Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani, KBE (born May 28, 1944) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from the state of New York. Formerly Mayor of New York City, Giuliani is currently seeking the Republican nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election.
A Democrat and Independent in the 1970s, and a Republican from the 1980s onward, Giuliani served in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, eventually becoming U.S. Attorney. Giuliani later served two terms as Mayor of New York City (1994–2001). He was credited by some with initiating improvements in the city's quality of life and with a reduction in crime to an all time low under his 8 years.[citation needed] Others, however, criticized him as divisive and authoritarian and disputed his role in reducing crime, which had declined for 36 months while his predecessor, David Dinkins, was in office. Conservative critics point out that much of Giuliani's success at reducing crime was due to implementing a vast and sweeping gun control campaign in the city, a tactic which has been continued in earnest by his successor, Michael R. Bloomberg. Liberal critics allege that Giuliani's policies of reducing crime were based on aggressive policing rather than social reform, and that he took credit for accomplishments that really belonged to police commissioners such as Bill Bratton.
Giuliani gained international attention during and after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2001 Time magazine named him "Person of the Year" and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. His high media profile in the days following the attacks led supporters to nickname him "America's Mayor."
After leaving office as mayor, Giuliani founded Giuliani Partners, a security consulting business, acquired Giuliani Capital Advisors (later sold), an investment banking firm, and joined the Bracewell & Giuliani law firm, which changed its name when he became a partner. In February 2007 Giuliani filed a statement of candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential campaign.
