Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer, former politician of the Democratic Party and currently a political entertainer. He is currently the co-host of In the Arena (previously Parker Spitzer), a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on the CNN cable network (U.S.). He served as the 54th Governor of New York from January 2007 until his resignation on March 17, 2008 in the wake of the exposure of his involvement as a client in a high-priced prostitution ring. Prior to being elected governor, Spitzer served as New York State Attorney General. Spitzer was born and raised in The Bronx, to real estate tycoon Bernard Spitzer. He attended Princeton University for his undergraduate studies and then Harvard Law School for his Juris Doctor. It was there that he met his future wife, Silda Wall. After earning his Juris Doctor degree, Spitzer joined the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Two years later, he joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office, headed by Robert M. Morgenthau, to pursue organized crime. He launched the investigation that brought down the Gambino family's control over Manhattan's garment and trucking industries. In 1992, 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.
