Rudy Giuliani bursts onto the New York City scene as US Attorney with high-profile prosecutions of mafia bosses and Wall Street criminals. His success catapults him into his first run for mayor.

Taking office as mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani aggressively takes on the city's major crime problems and huge budget deficit.

Responding to the tragedy of Sept. 11, Mayor Giuliani is in his finest hour; from there, it's a slow descent to irrelevance by way of a failed 2008 presidential campaign.