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About George Pataki

George Elmer Pataki was born in Peekskill, New York, the younger of two sons. He received a scholarship from the prestigious Yale University in 1964, attending classes there at the same time as now former President George W Bush. He completed a four-year degree after only three years, and went on to study at and graduate from Columbia Law School.

A solid fiscal conservative, George Pataki signed and sponsored several tax cuts while in office, and proposed various budgets which called for the privatization of state entities and for other budget reductions. He even stuck to his guns during the early 2000's, when a recession-stricken economy caused tax revenues and languish, his support for maintaining lean fiscal policy resting on the argument that new taxes would harm business and cost jobs, exacerbating existing problems.

Nevertheless, Pataki has drawn the ire of many conservatives in his party for some of his positions on social issues. He remains pro-choice on the issue of abortion, despite having been pressured by his allies on the matter, and he fought stringently for the passing of a gay rights bill that had erstwhile failed to see progress in the state legislature due to prominent opposition. Pataki was able to make the resistance back down, and signed the bill into law, again to the displeasure of conservative Republicans.