Rudy Giuliani

Who is Rudy Giuliani?

Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani is an American lawyer, businessman, former politician, and public speaker from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001.

A Democrat and Independent in the 1970s, and a Republican since the 1980s, Giuliani served in the United States Attorney's Office, for the Southern District of New York, eventually becoming U.S. Attorney. He prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, including ones against organized crime and Wall Street financiers.

Giuliani served two terms as Mayor of New York City, having run on the Republican and Liberal lines. He was credited with initiating improvements in the city's quality of life and with a reduction in crime. He ran for the United States Senate in 2000 but withdrew after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Giuliani gained international attention for his leadership during and after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. For those actions, he was named Time Person of the Year in 2001, and received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.

After leaving office as mayor, Giuliani founded Giuliani Partners, a security consulting business; acquired Giuliani Capital Advisors, an investment banking firm; and joined the Bracewell & Giuliani law firm, which changed its name when he became a partner. In 2008, Giuliani ran unsuccessfully for the Republican Party nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election. Giuliani was considered a potential candidate for either Governor or Senator of New York in 2010, as well as the 2012 presidential election, but decided not to run and remain active in his business career.