Silda Wall and Eliot Spitzer Marriage Profile

11/06/08: Federal prosecutors decided to not bring criminal charges against Eliot Spitzer.

3/12/08: "Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace Wednesday after getting caught in a prostitution scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work ... Over the course of my public life, I've insisted, I think correctly, that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself," Spitzer said at a Manhattan news conference with his wife, Silda, at his side.
Source: Verena Dobnik and Michael Gormley, "NY Gov. Spitzer Resigns Amid Sex Scandal", SFGate.com

Many questions must haunt Silda Wall Spitzer as she and her husband deal with the personal and professional consequences of his reported arrangement to meet a high-priced prostitute at a Washington D.C. hotel in February 2008. Eliot Spitzer could have faced charges of tax fraud and money laundering.

Here is information about the marriage of Silda Wall Spitzer and Eliot Spitzer.

Eliot Spitzer: June 10, 1959 in the Bronx, New York.

Silda Wall: Raised in Concord, North Carolina.

How Silda and Eliot Met:

According to biographer Brooke A. Masters, Eliot and Silda met in January during Eliot's third year of law school at Harvard Law School at his condo near Mount Snow in Vermont. Silda thought he was a burglar.

Wedding Date:

Eliot and Silda were married on October 17, 1987 in a civil ceremony performed by U.S. district judge Robert Sweet at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City.
Source: Brooke A. Masters, Spoiling for a Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer, page 33.

Eliot and Silda have three daughters. They try to take an annual family ski vacation in Colorado.

• Elyssa Spitzer: Born in 1989.
• Sarabeth Spitzer: Born in 1992.
• Jenna Spitzer: Born abt. 1990.

Eliot: Elected governor of New York on November 7, 2006. Former New York State attorney general, private attorney.

Silda: Corporate attorney, artist, founder and chair of Children for Children.

Silda was previously married for 29 days in 1982 to Peter Stamos.

Eliot and Silda have an apartment in Manhattan and a country home in Gallatin in upstate New York.

Eliot about Silda's influence on him: “At the end of every day, there’s the inevitable recounting of what I was doing and where we’re heading on different issues. She pushes me to defend my views where we disagree. If I can’t convince her, I know my thinking needs work ... I rely on her very much as someone to talk to in order to resolve a tough issue. What length of sentence to ask for, how severe a fine should be. They come down to questions of what is just and fair.”
Source: Eric Konigsberg, "Her Next Job: First Lady of New York", NYTimes.com, 11/10/2006.

Eliot's public apology with Silda by his side: "I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family and that violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong. I apologize first, and most importantly, to my family. I apologize to the public, to whom I promised better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what is best for the State of New York. But I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard that I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."
Source: Sewell Chan, "I Apologize to the Public", NYTimes.com, 3/10/2008.

Silda about being a SAHM: "I felt very conflicted and emotional about leaving my job. It was not something I wanted to do, but I have never once doubted that it was the right decision for us. You don't want to give up your dreams, but you also have to confront the reality of your life. Ultimately, it was more important for me to have my family work."
Source: Karen Matthews, "Charmed life appears over for New York's first lady", SFGate.com , 3/11/2008.