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• David Paterson is the Governor of the state of New York. He was sworn into office following the resignation of Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was implicated in the Emperors Club VIP prostitution scandal. Patterson's term in office began on March 17, 2008 and he will serve the rest of Spitzer's term, which is set to end December 31, 2010. Paterson is the first African-American Governor of New York and the first legally blind governor of any state.

  On January 19, 2009, Paterson indicated he was close to appointing someone to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, who became Barack Obama's Secretary of State. Paterson said he would make a decision by the weekend of January 24-25, 2009. Previous reports have indicated that Caroline Kennedy is among Paterson's potential top choices.The Buffalo News: Paterson says he will make Senate decision by weekend (January 19, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: May 20, 1954
  2. Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
  3. BA from Columbia University, JD from Hofstra Law School
  4. Born legally blind
  5. First black governor and lieutenant governor of New York
  6. Party: Democratic Party
  7. Spouse: Michelle Paige Paterson
  8. Children: Ashley and Alex
  9. Spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Denver

• Nip The Scandal in the Bud

  Shortly after Paterson took office, he revealed that he had an ongoing affair with another woman between the years of 1999 and 2001. His wife also admitted that she was unfaithful as well. The couple decided to go public with the information in response to rumors.NY Daily News: Affairs

• Vision Problems

  Paterson was born legally blind and has only partial sight in his right eye.U.S. News & World Report: [1] Paterson had laser eye surgery on May 21, 2008 to relieve pain that was determined to be caused from acute angle-closure glaucoma.The New York Times: Paterson Undergoes Eye Surgery for Glaucoma The painful condition caused a build-up of fluid in his left eye, which caused him to experience a severe migraine headache. On May 23, 2008, Paterson underwent a second laser eye surgery — this time on his right eye in order to prevent the same thing from happening.

• Saturday Night Live

  On December 13, 2008, Paterson was mocked on Saturday Night Live by comedian Fred Armisen. Paterson and the National Federation of the Blind found the comedy sketch, which poked fun of Paterson's visual impairment, to be offensive.NY Daily News: Gov. Paterson Not Amused by 'saturday Night Live' Parody (December 15, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  David Paterson Drugs | David Paterson Affair | Eliot Spitzer | New York State | Spitzer Prostitution Ring | Spitzer Emperors Club | Michelle Paige Paterson | Diane Dixon | Eliot Spitzer Resigns | SNL David Paterson | iPod Tax | Andrew Cuomo | Hillary Clinton Senate Seat | Caroline Kennedy | Kirsten Gillibrand | Kathleen Sebelius | Marilyn Gavin Rossdale

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