuracies in his official biography published in the New York Red Book from 1989 to 1992. His entry said that that Paterson was a "life-long resident" of his Harlem district and had been an "assistant district attorney". He was actually born in Brooklyn and attended a school outside the city, on Long Island. Paterson responded that his family chose the school for its education of the visually impaired, and that the description "life-long resident" was often mistakenly used by others. His political roots are in Harlem, where his father was state senator in the 1960s. The term "assistant district attorney" for his former job should be "criminal-law associate", though terminology varies in practice. The Red Book biography was corrected in later editions, and Paterson insisted that he had not written his entry nor made untrue claims.[4]

Paterson is a proponent of embryonic stem cell research. He led Governor Spitzer's successful legislative effort to approve a bond issue in 2007, with at least $1 billion going toward stem cell research. Spitzer and Paterson touted the measure partly for its economic development benefits, following California's $3 billion dollar effort, which in turn had been prompted by the U.S. federal government halting such research.[12] The New York state legislature had opposed funding the research, and it remained controversial.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b Healy, Patrick D. (2006-01-23). "Spitzer Asks State Senator From Harlem to Join Ticket". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  2. ^ Hakim, Danny (2008-03-11). "Resignation by Spitzer Not Likely Today; State in Limbo". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Salmon, Stephanie. "10 Things You Didn't Know About David Patterson". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Ben (2006-02-12). "Spitzer's Mate David Paterson Is Mystery Man". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  5. ^ a b "Official website of the Lieutenant Governor". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  6. ^ Gray, Geoffrey (2006-10-30). "Spitzer's Peace With Paterson". New York. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  7. ^ "Spitzer's Successor Would Be NY's First Black Governor". Topics:Politics & Government. CNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-11. {{cite news}}: Text "2008-03-10" ignored (help)
  8. ^ "NY Governor Eliot Spitzer linked to prostitution ring". Blogspot.com. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  9. ^ "Board of Directors". Achilles Track Club. Retrieved on March 11, 2008.
  10. ^ "Other WFAN Audio". 2008-02-02. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  11. ^ Kovach, Sue (October 2006). "New York State Senator David A. Paterson". Life Extension Magazine. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  12. ^ Confessore, Nicholas (2007-01-16). "Spitzer Wants New York to Enter the Stem Cell Race". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  13. ^ Eggleston, Luke (January 18–24, 2007). "Gift of Life". Catholic Sun. Diocese of Syracuse. Retrieved 2008-03-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  14. ^ "A Better New York Budget". The New York Times. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
Preceded by New York State Senate, 29th District
1986–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York State Senate, 30th District
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of New York
2007 - 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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