Bob McDonnell

McDonnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Emma B. Meta (née Meiller; 1928–1994) and John Francis McDonnell (1916–2010).

His paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, and his maternal grandparents were from Alsace-Lorraine in what was then the German Empire.

Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.

Born in Philadelphia, McDonnell was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve.

His family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1955 when he was a year old.

He spent four years of his early childhood in Germany when his father, a United States Air Force officer, was sent out on assignment.

After returning to Virginia, the McDonnells permanently established residence in Fairfax County.

McDonnell's mother worked at Mount Vernon.

McDonnell graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1972.

McDonnell attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a BBA in management in 1976.

Immediately following graduation, he served as a medical supply officer in the United States Army for four years.

His military posts were medical clinics in Germany from 1976 to 1979, and in Newport News, Virginia, from 1979 to 1981.

In addition, he took night classes and received an MS in business administration from Boston University in 1980.

After leaving active duty in 1981, McDonnell worked for the American Hospital Supply Corporation, primarily in the custom products regional division.

His career path shifted from business to law and public policy when he selected a joint degree program at Christian Broadcasting Network University now known as Regent University.

He represented the 84th district in Virginia Beach.

He obtained an M.A./J.D. there in 1989.

During his studies, McDonnell interned under Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-California).

McDonnell first ran and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991, defeating Democratic incumbent Glenn McClanan 53%–47%.

He later served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2006, and was attorney general of Virginia from 2006 to 2009.

A member of the Republican Party, McDonnell was elected governor of Virginia after using the campaign slogan "Bob's for Jobs."

He won re-election in 1993 against Thomas Carnes 64%–36%, and was unopposed in 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2003, serving seven terms.

Under the 1998–2001 power-sharing arrangement between House Republicans and Democrats, he was Co-Chair of the Committee on the Chesapeake and its Tributaries in 2000–01.

The 1999 election against the extremely popular challenger, Sheriff Frank Drew was then the most expensive State Delegate campaign in the history of Virginia.

The combined cost of over $985,000 crushed previous records.

He defeated Democratic state Senator Creigh Deeds by a 17-point margin in the 2009 general election, which was marked by the severe recession of the late 2000s.

McDonnell succeeded Democrat Tim Kaine, who was term-limited by Virginia law.

After taking office as governor, McDonnell advocated privatization and promoted offshore drilling for Virginia.

He moved to extend a contract to outsource the state's computer operations and sought to fund transportation improvements from asset sales, including a proposal to auction off liquor stores operated by the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The state's unemployment rate declined from 7.4% in January 2010, when McDonnell took office, to 5.2% in December 2013, comparable to the decline in the national unemployment rate from 9.8% to 6.7% during the same period.

McDonnell's governorship ended with a 55% to 32% approval to disapproval rating among registered voters.

McDonnell also served on the executive committee of the Republican Governors Association.

On January 21, 2014, McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were indicted on federal corruption charges for receiving improper gifts and loans from a Virginia businessman.

They were convicted on most counts by a federal jury on September 4, 2014.

McDonnell, the first Virginia governor to be indicted or convicted of a felony, was sentenced on January 6, 2015, to two years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

However, he was free on bond during the subsequent appeals process.

On June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously overturned McDonnell's conviction and remanded the case to a lower court.

Less than three months later, the Justice Department announced that they would not prosecute the case again and moved to dismiss the charges against the former governor and his wife.

The case cost McDonnell over $27 million in legal bills.

McDonnell currently serves as a professor at Regent University and runs the McDonnell Group, a real estate consulting firm, with his sister.