New York Governor Eliot Spitzer stands next to his wife Silda Wall Spitzer as he announces his resignation at his office in New York, March 12, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York State resigned Wednesday, two days after news broke that he was a repeat client of a high-end prostitution ring.

The resignation becomes effective March 17. His deputy, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, will take over to become the state's first black governor. Paterson, who lost most of his sight after an infection at the age of three months, will also be the first legally-blind governor in the United States.