The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

The downfall of New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer means that, from today, the state will have its first African-American governor.

David Paterson - who served as Spitzer's Lieutenant Governor - will also be America's first visually-impaired governor.

He was born in 1954, the son of Basil Paterson, a former Deputy Mayor of New York and a powerful man on the state's political scene.

In his childhood following an infection, David Paterson became blind in his left eye and was left with very limited sight in his right.

He did not let his visual impairment block his academic progress, though, and he was admitted to Columbia University in New York, where he studied history, graduating in 1977, before attending Hofstra Law School.

He became a member of New York's state senate in 1985, and served as the Democrats' minority leader in the chamber from 2002 until 2006, when he stood for the post of Lieutenant Governor as Spitzer's running mate. At the time, commentators were puzzled by his decision to run for the largely ceremonial post. As minority leader in the state senate, Paterson was in pole position to become majority leader in the event of a Democratic takeover - which, at least until news of Mr Spitzer's scandal broke, seemed likely to happen in November. Paterson's gamble now appears to have paid off, however, as he prepares to take over from Spitzer as governor. Paterson is a prominent campaigner for the rights of the disabled, and successfully completed the New York marathon in 1999. He lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, his son Alex, 13, and Ashley, 19, his wife's daughter from a previous marriage.

Some people have remarked on the contrast between Paterson and the fiery Spitzer. "He's got a wonderful sense of humour, a very gentle man - in that sense, he's the opposite of Eliot," Betsy Gotbaum, the New York City public ombudswoman told the New York Times.

With his state senate background, Paterson is expected to have a less combative relationship with New York legislators than Spitzer, who had difficulties getting the Republicans in the legislature to approve his policy programmes.