Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani
Born	Rudolph William Louis Giuliani 5/28/1944
Birthplace	New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, former attorney
Known for	108th Mayor of New York City, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, personal attorney to Donald Trump
Spouse(s)	Regina Peruggi (m. 1968; div. 1982), Donna Hanover (m. 1984; div. 2002), Judith Nathan (m. 2003; div. 2019)
Awards	Time Person of the Year (2001), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025)

Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (born May 28, 1944), commonly known as Rudy Giuliani, is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who served as the 108th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. Before entering electoral politics, Giuliani built a prominent career as a federal prosecutor, serving as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 1983 and as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983 to 1989, where he led high-profile prosecutions of organized crime figures and Wall Street financiers. After an unsuccessful mayoral bid in 1989, he won the office in 1993 on a "tough on crime" platform and was reelected in 1997. His leadership following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks earned him the informal title "America's Mayor" and the designation as Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2001. In his later career, Giuliani became a central figure in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump, leading to multiple criminal indictments, a $148 million defamation judgment, and his disbarment. In November 2025, Trump pardoned Giuliani for his role in the election-related cases.

Early Life

Rudolph William Louis Giuliani was born on May 28, 1944, in New York City. He was raised in a family of Italian American heritage. His father, Harold Giuliani, had a troubled past that included a conviction for armed robbery, and later worked as an enforcer for a loan-sharking operation run by Giuliani's uncle. The family was Roman Catholic, and Giuliani grew up in the borough of Brooklyn before the family moved to Long Island. His upbringing in a working-class Italian American environment shaped many of his later political sensibilities, particularly his focus on law enforcement and public order.

Giuliani has described his youth as strongly influenced by his family's values and the close-knit Italian American community in which he was raised. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, a Catholic institution, where he was an active student. During his early years, Giuliani considered entering the priesthood and reportedly spent time at a seminary before ultimately deciding on a legal career.

Politically, Giuliani was initially registered as a Democrat, reflecting the prevailing affiliation of many Italian Americans in New York City during that era. He later registered as an Independent in 1975 before switching to the Republican Party in 1980, a transition that coincided with the conservative movement's rise under Ronald Reagan.

Education

Giuliani attended Manhattan College in the Bronx, where he graduated in 1965. He then enrolled at New York University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1968. At NYU Law, Giuliani was noted as a strong student and served as an editor of the law school's moot court board. Following his graduation, he embarked on a career in law that would take him through clerkships and into the federal government.

Career

Early Legal Career and Federal Prosecution

After law school, Giuliani clerked for Judge Lloyd Francis MacMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He subsequently joined the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, beginning a career in federal prosecution that would define his public reputation for more than a decade.

In 1981, Giuliani was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the United States Associate Attorney General, the third-highest position in the United States Department of Justice. He held this role from February 20, 1981, to June 3, 1983, succeeding John H. Shenefield and being succeeded by D. Lowell Jensen.

In June 1983, Giuliani was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most prominent prosecutorial offices in the country. He served in this capacity until January 1, 1989, succeeding John S. Martin Jr. and being succeeded by Otto G. Obermaier. During his tenure, Giuliani led a series of landmark prosecutions that brought national attention. Most notably, he oversaw the Mafia Commission Trial, which resulted in the conviction of the heads of New York City's five major organized crime families under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). These prosecutions dealt a significant blow to the traditional Mafia power structure in New York.

Giuliani also pursued high-profile cases against white-collar criminals on Wall Street. His office prosecuted financier Ivan Boesky for insider trading, a case that contributed to broader crackdowns on financial fraud during the 1980s. His aggressive prosecutorial style attracted both praise and criticism; supporters credited him with restoring integrity to financial markets and public safety, while detractors accused him of grandstanding and using controversial tactics such as perp walks for accused financiers.

1989 Mayoral Campaign

In 1989, Giuliani made his first bid for mayor of New York City, running on the Republican and Liberal Party lines against the Democratic nominee, David Dinkins. The race was closely contested, and Giuliani lost by a narrow margin, making Dinkins the first African American mayor of New York City. The campaign was marked by sharp debate over crime, race relations, and the city's fiscal health.

Mayor of New York City (1994–2001)

Giuliani ran again for mayor in 1993, this time defeating the incumbent Dinkins. He took office on January 1, 1994, and served two terms, leaving office on December 31, 2001. His successor was Michael Bloomberg.

Giuliani's first term was defined largely by his aggressive approach to crime reduction. He appointed William Bratton as New York City Police Commissioner, and together they implemented policing strategies based on the "broken windows" theory of criminality, which held that addressing minor offenses would deter more serious crime. Under Giuliani's administration, the city adopted CompStat, a data-driven management system for tracking crime. During his time in office, New York City experienced significant decreases in crime, including sharp declines in the rates of murder, robbery, and other violent offenses.

Giuliani's "tough on crime" agenda extended beyond policing to a broader vision of "civic cleanup" that included crackdowns on quality-of-life offenses such as squeegee men, graffiti, and public intoxication. His administration also oversaw the transformation of Times Square from an area associated with adult entertainment and crime to a commercial and tourist destination. These initiatives drew both praise and criticism. Supporters credited Giuliani with making the city safer and more livable, while critics charged that his policies disproportionately affected minority communities and led to incidents of police misconduct, including the controversial cases involving Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo.

Giuliani won reelection in 1997, defeating Democratic challenger Ruth Messinger by a substantial margin.

In 2000, Giuliani entered the race for the United States Senate seat from New York, running against First Lady Hillary Clinton. However, he withdrew from the race after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, citing the need to focus on his health.

September 11 Attacks and Aftermath

Giuliani's tenure as mayor culminated with his response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. On the morning of the attacks, Giuliani was at a temporary command center near the World Trade Center site and narrowly escaped the collapse of the towers. In the days and weeks that followed, he became the most visible public official coordinating the city's response, holding frequent press conferences, visiting Ground Zero, and projecting a sense of calm and resolve. His leadership during this period led to widespread public admiration, and he was dubbed "America's Mayor" by the media. Time magazine named him Person of the Year for 2001, citing his steadiness and visibility during the crisis.

The attacks occurred in the final months of Giuliani's second and final term. He briefly explored the possibility of extending his term beyond its legal limit in order to continue leading the city's recovery efforts, but ultimately left office as scheduled on December 31, 2001.

Post-Mayoral Business Career

After leaving the mayoralty, Giuliani entered the private sector and founded Giuliani Partners, a security consulting firm, in 2002. The firm advised governments, corporations, and other entities on security matters. He also acquired an investment banking firm, which he renamed Giuliani Capital Advisors, though he later sold it. In 2005, Giuliani joined the Houston-based law firm Bracewell & Patterson, which was subsequently renamed Bracewell & Giuliani.

2008 Presidential Campaign

Giuliani sought the Republican Party's nomination for president in the 2008 election. Drawing on his national profile from 9/11 and his reputation as a crime-fighting mayor, he was initially considered a frontrunner in national polls. However, his campaign strategy of concentrating resources on later primary states, particularly Florida, while largely bypassing early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, proved unsuccessful. He performed poorly in the primary elections and withdrew from the race in January 2008, subsequently endorsing John McCain, who went on to win the Republican nomination.

Following the 2008 campaign, Giuliani considered but ultimately declined to run for governor of New York in 2010 and for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, instead returning his focus to his business ventures and consulting work.

Trump Personal Attorney and the 2020 Election

Giuliani served as an adviser to Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. In April 2018, he joined Trump's personal legal team, a role that would define the final major chapter of his public career.

In 2019, Giuliani became a central figure in what became known as the Trump–Ukraine scandal. He was involved in efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, activities that contributed to the first impeachment of President Trump by the United States House of Representatives.

Following the November 2020 presidential election, in which Trump lost to Biden, Giuliani served as the lead attorney in numerous lawsuits filed across multiple states in an effort to overturn the election results. He made repeated public claims alleging widespread voter fraud, rigged voting machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, polling place irregularities, and what he described as an international communist conspiracy to steal the election. These claims were rejected by courts, election officials of both parties, and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which described the 2020 election as "the most secure in American history."

On January 6, 2021, Giuliani spoke at the rally near the White House that preceded the storming of the United States Capitol. During his remarks, he made false claims about voter fraud and called for "trial by combat," language that critics charged was inflammatory and contributed to the subsequent violence.

Indictments, Defamation Judgments, and Disbarment

Giuliani's post-2020 activities resulted in severe legal consequences. He was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal prosecution related to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

In August 2023, Giuliani was indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of a racketeering prosecution related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state. In April 2024, he was indicted on additional charges in Arizona related to similar activities.

Separately, in 2023, Giuliani lost a defamation lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers whom Giuliani had falsely accused of engaging in voter fraud. A federal jury in Washington, D.C. awarded the two women approximately $148 million in damages. Giuliani subsequently attempted to declare bankruptcy, but his petition was unsuccessful. He later reached a settlement to pay damages to the election workers.

In early 2026, Dominion Voting Systems and Giuliani reached a "confidential settlement" in a separate $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit that the company had brought against him over his false allegations about their voting machines during the 2020 election.

Giuliani's law license was suspended in New York and Washington, D.C., and he was ultimately disbarred, ending a legal career that had spanned more than five decades.

A separate civil case involving allegations of sexual harassment by a former employee also advanced in the courts, with a judge allowing a $10 million claim to proceed.

Presidential Pardon

On November 10, 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned Giuliani along with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and others who had been charged in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The pardon covered Giuliani's indictments in Georgia and Arizona.

Personal Life

Giuliani has been married three times. He married Regina Peruggi in 1968; the marriage ended in divorce in 1982, with Giuliani obtaining an annulment from the Catholic Church on the grounds that he and Peruggi were second cousins and had not received a necessary dispensation. He married Donna Hanover, a television journalist, in 1984. The couple had two children. Their marriage became publicly contentious during Giuliani's second mayoral term, and they divorced in 2002. In 2003, Giuliani married Judith Nathan; they divorced in 2019.

Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000, which led to his withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race against Hillary Clinton. He underwent treatment and was subsequently declared cancer-free.

Giuliani is a cigar aficionado and has been featured in Cigar Aficionado magazine.

Recognition

Giuliani's leadership following the September 11 attacks brought him widespread recognition. Time magazine named him Person of the Year for 2001, citing his role in guiding New York City through the crisis. He received an honorary knighthood (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 for his leadership during the attacks.

In September 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he would award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Trump described Giuliani as "the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City" in a social media statement announcing the award.

During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, Giuliani received recognition for his role in dismantling organized crime networks and prosecuting insider trading on Wall Street, cases that remain among the most significant in the history of the Southern District of New York.

Legacy

Giuliani's legacy is characterized by sharp contrasts. His career as a federal prosecutor in the 1980s resulted in landmark convictions of Mafia leaders and white-collar criminals, reshaping law enforcement approaches to organized crime and financial fraud. As mayor, his administration oversaw a dramatic reduction in crime in New York City and a transformation of the city's public spaces, policies that supporters credit with revitalizing the city during the 1990s. His response to the September 11 attacks remains one of the most prominent examples of municipal leadership during a national crisis.

However, his post-mayoral career, particularly his actions following the 2020 presidential election, significantly altered public perceptions. His promotion of false claims about election fraud, his role in the events leading up to the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, the resulting defamation judgments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, and his disbarment represented a dramatic reversal of fortune for a figure once celebrated across the political spectrum. The Quinnipiac University Poll tracked public opinion of Giuliani over the years, documenting both his post-9/11 highs and subsequent declines in approval.

His 2025 presidential pardon and the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump underscored the deeply polarized assessments of Giuliani's career. To supporters, he remains a consequential figure in American law enforcement, urban governance, and crisis leadership. To critics, his later actions represent a cautionary tale about the erosion of legal and democratic norms.