TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – After achieving a lifelong dream by becoming New Jersey’s governor, James E. McGreevey gave it all up, acknowledging that he had lived a lie.

A twice-married father of two who had proudly discussed his Catholic education and deep faith, McGreevey said he would leave office because of an adulterous affair with another man.

It was a surprising end to a political career in which McGreevey took great pride that his father was a Marine drill instructor turned trucking employee and his mom worked as a nurse.

On Thursday, Aug. 12, both his parents and his wife, Dina, stood stoically by his side as he announced: “My truth is that I am a gay American.”

McGreevey acknowledged that he had violated his marriage vows and would resign because he did not want to leave the governor’s office “vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure.”

As a politician, McGreevey took any opportunity to speak about his middle-class views. He grew up Irish-American in Carteret, spent summer weekends at the Jersey Shore, and served as an altar boy at mass every Sunday for a dozen years.

He went on to Columbia, Georgetown and Harvard, became a lawyer, a lawmaker, a prosecutor and mayor of Woodbridge.

McGreevey’s announcement was a sad moment for former governor Brendan Byrne, a two-term Democrat who became McGreevey’s political mentor. He hoped McGreevey’s political accomplishments would not be lost.

“It’s my hope those achievements will be remembered long after today’s tragic events are forgotten,” said Byrne.

Known as a tireless campaigner, McGreevey lost his first run for governor in 1997 by a narrow margin. But he never stopped campaigning and his win in 2001 came with political promise for the young, ambitious Democrat.

McGreevey established an agenda based on tackling working-class problems such as holding down property taxes, improving schools and helping senior citizens.

Among his successes as governor were reforming the much-reviled Division of Motor Vehicles and improving the state’s auto insurance market. He also signed a domestic partnership law that gives same-sex couples some of the same rights as married people.

“On a professional level, those of us who have worked closely with governor through the years know him as a tireless champion of those less fortunate and a man whose commitment to positive social change is unwavering,” said Human Services Commissioner James Davy, who had worked many years for McGreevey in Woodbridge.

Political scandal quickly marred McGreevey’s tenure following questions over a series of appointments, including the naming of Golan Cipel to a newly created post of homeland security adviser. Two sources close to McGreevey said Cipel was the man involved in the governor’s affair.

The sources, a high-ranking member of the McGreevey administration and the other a senior political adviser, said Cipel threatened to sue the governor for sexual harassment unless he was paid to keep quiet.

McGreevey named Cipel to a newly created post of homeland security adviser in February 2002. Cipel, an Israeli poet with no security experience, was named to the job without any background check or official announcement.

Reporters soon questioned what Cipel did to earn his $110,000 salary, and in March 2002 he was reassigned to a “special counsel” job. A few months later, Cipel left his state government position.

A phone number for Cipel could not immediately be found and he could not be reached for comment.

McGreevey’s questionable appointments extend beyond Cipel.

McGreevey also came under fire in 2002 for hiring Joseph Santiago, who had a criminal background, as state police superintendent. This month, Commerce Secretary William Watley quit amid reports he funneled money to businesses owned by him and family members.

Democratic fund-raiser David D’Amiano – a former high school classmate of McGreevey’s – was indicted on July 6, charged with trying to extort $40,000 in campaign donations from a dairy farmer in exchange for help in getting a better price from the county for his land.

McGreevey’s popularity sank as a number of federal investigations were launched into allegedly illegal billboard deals by his former chief of staff, Gary Taffet, and former chief counsel, Paul Levinsohn.

The most salacious scandal, which broke this summer, involved illegal campaign donations by top McGreevey contributor Charles Kushner, who is accused by the U.S. Attorney’s office of hiring a prostitute to have sex with a government witness and videotape it as blackmail.

Kushner was the apparent link between McGreevey and Cipel. Cipel had worked for real estate developer Kushner, a major donor to McGreevey and state Democrats. He signed the papers the Israeli citizen needed to work in the United States, and gave him a $30,000-a-year marketing job.