George Pataki

George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is the current Governor of New York State (since January 1995). He is a member of the Republican Party and is a Roman Catholic of Hungarian, Irish, and Italian ancestry. He has never lost a competitive political race to date.

History and campaigns

George Elmer Pataki was born in the city of Peekskill, New York in Westchester County. He graduated Yale University in 1967, and a 1970 graduate of Columbia Law School. After graduating, he took up private law practice in the state, which he maintained until his gubernatorial election in 1994.

Related Topics:
Peekskill, New York - Westchester County - Yale University - 1967 - 1970 - Columbia Law School - 1994

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Pataki began his political career with his 1982 election for Mayor of the City of Peekskill, New York, in Westchester County. He served in that role from until 1984, when won his seat in the New York State Assembly. After winning re-election three times, Pataki challenged the State Senate seat of Republican incumbent (now deceased) Mary Goodhue in the 1992 election year. The ensuing primary battle gained interest within New York State Republican circles; Goodhue was at the time an established politico, the only female Republican State Senator, and was herself was credited with launching Pataki's career in Albany, having hired him as staff. Pataki won the seat.

Related Topics:
1982 - Peekskill, New York - Westchester County - 1984 - New York State Assembly - Mary Goodhue

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It is around this time that Pataki is believed to have gained the favor of high-ranking Republican members, including then-U.S. Senator from New York Al D'Amato and then-Republican Party Chairman William Powers. It was with their blessing and Arthur J. Finkelstein as his campaign manager that he ran for Governor of New York in 1994 (which would be a watershed year for the Republican Party nationally as well) against three-term incumbent Gov. Mario Cuomo. Cuomo was a nationally-known figure who had been widely discussed as the Democratic candidate for the 1992 Presidential election before the emergence of Bill Clinton. In campaigning, Pataki mostly stayed within the lines of the state party's historical Rockefeller Republican philosophy with a platform built to sap Cuomo's strength in suburban sections of the state. This platform included planks emphasizing conservative solutions to problems such as unemployment and violent crime, but avoided national controversies on issues such as abortion that had been considered settled within New York.

Related Topics:
Al D'Amato - William Powers - Arthur J. Finkelstein - Governor of New York - Republican Party - Mario Cuomo - 1992 Presidential election - Bill Clinton - Rockefeller Republican - Abortion

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Largely keeping to this strategy, Pataki had two successful re-election campaigns in 1998 and 2002. Among the few changes from his first election, the most noticible was a change in running mates, ousting Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey Ross, who proved to be controversial once in office, in favor of upstater Mary O. Donohue, a former educator and New York State Supreme Court justice from Rensselaer County, in 1998. He defeated the Democratic candidate Peter Vallone, Sr. 54%-33%, and in 2002 received 49% of the vote while Democrat Carl McCall received 33% and independent candidate Tom Golisano received 14%.

Related Topics:
1998 - 2002 - Betsy McCaughey Ross - New York State Supreme Court - Peter Vallone, Sr. - Carl McCall - Tom Golisano

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Pataki and his wife, Libby Pataki, now have four children, and their family home is in Garrison, New York.

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