Jake Chessum Silda Wall & Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Spitzer: J.D. 1984. Governor-elect of New York.
Silda Wall: J.D. 1983. Chair, Children for Children.

It's 2:30, the photo shoot is ready to start, and Silda Wall is running a bit late. Eliot Spitzer is already at the midtown Manhattan studio, sporting an American flag lapel pin and the hyped-up expression of someone in the middle of a hectic day. Within moments, out comes the BlackBerry.

“Where are you? . . . Okay. Love you.”

She arrives a few minutes later, as her husband is suffering through a quick session with the makeup artist. A coat of lip gloss is going on; Wall seems amused.

“It looks like you need a little more on your upper lip.”

Spitzer grimaces. “No, babe. I’m done.”

She is perfectly made up, her honey hair in a flip—her style every day, not just when she’s having her picture taken.

“There are two things I hate in politics,” Spitzer says as they settle in. “Raising money and posing for pictures.” Wall would probably agree with the first point; she was reportedly not happy when an October fundraiser fell on their 19th wedding anniversary. As for his second claim, they are remarkably relaxed subjects. He shares news from the campaign trail; she straightens his lapel; they chat with the photographer about his baby daughter.

Since becoming New York’s attorney general in 1998, Spitzer has cultivated a reputation as a bull in a china shop—he is the “sheriff of Wall Street,” all sharp elbows and strident intelligence. But to say that Wall softens his image would be to ignore the crackling energy between them. They met during law school, and she pursued a fast-track career (in mergers and acquisitions at Skadden, Arps, then in international transactions at Chase Manhattan) before deciding to stay home with their three daughters. A native of North Carolina, she campaigned vigorously for her husband and, Spitzer has said, is sure to be one of his closest advisers in Albany.

Wall became increasingly comfortable in front of the camera over the course of the campaign, which ended in a resounding victory on November 7. “I’ve always enjoyed it—traveling, meeting people, taking Eliot’s message on the road,” she says later. “It’s fascinating, it’s inspiring.” On the trail, Wall, who speaks with a subtle drawl, reminded voters that Spitzer is also a family man who likes to grill on weekends, wear sneakers, and watch NASCAR. Wall’s brother, Jim, director of engine engineering at Hendrick Motorsports, introduced Spitzer to auto racing. “I think he was a bit surprised that it became such a deep and true passion for Eliot,” Wall says with a laugh.

She is careful to emphasize that public stumping was a role that came to her, not one she chose. “I was never expecting to be a political spouse,” Wall says. “One step has just grown out of the last.” For many years, her salary was substantially larger than her husband’s. But in 1994, when she was pregnant with their third child and Spitzer decided to run for attorney general, she switched tracks, without dousing her professional fires. In 1996, in response to what they saw as excessive spending on children’s birthday parties in their social circle, the couple started a nonprofit, Children for Children, which promotes more volunteerism and less self-indulgence in youth. Wall still chairs the organization.

Asked if she and her husband take time together, just the two of them, Wall laughs. “With three kids and two dogs at the ages they are—the ages they all are—and our careers and community engagement, it’s hard to say that we do.” They devote their free time to their daughters, Elyssa, 16, Sarabeth, 14, and Jenna, 12. On Election Day, they set aside the afternoon for Jenna’s soccer match.

After Spitzer takes office, they plan to divide their time between Albany and Manhattan. The girls will continue to attend Horace Mann, and to be the center of their parents’ lives. Wall notes, “When I married Eliot, I decided that professionally I would be Silda Wall; that’s the name on my diplomas and in my office. Socially, I would be Silda Wall Spitzer. But right now, usually it’s just Jenna’s mom, or Sarabeth’s mom, or Elyssa’s mom.”

Toward the end of the photo shoot, something beeps and Wall and Spitzer simultaneously whip out their BlackBerrys. “That was a typical moment,” Wall says brightly. “That sums up everything right there.”

Profile by Lindsey McCormack