Paterson, David A. (David Alexander), 1954-

<p>Political leader David A. Paterson was born on May 20, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York to Basil Paterson and Portia Paterson. An infection left Paterson legally blind shortly after his birth, so his family moved to Hempstead, New York so that Paterson could attend school without being required to be in special education classes. Paterson went on to earn his B.A. degree in history from Columbia University in New York in 1977. In 1983, Paterson earned his J.D. degree from Hofstra Law School in Hempstead.</p>

<p>After graduating, Paterson worked for the Queens District Attorney’s Office. In 1985, Paterson joined the campaign staff for David Dinkins’ third campaign for Borough President of Manhattan. That same year, Paterson was elected to the New York State Senate as the youngest state senator in Albany, serving on the State Senate until 2006. In 2002, Paterson was elected as the first African American New York State Senate Minority leader. In 2006, Paterson stepped down from the Senate to run as the first African American lieutenant governor of New York, which he won by a landslide with candidate Eliot Spitzer. In 2008, Spitzer resigned from the position of governor amid a scandal, making Paterson the first African American and legally blind governor of New York in 2008. As governor, Paterson reduced New York’s budget deficit by $40 billion and increased the welfare allowance for needy individuals for the first time in 20 years. Paterson also introduced legislation that would later end discrimination against same-sex couples in New York. After leaving office, Paterson hosted a radio show for New York station WOR from 2011 to 2012. He also taught government as an adjunct professor at New York University. In 2016, Paterson joined Stifel, Nichoulas & Company as a director of investment.</p>

<p>In 2007, Paterson received the John Jay Award, which is reserved for distinguished alumni, from Columbia University. In 2014, he served as the chairman of the New York Democratic Party, as well as on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Paterson also chaired the board of the Achilles Track Club.</p>

<p>David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to the end of 2010. He is the first legally blind person to be sworn in as governor of a U.S. state, and is the first African American to serve as governor of New York.</p>

<p>Following his graduation from Hofstra Law School, Paterson worked in the District Attorney's office of Queens County, New York, and on the staff of Manhattan borough president David Dinkins. In 1985, he was elected to the New York State Senate to a seat once held by his father, former New York secretary of state Basil Paterson. In 2003, he rose to the position of Senate minority leader. Paterson was selected to be the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Eliot Spitzer in the 2006 New York gubernatorial election. Spitzer and Paterson were elected with 65% of the vote, and Paterson took office as lieutenant governor on January 1, 2007.</p>

<p>After Spitzer resigned in the wake of a prostitution scandal, Paterson was sworn in as governor of New York state on March 17, 2008. Paterson held the office of governor during the Great Recession, and he implemented state budget cuts. Paterson also made two significant appointments: In January 2009, he appointed then-U.S. representative Kirsten Gillibrand to a vacant U.S. Senate seat, and in July 2009, he appointed Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor. Paterson launched a campaign for a full term as governor in the 2010 New York gubernatorial election, but announced on February 26, 2010, that he would bow out of the race. During the final year of his administration, Paterson faced allegations of witness tampering, soliciting improper gifts, and making false statements; he was eventually fined for having lied under oath. Since leaving office, Paterson has been a radio talk show host and served as chairman of the New York Democratic Party from May 2014 to November 2015. In late 2020, Paterson released his first book <i>Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity</i>.</p>

David A. Paterson was born May 20, 1954, in Brooklyn, NY to Portia and Basil Paterson. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Columbia University in 1977, and completed his J.D. at Hofstra Law School in 1982. Paterson was the first non-white Secretary of State in New York and the first African-American Vice-Chair of the National Democratic Party. In 1985 he was elected to represent Harlem in the New York State Senate. And in 2002, he became the minority leader of the New York State Senate, the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history. He made history again in 2004 when he became the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention, held in Boston, Massachusetts. Paterson was elected New York’s first African-American Lieutenant Governor on November 7, 2006. On March 17, 2008, he became governor, completing the unexpired term of Governor Eliot Spitzer following Governor Spitzer’s resignation. Paterson, who is legally blind, is nationally recognized as a leading active advocate for the visually and physically impaired.