FACTBOX: New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer

(Reuters) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer apologized on Monday to his family and to the public for a "private matter," but in a news briefing he did not address a report in the New York Times that he had been involved in a prostitution ring.

Following are some facts about Spitzer.

* Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform, has been married to Silda Wall Spitzer since 1987, and they have three daughters.

* He is a superdelegate who has pledged to support Hillary Clinton in her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

* Spitzer prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state's organized crime task force, The Times said.

* Spitzer in November 2007 dropped a plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in his state because of overwhelming opposition to the proposal.

* He was New York state attorney general before being elected governor in November 2006. In that job, Spitzer was dubbed "the sheriff of Wall Street" for launching lengthy campaigns against misconduct in the financial services realm, as well as the prescription drug and power industries.

* Ten of Wall Street's top firms agreed to pay $1.4 billion in December 2002 to settle allegations by Spitzer and other regulators that they gave misleading stock advice to investors to help corporate investment clients.

Sources: Reuters/The New York Times

(Writing by Paul Grant, editing by Philip Barbara)