ELIOT SPITZER was inaugurated as New York’s 54th Governor on January 1, 2007.

In his inaugural address, Governor Spitzer said: “Every policy, every action and every decision we make in this administration will further two overarching objectives: We must transform our government so that it is as ethical and wise as all of New York, and we must rebuild our economy so that it is ready to compete on the global stage in the next century.”

Prior to being elected Governor, Spitzer served for eight years as New York State Attorney General, where he won national recognition for landmark cases protecting investors, consumers, the environment and low-wage workers.

Before he ran for Attorney General, Governor Spitzer worked as an attorney in both the public and private sectors. From 1986-1992 he was an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he rose to the Chief of the Labor Racketeering Unit. He also worked for the New York City law firms of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; and Constantine & Partners.

Spitzer was born on June 10, 1959 in the Bronx. He graduated from Horace Mann School, received his undergraduate degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.   After law school, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet.

In his third year of law school, the Governor met his future wife, Silda Wall. They were married in New York City in 1987. In 1996, Eliot and Silda founded Children for Children, a not-for-profit that fosters community involvement and social responsibility in children and adolescents. 

The Governor and First Lady have three daughters: Elyssa, Sarabeth, and Jenna.