Prostitution Linked Eliot Spitzer's Biography

NAME: Eliot L. Spitzer

AGE: 48. Born New York City.

FAMILY: Married to Silda Wall Spitzer, a Harvard Law School graduate and lawyer in the non-profit sector. The couple has three daughters, ages 17, 15 and 13.

EDUCATION: Princeton University, 1981; Harvard Law School, 1984.

EXPERIENCE: Law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet, 1984-85; private law practice, 1985-86; assistant district attorney in Manhattan, 1986-92; chief of labor racketeering unit of Manhattan district attorney's office, 1991-92; private law practice, 1992-1998; attorney general, 1999-2006; governor, 2007-present.

AS GOVERNOR: Elected with a historic 69% of the vote, Spitzer's hard-charging ways quickly put him at odds with the powerful Republican leader of the state Senate and his agenda stalled amid political scandal and polls that showed most New Yorkers would not vote for him again as governor. Two aides were disciplined for using the state police to track the movements of Spitzer's chief political rival.

He was able to push through moderate reforms on the budget, ethics and workers compensation but one of his signature efforts, campaign finance, languished.

QUOTE: "I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, who I promised better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what is best for the state of New York. But I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."

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