The Woman Behind America's Mayor: Judy Giuliani

He'll be sharing it with an interesting cast of characters, perhaps none more so than Judith Giuliani.

The most recent wife of Rudy Giuliani remains relatively unknown outside of New York circles, but that won't last long once he makes his presidential aspirations official.

Here's Judith Stish Nathan Giuliani in a nutshell to those who are at least casually familiar with her:

She's somewhat of a socialite, moving comfortably in tony Upper East Side circles despite a humble upbringing. With a penchant for Carolina Herrera gowns and multinational travel, she serves as the stylish Yin for Rudy's often dour Yang and gets credit for squiring him through the drab bad comb-over days into his more elegant status as one of the United States' most adored ambassadors.

Currently the managing director of Changing Our World Inc., a national charity headquartered in New York, Mrs. Giuliani has a lengthy nursing and medical background, but since taking up with Rudy has focused her activities on charitable work, particularly for 9/11 victims.

New Yorkers also will remember her as the other woman whose identity came to light after Giuliani's very public breakup with former wife Donna Hanover.

Most recently, Judy Giuliani can be seen fawning over Rudy as he prepares his bid for the nation's highest office. A New York Post cover of the power couple smooching drew mixed reviews from the city's often crusty populace.

Here are a few things, though, that you may now know.

While the political history of Bill Clinton will serve as fodder for history books until the end of time, Mrs. Giuliani's political pedigree has similar roots though set in a Northern setting.

Her birthplace, Hazleton, Pa., is hardly a town called Hope, but its political history and the Stish family's involvement in same is colorful indeed.

You might know Hazleton from its sustained exposure in the national media over the past year or so. Republican Mayor Louis Barletta has sparked a national debate over illegal immigration with his ordinance that punishes businesses that hire illegal immigrants as well as landlords who rent to them. Barletta also seeks to establish English as the city's official language, and he has appeared on "60 Minutes," "Hannity and Colmes" and newspaper pages across the country to defend his position.

Nearly 30 years ago the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a series of articles on Hazleton with the insidious title "Mob City," a moniker which initially incensed city residents but one they later mocked with T-shirts and bumper stickers.

Throughout the city's wily history, the Stish family, to which Judy's physical resemblance is striking, has stood prominent.

Its most famous member, patriarch Wesley Stish, was Judy's uncle and all but considered the city's official doctor for decades until his death. He was known both as a kindly physician and a bare-knuckled political leader, one who wielded influence with a quiet certitude that benefited those in his favor and punished any who dared cross him.

Two of his children went on to make significant marks in Hazleton's public life before falling steeply from grace, their achievements and hubris direct results of their father's influence.

Wesley's son, and Judith's cousin, Tom represented the Hazleton area in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for four terms. His star seemed on the rise, but he committed political suicide following his 1994 victory when he switched from Democrat to Republican, delivering the GOP a one-vote edge. Two years later, Tom Stish fell to ignominious defeat after suffering death threats in his hometown and relentless derision in the House following his switch.

A few months ago, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter caught up to Stish in Florida, where he is unemployed, divorced and living meagerly on the pensions he acquired from his public service in the House and as a school guidance counselor.

Perhaps Wesley Stish's most telling legacy came through daughter Geraldine Stish Shepperson, who despite never teaching a class managed to rise to the position of superintendent of schools in the Hazleton Area School District.

Known for her tenacious management of her brother's political campaigns, Gerry Shepperson become both a fabulously polarizing political figure and a feared administrator who could charm enemies and alienate friends with disturbing ease. After a highly tumultuous term as superintendent, Shepperson retired from her position, and like her brother is living these days in political oblivion.

Suffice to say the Stish family is remembered, revered and reviled in the Hazleton area. Those who know Judith Giuliani often describe her in the same terms used for her coal-region kin: charming, combative, calculating, an apple falling perilously close to the family tree.

Giuliani campaign documents leaked recently to the Daily News in New York list Judy as a potential liability in the presidential run.

Folks in Hazleton, Pa. may know why.