WASHINGTON — Timothy Geithner was quickly sworn in to office tonight, becoming the nation's 75th treasury secretary and one of the point men President Barack Obama will be counting on to help pull the country out of its economic slide.

Obama attended the ceremony at the Treasury Department.

The Senate confirmed Geithner's nomination on a 60-34 vote.

As president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, Geithner has been a key player in the government's response to collapsing financial institutions and the troubled housing and credit markets.

Geithner's nomination was held up after it was revealed that he had failed to pay more than $34,000 in taxes.