David Paterson

This article is about the politician David Paterson. For writers, actors, and producers, see David L. Paterson .

David Paterson (2008)

David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954 in Brooklyn , New York City ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party . He was Governor of New York State from March 17, 2008 to December 31, 2010 . Paterson has been Chairman of the New York Democrats since May 2014.

family

David Paterson was born in Brooklyn to Portia and Basil Paterson . His father was a Senator in the New York State Parliament, Secretary of State in the state government, and a Deputy Mayor of New York City. His younger brother works in the New York State Court. Paterson also has Caribbean roots; his paternal grandmother was Jamaican .

He married Michelle Paige Paterson on November 21, 1992, and she has a daughter from a previous marriage. They have a son together. The family lived in Harlem . In September 2012, the couple's divorce was announced.

Political career

Paterson was elected to the New York Senate in 1984 . He took up this mandate in January 1985 and held it for a period of 22 years until January 2007. From 2003 he also sat in the parliamentary chamber of the Democratic Senate faction. In November 2006, Paterson was elected lieutenant governor alongside Eliot Spitzer . On January 1, 2007, he took the oath of office.

Governor of New York

Governor Paterson on a visit by US soldiers to Afghanistan in December 2008

David Paterson speaking in January 2010

After Governor Spitzer announced his resignation on March 12, 2008, Paterson was promoted to governor for the remainder of the term under the New York State Constitution. He took the oath of office on March 17, 2008 in the state capital Albany . This made him the first lieutenant governor to succeed him since 1973, the first African American in this office and the fourth in US history. Paterson also became the second governor in US history with a recognized visual impairment after Bob Riley .

There was widespread discussion when Governor Paterson named Richard Ravitch Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2009 . This has been the subject of controversial discussions in the public and media, as the direct appointment of a new lieutenant governor is not provided for in the state constitution. Previously, vice-governor posts that had become vacant through resignation or promotion to governor remained vacant until the next election. The Attorney General of the State, Andrew Cuomo , expressed concerns about Paterson's decision and questioned the constitutionality of the appointment of. The State Senate was split into two equal camps for several weeks until it finally approved Governor Paterson with a 32:30 vote. Paterson argued that New York state law gave the governor the right to appoint senior officials. Paterson's decision was later declared legitimate by the New York State Constitutional Court. Ravitch was previously sworn in as lieutenant governor and served until the end of the term on December 31, 2010.

Paterson succeeded in presenting a balanced budget for the state within four weeks of his inauguration, which was passed on April 10, 2008 by both houses of the legislature.

In May 2008, Paterson issued an order to the state authorities that homosexual couples' marriage certificates issued in other jurisdictions, including foreign ones, must be recognized in New York. Formally, it was only about the implementation of a court ruling on a question of labor law, but in fact this measure meant the recognition of foreign gay marriages in New York State, which, however, did not itself grant any corresponding possibility of homosexual marriages. This was unique among all states . In September 2008, a lawsuit in the State Supreme Court against Patersons failed.

Paterson is considered an opponent of the death penalty . Although this is no longer permissible in New York State since a court ruling from 2004, efforts have been made to reintroduce it for special homicides, most recently for example police murder. However, these attempts met with resistance from Governor Paterson, who is in contrast to his predecessor in office.

On January 23, 2009, Paterson named Democratic Congressman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate. Since she had served as Secretary of State in President Barack Obama's cabinet two days earlier since her Senate confirmation , the decision on a temporary successor for her Senate seat was with Paterson as governor of New York State, whom Clinton had represented. It was the first time since 1968, when Nelson Rockefeller appointed House MP Charles Goodell to replace the previously assassinated Robert F. Kennedy , that a governor of New York had appointed the successor to a federal senator.

In the face of steadily falling polls, Paterson announced in February 2010 that he was not running for gubernatorial elections in November of that year. Little before, US President Obama had also indirectly suggested to Paterson not to run in order to make a democratic victory more likely by running a more popular candidate. A few weeks before his withdrawal from the election campaign, Paterson had rejected this. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo , who clearly won the election against the Republican Carl Paladino and replaced Paterson as governor on January 1, 2011, became a democratic candidate .

After the governorship

Since September 2011, Paterson has appeared regularly with his own radio show on a New York radio station. However, the broadcaster surprisingly announced the discontinuation of the program in December 2012.

In 2013 he was appointed Professor of Healthcare and Public Policy at Touro College in Harlem and advised the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine on public law issues.

Since February 2014 Paterson has held a leading position in the Job Channel Network , a recruitment agency that he co-founded. In May 2014. returned Paterson as President (Chairman) of the New York Association of Democrats in the Policy.

Memberships

David Paterson is a member of the Freemasonry Association , his lodge (Boyer Lodge # 1) is constituted under the Prince Hall Grand Lodge .

Web links

Commons : David Paterson  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• David Paterson in nndb (English)
• David Paterson in the National Governors Association (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Former Gov. David Paterson and wife Michelle have split after 19 years of marriage in The New York Daily News , Sept. 29, 2012
2. ↑ tagesschau.de: New York Governor Spitzer resigns ( Memento from April 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ The governors of the state of New York at a glance (English) ( Memento of the original from October 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/831/000121468/
5. ↑ Governor Paterson could end Albany deadlock right now by appointing a lt. Governor, says pol
6. ↑ Bloomberg Online: New York's Paterson, Lawmakers Agree on State Budget
7. ^ New York to Back Same-Sex Unions From Elsewhere , The New York Times, May 29, 2008
8. ^ Court Backs Paterson Regarding Gay Unions , The New York Times, September 2, 2008
9. ↑ Cop Killer Death Bill Approved , The New York Post, May 15, 2007  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ^ NY governor names Clinton successor , CNN.com, Jan 23, 2009
11. ^ New York Times : Paterson Says He Will Run, Rejecting Call From Obama
12. ^ Under Fire, Paterson Ends His Campaign for Governor
13. ↑ David Paterson loses his radio show in the New York Capitol, December 20, 2012
14. ↑ Michael J. Feeney: Former Gov. David Paterson Returns to 125th St. in Harlem For a New Job: Touro College Professor ( English ) NY Daily News. 4th March 2013.
15. ^ NY-Daily News: Former New York Gov. David Paterson takes post at online job hub
16. ↑ David Paterson To Be New Chairman Of New York Democratic Party , CBS, May 21, 2014 (English)
17. ↑ NY Governor David Paterson A Freemason on the homepage of: freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.de/ (accessed on April 24, 2017)