Profile: David Paterson

Mr Paterson became visually impaired as a young child

David Paterson is the first African-American to serve as New York's governor and only the second legally blind person to hold such a post.

His rise to the office of governor follows the dramatic downfall of his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, amid a sex scandal.

Mr Paterson, who served as Mr Spitzer's lieutenant governor for 14 months, was born in 1954, the son of Basil Paterson, a former deputy mayor of New York and a powerful man on the state's political scene.

As a young child, following an infection, David Paterson became blind in his left eye and was left with very limited sight in his right.

He did not let his visual impairment block his academic progress, though, and he was admitted to Columbia University in New York, where he studied history, graduating in 1977, before attending Hofstra Law School.

He became a member of New York's state senate in 1985, and served as the Democrats' minority leader in the chamber from 2002 until 2006, when he stood for the post of Lieutenant Governor as Mr Spitzer's running mate.

At the time, commentators were puzzled by his decision to run for the largely ceremonial post.

He might be a fellow that when you have disagreements you sort them out Jim Tedisco Republican minority leader, New York state assembly

As minority leader in the state senate, Mr Paterson was in pole position to become majority leader in the event of a Democratic takeover, which, at least until news of Mr Spitzer's scandal broke, seemed likely to happen in November.

Mr Paterson is a prominent campaigner for the rights of the disabled, and successfully completed the New York marathon in 1999.

He lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, his son Alex, 13, and Ashley, 19, his wife's daughter from a previous marriage.

'Gentle man'

Some people have remarked on the contrast between Mr Paterson and the fiery Mr Spitzer.

"He's got a wonderful sense of humour, a very gentle man - in that sense, he's the opposite of Eliot," Betsy Gotbaum, the New York City public ombudswoman told the New York Times.

With his state senate background, Mr Paterson is expected to have a less combative relationship with New York legislators than Mr Spitzer, who had difficulties getting the Republicans in the legislature to approve his policy programmes.

"[Mr Paterson] might be a fellow that when you have disagreements you sort them out," Jim Tedisco, the Republican minority leader in the state assembly, told Newsweek.

Now that Mr Spitzer has resigned, New York is about to find out whether Mr Paterson's less confrontational approach will allow him to succeed where Mr Spitzer could not.