Charles J. O'Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Secretary to the Governor of New York | |
| In office March 17, 2008 – October 24, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Rich Baum |
| Succeeded by | William J. Cunningham III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1959 Manhattan, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Manhattan, New York |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (B.A. '81) Columbia Law School (J.D. '84) Weston School of Theology (M.Div. '96, S.T.L. '96) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Charles J. O'Byrne (born 1959) is an American lawyer, former Jesuit priest, and former political staffer to Governor of New York David Paterson.[1] O'Byrne served as Secretary to the Governor—the highest unelected position in New York government[2]—during the Paterson administration.[3] He stepped down from that position in October 2008 after admitting to having failed to pay five years' worth of taxes.[4]
O'Byrne previously served as Chief of Staff to Paterson when Paterson served as a member of the New York State Senate and as Lieutenant Governor of New York.[5] He also worked as a speechwriter for Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. Prior to entering politics, O'Byrne practiced law and was a member of the Society of Jesus for 12 years[6] before departing his order and authoring a controversial 2002 article about Catholic priests and seminarians.