in the midst of a prostitution scandal, governor eliot spitzer resigned his position effective march 17, 2008. upon hearing that spitzer intended to resign, paterson called his then-wife michelle and reportedly said, "i think i'll kill myself". following spitzer's resignation, paterson was sworn in as the 55th governor of new york, at the new york state capitol on march 17, 2008, by new york chief judge judith kaye.