Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Political Biography

Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947)

Political Career/Connections

Party Affiliation: Republican

1994: Republican candidate for U.S. Senate for Massachusetts (lost to Senator Ted Kennedy 58 % to Romney’s 41 %)

2002: Republican candidate fo r Massachusetts governor. (Won 50% to 45%)

2003-20007: Governor of Massachusetts

2008: Candidate for the Republican Presidential Nomination (Lost to John McCain)

2011-2012: Candidate for the 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

Jan. 3, 2012–Mitt Romney won a very close race to win the Iowa Caucuses, narrowly beating Rick Santorumby eight votes.Jan. 10, 2012–Romney won the New Hampshire primary.

Herman Cain announced in Atlanta Georgia today that he is suspending his Presidential campaign.  This comes only weeks before the 2012 Iowa Caucuses, and effectively ends his bid for the Republican Nomination.

http://historyguy.com/politics/brown_jerry.htm

Jerry Brown is many things to many people, but boring he is not! From being called “Governor Moonbeam,” for his interest in Zen Buddhism, to his romance with country/pop singer Linda Rondstadt in the late 1970s, this inheritor of a powerful California political dynasty has made his mark on Californian and American politics.

  

Governor Jerry Brown and singer Linda Rondstadt on the cover of Newsweek magazine, April, 1979.

Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown, Jr (April 7, 1938)-Governor of the State of California beginning in January, 2011.

Political Career/ConnectionsParty Affiliation: Democrat

1969–1971: Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees

1971–1975: California Secretary of State

1975-1983: Governor of California

1976: Candidate for Democratic Nomination for President of the United States (lost to Jimmy Carter)1980: Candidate for Democratic Nomination for President of the United States (lost to Jimmy Carter

1982: Candidate for U.S. Senate (lost the General Election to Republican Pete Wilson)

1989–1991: Chairman of the California Democratic Party

1992: Candidate for Democratic Nomination for President of the United States (lost to Bill Clinton)

1999–2007: Mayor of Oakland

2007-2011: California Attorney General

2011-Present: Governor of California

 

Links and Resources:

Office of Governor Jerry Brown–Official State Website

Jerry Brown Campaign Site

Ballad of Linda and Jerry–From Newsweek Magazine

Jerry Brown-Wikipedia Article

 Electoral History of Jerry Brown-Wikipedia Article

Posted from WordPress for Android

http://www.historyguy.com/politics/obama_state_of_union_speech_2011.htm

Sargent Shriver

(1915-2011)

Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American politician and activist. Referred to as Sargent Shriver or just Sarge, he is best remembered as part of the Kennedy family and as the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps. He was also the Democratic Party’s candidate for U.S. Vice President, replacing first nominee Thomas Eagleton, who resigned from the ticket, during the 1972 U.S. presidential election. Sargent Shriver died at the age of 95 on January 18, 2011.Sargent Shriver’s life is a testament to the belief that public service is a high calling for those wishing to serve their country. He entered the political sphere in 1940, founding the anti-war organization “America First,” along with future President Gerald Ford, and future Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. Despite his belief that America should not enter the World War, he volunteered for the U.S. Navy out of a conviction that citizens must serve to protect the nation. He suffered shrapnel wounds at the Battle of Guadalcanal, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant.

After the war, he was chosen by Joseph Kennedy to manage Merchant Mart, a major department store in Chicago. In his service to the Kennedy financial empire, he became acquainted with Eunice Kennedy, who he married in 1953. In 1960, Sargent Shriver was a major player in the campaign of Eunice’s brother, John Kennedy. During the Kennedy Administration, Shriver became the first Director of the Peace Corps. Under Kennedy’s successor, President Johnson, Shriver became the first Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, where he oversaw the creation of VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), Head Start, Community Action, Foster Grandparents, Job Corps, Legal Services, Indian and Migrant Opportunities, and Neighborhood Health Services. Sargent and Eunice Shriver played a significant role in the creation and acceptance of the Special Olympics.

In 1968, Shriver became the U.S. Ambassador to France during a turbulent period in American foreign relations. He ran for Vice-President as George McGovern’s running mate.

Shriver is perhaps best known in the 21st Century as the father of Maria Shriver and the father-in-law of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Shriver lost his beloved wife in 2009, and he lost his long battle with Alzheimer’s on January 18, 2011.

 http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/shriver_sargent.htm

New biographical page on new Speaker of the House John Boehner at http://www.historyguy.com/politics/boehner_john.htm

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards, who as the wife of former Senator John Edwards gave America an intimate look at a candidate’s marriage by sharing his quest for the 2008 presidential nomination as she struggled with incurable cancer and, secretly, with his infidelity, died the morning of December 7, 2010 at her home in Chapel Hill, N.C. Elizabeth Edwards was 61.  Senator and Mrs. Edwards were legally separated at the time of her death.
Her family confirmed the death, saying Mrs. Edwards was surrounded by relatives when she died. A family friend said Mr. Edwards was present. On Monday, two family friends said that Mrs. Edwards’s cancer had spread to her liver and that doctors had advised against further medical treatment.
 Source:  The New York Times