Libby Pataki

Libby Pataki (born Elizabeth Rowland on November 17, 1950) is the former First Lady of New York and the wife of former New York Governor George Pataki. She served as First Lady during the three terms of her husband's administration. Governor Pataki did not seek re-election to a fourth term in 2006.

As first lady, Pataki has focused her attention on the promotion of the state's agriculture industry and on breast cancer prevention. [ [http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/99/march24_99.htm Gov Site ] ]

She is a former marketing executive who managed the family farm in Peekskill, New York. While first lady, Pataki has accepted contracts to be a marketing consultant for various corporations, including Revlon. These contracts have brought on criticism from various groups.

In 2000, Pataki went on a radio show and criticized then New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for taking too long to drop out of the U.S. Senate race against First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. She said the delay hampered the campaign of eventual Republican nominee, Congressman Rick Lazio.

Pataki's father was a career military officer. She graduated from Beaufort High School in Beaufort, South Carolina and graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She and her husband, whom she married in 1973, have four children: Emily, Teddy, Allison, and Owen.

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