Mary O. Donohue was elected Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York on November 3, 1998. Prior to becoming New York’s Lieutenant Governor, Mary Donohue wore many hats... State Supreme Court Justice, first female District Attorney in Rensselaer County, elementary school teacher, high school teacher, and mother.

Lt. Governor Donohue’s diverse base of experience has proven invaluable since she was elected to serve with Governor Pataki. Working with him, she has implemented policies that have given New Yorkers more hope, more freedom and a better quality of life.

As an integral part of Governor Pataki's team, the Lt. Governor has traveled from her home in Troy to Buffalo to Mineola to Plattsburgh, and all over the Empire State, sharing the Governor's record and helping to implement a wide array of priorities including cutting taxes, creating a safer learning environment for our children, reducing crime, reforming government, environmental protection and creating better opportunities for individuals on welfare.

Lt. Governor Donohue has spent a great deal of time working on significant projects the Governor has tasked her as a result of her specific expertise.

For example, in January 1999, Governor Pataki appointed her to chair the Governor's Task Force on School Violence. For more than one year, the Lt. Governor held public hearings, forums, and one-on-one meetings with students of all ages to get input and suggestions on how to address the school violence issue.

In July 2000, Governor Pataki the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act into law, a comprehensive series of Task Force recommendations aimed at reducing violence in schools. The law was fully implemented by the start of the 2001-02 school year.

In January 2000, the Lt. Governor was appointed by the Governor to chair the Quality Communities Interagency Task Force. The Task Force has spent well over a year studying community growth throughout the Empire State, and has worked to develop measures to assist those communities in implementing effective economic, land development, preservation and rehabilitation strategies. She also has served as chair of the Governor's Task Force on Small Business and has traveled around the state meeting with small business owners to discuss what New York can do to make it easier for them to succeed. The Task Force offered a series of recommendations to the Governor in early 2002.

The Lt. Governor began her career as a teacher. A graduate of the College of New Rochelle, Donohue taught elementary and junior high school in Rensselaer and Albany County school districts. During her 10-year teaching career, Lt. Governor Donohue earned a Master's of Science in Education from Russell Sage College.

In 1980, the Lieutenant Governor entered law school at Albany Law School of Union University, where she earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1983. During law school, she served as a law clerk and intern in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albany and worked on the staff of Senator Joseph L. Bruno.

After graduating from law school, Lt. Governor Donohue was admitted to the New York State bar and worked as an associate attorney with O'Connell & Aronowitz, P.C. in Albany until 1988. From 1988 to 1992, she ran her own law practice in Troy. From 1990 to 1992, the Lieutenant Governor also served as Assistant Rensselaer County Attorney, representing the county in civil litigation and in Family Court, thereby gaining invaluable experience in areas including juvenile justice and other issues affecting children.

During her tenure as District Attorney, she compiled an impressive crime-fighting record and ran for reelection with a more than 90 percent felony conviction rate. As District Attorney, Donohue attained wide-ranging respect for her expertise in many criminal justice areas, including domestic violence, child abuse, the death penalty and juvenile justice. She personally tried cases ranging from murder and attempted murder to sexual abuse, all of which resulted in convictions. She oversaw nearly 5,000 criminal prosecutions each year.

In 1996, Lieutenant Governor Donohue was elected to the State Supreme Court for the seven-county Third Judicial District by an impressive 20,000-vote margin in a six-way race. Prior to her service as the first female State Supreme Court Justice from Rensselaer County, the Lieutenant Governor was elected as Rensselaer County's first female District Attorney in 1992, and was reelected in 1995 with an unprecedented 70 percent of the vote.

Lt. Governor Donohue has two children, Justin Donohue, age 14, and Sara Kenney, age 23.