by Richard Clark, Jr.

New York’s Governor-designate David A. Paterson will soon become America’s first blind governor and the first African-American to become governor of New York State. Only two other African-Americans have been governors since Reconstruction.

This will not be the first history-making title Lieutenant Governor Paterson has held. Three times in the past four years, Paterson has made history. Paterson became New York’s first non-white legislative leader (minority leader) in 2002. In Boston in 2004, he became the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention. Paterson became lieutenant governor in 2006, the first African-American to hold this office in New York.

Paterson, who is legally blind, lost his sight due to an infection he had as an infant. The infection stole all sight from his left eye and severely limited sight in his right eye. Paterson’s parents, Portia and Basil Paterson, moved to Long Island because the New York City school system would have placed him in special education classes. They insisted he be educated in a regular classroom.

Paterson received a bachelor’s degree in history from Columbia University and finished his J.D. at Hofstra Law School in 1977. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1985, representing Harlem. He is married to Michelle Paige Paterson and they have two children, Ashley and Alex. Paterson is a member of the American Foundation for the Blind. He will be sworn in as Governor as a result of Governor Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, after it was found that Spitzer was involved with a prostitution ring.

In a 2002 article on disabled lawmakers, Paterson is quoted as saying:

"I’m not just a disabled person who has made good and is a state senator. I’m the representative of all the people who aren’t doing well who are equally qualified but haven’t been as lucky as me. When I get up in the Senate, I’m representing them."

Paterson will soon be representing his fellow disabled Americans from the New York governor’s office.

Sources:

New York State Lieutenant Govenor:
http://www.ny.gov/governor/index-ltgov.html

New York Times articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12cnd-paterson.html?hp
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/david_a_paterson/index.html?inline=nyt-per
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12cnd-resign.html?hp

"Disabled Lawmakers Overcome Barriers"
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14785

Profile: David Paterson
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7292068.stm