SPITZER, ELIOT

SPITZER, ELIOT (1959– ), New York State attorney general. Born in the Bronx in New York City, Spitzer graduated from Princeton University in 1981 and received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review in 1984. He clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet in New York, then entered private practice at the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison. From 1986 Spitzer worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, under District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. He pursued investigations into organized crime, eventually becoming chief of the Labor Racketeering Unit. In 1992, in perhaps his most famous case, Spitzer led the investigation into the Gambino family's control of trucking in Manhattan's garment industry. That same year he left the District Attorney's office and joined the firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom, and he was later a partner at Constantine and Partners. In 1994 Spitzer made his first bid for the office of New York State Attorney General. He failed to win the Democratic nomination, and Democratic candidate Karen Burstein lost the general election to Dennis Vacco. Spitzer again sought the nomination in 1998, this time successfully, and defeated Vacco in the general elections. In 2002 he was reelected with a large margin. As attorney general, Spitzer was credited with redefining the role of the office, taking on cases that formerly had been deferred to federal prosecution. His office investigated securities fraud, insurance practices, occupational safety, marketing fraud, and violations of environmental protection. Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year" in 2002. That year Spitzer sued several investment banks for inflating stock prices by, among other practices, using affiliated firms to offer biased advice. He negotiated a settlement of these lawsuits for $1.4 billion in compensation and fines, and new rules were imposed for analysis of the market. Also in 2002, he filed suits to address violations of the Clean Air Act. In 2004 Spitzer's office investigated the music industry, uncovering $50 million in unpaid royalties to musicians. Numerous other cases addressed commissions in the insurance industry, disclosure policies regarding clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry, and fraud in the marketplace. Spitzer announced in 2004 that he would seek the Democratic nomination for governor of New York in 2006. Senator Charles Schumer, who had been favored in the polls, had announced that he would not run but would remain in his Senate seat. Governor George Pataki announced in 2005 that he would not seek reelection, and Spitzer was considered a strong candidate for not only the Democratic nomination but in a run against possible Republican contenders. (Dorothy Bauhoff (2nd ed.)