Governor Rod Blagojevich: Biography

Rod Blagojevich was sworn in as the 40th Governor of Illinois on January 13, 2003.

As Illinois’ chief executive officer, Gov. Blagojevich is working aggressively to create jobs, build stronger communities and provide Illinois families with the tools they need to improve their lives.

One of the Governor’s highest priorities is improving the quality of education in Illinois. Over the first three years of his administration the governor has worked hard to ensure education funding increased by nearly $2.3 billion, making Illinois the top rated state in the Midwest for its increases in education funding. This past legislative session the Governor fulfilled his 3-year, $90 million plan to send 25,000 more children to pre-school. Pre-K Now, a leading national early childhood advocacy group, ranks Illinois among the top states in the nation for early childhood education.

Before becoming Governor, Blagojevich was a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, prosecuting domestic abuse cases and felony weapons charges, making him a strong advocate for tougher sentencing laws when he was elected to the General Assembly in 1992.

In 1996, he was elected to represent Illinois’ 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, he distinguished himself as an advocate for education, securing funding for after-school tutoring programs. He was also a leader in the fight to establish a Patients’ Bill of Rights, to assure prompt access to mammograms, and to require higher safety and care standards at nursing homes.

He graduated from Northwestern University in 1979 and earned his law degree from Pepperdine School of Law in 1983.

Visit Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign website

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