George Pataki

George Pataki

Republican Party

Prior offices

Governor of New York

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New York State Assembly

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New York State Senate

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Education

Bachelor's

Yale University, 1967

Law

Columbia Law School, 1970

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal website

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George E. Pataki (b. June 24, 1945, in Peekskill, N.Y.) is a former Republican governor of New York, serving three terms from 1995 to 2007. On May 28, 2015, Pataki announced he was running for president of the United States in 2016. He suspended his presidential campaign on December 29, 2015.

Biography

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Pataki was raised on a farm in Peekskill, N.Y. He attended Yale University on a scholarship and actively participated in politics on campus, including serving as the chairman of the college's Conservative Party. After graduating from Yale in 1967, Pataki attended Columbia Law School where he received his law degree in 1970.

Pataki first entered office a decade later when he became mayor of Peekskill in 1981. He was then elected to the New York State Assembly in 1984, and he served in that role until 1993, when he became a state senator. Pataki defeated Mario Cuomo in 1994 to become the first Republican governor of New York in 20 years. He remained in that role for three terms from 1995 to 2007. Pataki's service as governor was defined by his leadership during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

After leaving office, Pataki joined Chadbourne & Parke LLP as counsel on environmental and corporate matters. Pataki also founded a business development firm with John Cahill, the Pataki-Cahill Group.

Education

• B.A., Yale University, 1967
• J.D., Columbia Law School, 1970

Presidential preference

In January 2016, Pataki endorsed Marco Rubio (R), but Rubio ended his campaign in February. In April 2016, ahead of the New York primary, Pataki endorsed John Kasich (R).

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Pataki endorsed John Kasich for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for John Kasich

2016 Presidential Endorsements by Former Presidential Candidates
Name	Candidate	Date	Source
Carly Fiorina	Ted Cruz (primary)	March 2016	Politico
Ted Cruz	Donald Trump	September 2016	CNN
Jim Gilmore	Donald Trump	September 2016	Politico
Bernie Sanders	Hillary Clinton	July 2016	CNN
Martin O'Malley	Hillary Clinton	June 2016	Twitter
Rick Santorum	Donald Trump	May 2016	Reuters
Mike Huckabee	Donald Trump	May 2016	Twitter
Rick Perry	Donald Trump	May 2016	CNN
George Pataki	John Kasich	April 2016	ABC News
Jeb Bush	Ted Cruz	March 2016	Politico
Ben Carson	Donald Trump	March 2016	Politico
Carly Fiorina	Ted Cruz	March 2016	Politico
Bobby Jindal	Marco Rubio	February 2016	Tampa Bay Times
Lindsey Graham	Jeb Bush	January 2016	NBC News

On October 8, 2016, after The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Donald Trump (R) making comments about women that the Post described as "extremely lewd," Pataki called on Trump to step aside as the 2016 Republican nominee for president.

See also: Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape

Political career

New York Governor (1995 to 2007)

Pataki served as the governor of New York for three terms between 1995 and 2007.

New York State Senate (1993 to 1995)

Pataki served in the New York State Senate from 1993 to 1995. He left the state Senate in 1995 after being elected governor in November 1994.

New York State Assembly (1985 to 1993)

Pataki was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1984. He served in that role until 1993, when he became a state senator.

Mayor of Peekskill (1981 to 1985)

Pataki served one term as mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1985.

Recent news

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See also

• Governor of New York
• Presidential election, 2016

External links

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • Nat. Governors Assoc.
  • NNDB
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Wikipedia
• Executive actions:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Fact-checking:
  • PolitiFact
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Media appearances:
  • IMDb
• Media coverage:
  • Huffington Post
  • Washington Times

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mario Cuomo (D)	Governor of New York 1995–2007	Succeeded by Eliot Spitzer (D)