May 20, 1954 David Alexander Paterson, the first African American Governor of New York and the second legally blind Governor of any state, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
At the age of three months, Paterson contracted an infection which left him with no sight in his left eye and limited vision in his right. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Columbia University in 1977 and a law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1983. After law school, Paterson worked for the Queens District Attorney’s Office until 1985 when he won a special election to the New York State Senate.
In 2002, he was elected Minority Leader, making him the first non-white state legislative leader and the highest ranking black elected official in the history of New York State. In 2006, Paterson was elected Lieutenant Governor and in 2008 when the Governor was forced to step down, Paterson became Governor of the State of New York.
Related posts:
- November 7th in African American History – Deval Patrick November 7, 2006 Deval Patrick was elected the first African...
- March 24th in African American History – Zephaniah Alexander Looby March 24, 1972 Zephaniah Alexander Looby, civil rights lawyer, died....
- November 10th in African American History – Augustus Freeman Hawkins November 10, 2007 Augustus Freeman Hawkins, the first African American...
- April 29th in African American History – Parren James Mitchell April 29, 1922 Parren James Mitchell, the first African American...
- April 1st in African American History – Wilson Camanza Riles April 1, 1999 Wilson Camanza Riles, the first African American...
No comments yet.