Giuliani 's public profile started to rise when he was appointed as the United States Associate Attorney General by President Ronald Reagan . He held the position from 1981 to 1983 , when he was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York . He held this post until 1989 , when he resigned to run his first campaign for Mayor of New York City . He lost the race but won four years later , and served as the city 's mayor from 1994 to 2001 . As mayor , he was best known for his leadership role during the September 11 attacks , when he coordinated and managed the immediate emergency response , earning him the title as '' Time '' magazine Person of the Year in 2001 . He also positioned himself as " tough on crime " and was often credited with the reduction in offenses that occurred during his tenure in office . Giuliani briefly ran for U.S. Senate in New York to fill the vacancy left by the retiring Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 2000 , but was forced to withdraw from the race after being diagnosed with prostate cancer . Although he held traditional views on defense and economics , Giuliani was considered socially liberal , holding pro-choice views on abortion , supporting same-sex civil unions and embryonic stem cell research . As mayor , the abortion rate in New York City dropped by 16 % in comparison to the 12 % drop nationally ; adoptions raised by 133 %
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Rudy Giuliani 2008 presidential campaign