• David A Paterson was elected New York's 74th Lieutenant Governor on Nov. 7, 2006.
• Paterson was the youngest senator in Albany when he was elected at age 35 in 1985.
• He is a graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra University School of Law.
• David Paterson is the first African-American lieutenant governor.
• David Paterson is also the first legally blind person to hold the job.
Health: What It Means to Be New York's First Legally Blind Governor
• Paterson is married with two children.
• His father, Basil Paterson, once represented the Harlem district he won in the 1980s.
• The elder Paterson became the first non-white secretary of state in New York, an appointed post. In 1970, he was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, but lost.
Source: Spitzer chooses running mate, Capitol bureau, 24 January 2006, Times Union
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