Talk about feet of clay. The claims that Eliot Spitzer, the Wall Street crime fighter turned New York governor, has been ensnared in a prostitution ring serves as a shocking reminder that even the most public figures can have unexpected facets.

A Harvard and Princeton graduate who used his father's money to win election as New York attorney- general in 1998, Mr Spitzer used that once-sleepy office to turn the financial services industry upside down after the dotcom bubble burst in the early 2000. He was dubbed the "sheriff of Wall Street" for uncovering biased stock research, improper mutual fund trades and insurance bid rigging. His targets included some of New York's best-known business figures, including Hank Greenberg, AIG chief executive, and Dick Grasso, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.