Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph " Pat" Quinn III ( born December 16, 1948 in Hinsdale, DuPage County, Illinois ) is an American politician (Democratic Party) and since 29 January 2009, the 41st Governor of the State of Illinois.
Private life
Quinn grew up in Hinsdale, where he attended the resident Catholic Elementary School St. Isaac Jogues. He then graduated in 1967 at Fenwick High School in Oak Park. Then he went to Georgetown University, where, in 1971 made his Bachelor in Economics. A few years later, in 1980, he earned his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law. In addition, he was a lawyer in tax matters before embarking on a public career.
Quinn is divorced and has two sons.
Political career
Since 1975, Quinn has organized several petitions regarding consumer protection laws, tax reform and strengthening of civil rights. In 1983, he led the campaign to create the Citizens Utility Board. In 2001, he traveled through Illinois, from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan to raise awareness that everyone needs a decent health care.
Quinn was elected in 1982 to the Commissioner of the Cook County Board of Property Tax Appeals and was later Director of the Revenue City of Chicago. Then he was from 1991 to 1995 Minister of Finance ( Treasurer ) of Illinois. In this role, he cut the budget every year, so that the taxpayer earned $ 848 million capital gains.
In November 2002, Quinn was elected to the side of Rod Blagojevich for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, and re-elected on November 7, 2006. During this time, his priorities were to protect taxpayers and consumers to help reduce environmental impact, in promoting proper health care and assistance to members of the armed forces and their families.
Governor of Illinois
On 29 January 2009 Governor Blagojevich was removed from office by a unanimous vote of the State Senate of his office. Basic him were alleged corruption offenses; among other things, he should have tried to "sell" the vacant seat of the new U.S. President Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate against financial assistance to. Shortly after becoming aware of these allegations in December 2008, Quinn had an interview already distanced himself from Blagojevich and stated that he had since August 2007 not even spoken to this. Moreover, the Governor announced 've had, Quinn was not part of his reign.
Immediately after Blagojevich's impeachment Pat Quinn was sworn in as the new governor. In November 2010, he sat down at the gubernatorial election by a narrow margin of 19,000 votes to Republican Bill Brady by and became the first elected in its own term in office. His running mate was Sheila Simon, the thus taking the since Quinn's ascent to the governor vacant lieutenant governor office. What was remarkable was that conclusion that Quinn only has three of the 102 counties of Illinois win a majority against Brady: In addition to the St. Clair County and the Alexander County he succeeded in Cook County, located in the approximately 43 percent of the population of Illinois are. Here he lay with a vote share of 64.3 percent of the foundation for his victory. In January 2011 he began a full term of four years as governor.
On 9 March 2011, he signed a law abolishing the death penalty in the state of Illinois, which entered into force on 1 July 2011.
Pat Quinn announced in spring 2013, to apply to the gubernatorial election of 2014 as one full term as Governor of the State of Illinois. The intra-party Democratic primaries from March 18, 2014 he won clearly with 71 percent of the vote. For the Republicans, the businessman Bruce Rauner could scarce prevail and will get the Quinn in the gubernatorial election on November 4, 2014.