One day into his term as governor of New York State, David A. Paterson, in a kind of preemptive act, disclosed his past marital infidelities.

The man sworn in today as New York’s 55th governor may be virtually unknown to non-New Yorkers, but he is a seasoned political player and the scion of a legendary political clubhouse that has been a lever of black political power in the state.

History will be made Monday when the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer takes effect and Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson becomes the first African-American governor in the state’s history.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his wife Silda
Photo credit: Office of the Governor

His persona was Dudley Do-Right, the squeaky-clean politician who championed ethics reform, and who was unrelenting as New York Attorney General in going after Wall Street executives - and a prostitution ring or two.

But today, that reputation was in tatters and calls for his resignation mounted after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer made a brief public statement in his Manhattan office, with his wife, Silda, by his side, apologizing for having “acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family and that violates my - or any -sense of right and wrong.”