A Man of Vision
New York's next governor is making history in more than one way.
On March 17, 2008, a new governor will be sworn in in New York State and history will be made.
When David Alexander Paterson takes his oath of office after the resignation of disgraced governor Eliot Spitzer, he will be making history on three different levels. Paterson will be only the fourth African-American governor in history, the first in New York State and the first disabled governor in the history of the United States.
David Paterson is legally blind.
Paterson developed an infection as an infant that led to a condition known as optic atrophy, leaving him with no vision in his left eye and severely limited vision in his right eye. When David reached school age, his family moved from Brooklyn in NYC to a small suburb of Long Island. They did this so that David could attend public schools that provided a better education for the visually impaired than those in the city did.
After high school graduation, Paterson attended Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history, and Hofstra Law School, where he earned his law degree. While working for the Queens District Attorney’s office, Paterson took and failed the New York bar exam, preventing him from becoming an attorney. He attributed this to inadequate test accommodations for his visual impairment and has since worked to change the way bar exams are administered.
Paterson entered the political arena nearly 23 ears ago, in October 1985, when a longtime senator passed away. Paterson won the highly competitive Democratic Party Committee selection process and served the remainder of the senator’s term. At the time, Paterson was the youngest senator ever elected in Albany. The following year, Paterson ran his own campaign and was elected to serve his first full term representing the 29th District in the New York State Senate.
Paterson first made his mark on history in 2002 when he was elected Senate Minority Leader. He became the first non-white state legislative leader and the highest-ranking black elected official in the history of the state. Paterson continued to forge a place in history when he was the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2006.
According to MSNBC, Paterson’s impairments have “never been an issue in Albany in his 20-year political career. He has memorized lengthy, impassioned speeches without missing a mark; cited arcane legal references in fast-paced floor debates; and won more victories for his party in the Senate than any other leader in the Legislature. His efforts brought Democrats to within a seat of taking the Senate majority for the first time in decades. “
David Paterson is a nationally known advocate for those with visual and physical disabilities. He is a member of the American Foundation for the Blind, the Democratic National Committee and a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Paterson is also a board member of the Achilles Track Club, a NYC athletic club that sponsors disabled athletes and disabled veterans competing in marathons. He completed the New York City Marathon in 1999.
Paterson currently lives in Harlem with his wife Michelle Paige Paterson and their two children, Ashley, a sophomore at Ithaca College, and Alex, who attends a public high school in New York City.
