First elected as New York's Republican governor in 1994, George Pataki is now serving in his second term.

Born in Peekskill, NY, on March 24, 1945, Pataki attended Yale University, where he earned his B.A. in 1967. In 1970 he received a J.D. from Columbia University. Governor Pataki is Catholic. He and wife Elizabeth Rowland have four children.

Governor Pataki was elected mayor of Peekskill in 1982, where he served until 1985, when he was elected to the New York State Assembly until 1992. In 1993 he was elected to the New York Senate, where he served until 1995, when he started his first term as governor. Pataki is a member of both the Republican and Conservative parties of New York.