Ashley Dupré

Political Scandal Figure

Name at birth: Ashley Youmans

Ashley Dupré was the prostitute who was hired by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2008, sparking a political scandal. When the story of their transaction became public, Spitzer resigned and Dupre became an overnight celebrity. Dupre's background is not perfectly clear. She was raised in New Jersey and moved to North Carolina at age 17 to live with her father and his second wife. After high school she moved to New York City, where she worked as a cocktail waitress, aspired to be a singer, and began calling herself Ashley Alexandra Dupré. Eventually she hired on with an escort service called Emperors Club VIP. On 13 February 2008 she traveled to Washington, D.C., where using the name "Kristen" she had a paid encounter with Spitzer in room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel. The incident became public the next month, and Spitzer announced his resignation on 12 March 2008, effective five days later.

Other scandal figures from Washington, D.C. include Monica Lewinsky and Larry Craig.