Charles J. O'Byrne
Charles J. O'Byrne (born 1959) is an American lawyer, former Jesuit priest, and former political staffer to Governor of New York David Paterson. O'Byrne served as Secretary to the Governor—the highest unelected position in New York government—during the Paterson administration. He stepped down from that position in October 2008 after admitting to having failed to pay five years' worth of taxes.
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 |
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. 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 before departing his order and authoring a controversial 2002 article about Catholic priests and seminarians.