Bruce Rauner | |
---|---|
42nd Governor of Illinois | |
Assumed office January 12, 2015 |
|
Lieutenant | Evelyn Sanguinetti |
Preceded by | Pat Quinn |
Personal details | |
Born |
Bruce Vincent Rauner February 18, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Wessel (1980–1993) Diana Mendley |
Children | 6 |
Residence | Executive Mansion |
Education |
Dartmouth College (BA) Harvard University (MBA) |
Website | Official website |
Bruce Vincent Rauner /ˈraʊnər/ (born February 18, 1957) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He is the 42nd and current Governor of Illinois, serving since January 12, 2015. Prior to his election, he was the Chairman of R8 Capital Partners and Chairman of the private equity firm GTCR, based in Chicago. He was the Republican nominee in the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election and defeated Democratic incumbent Governor Pat Quinn.
Bruce Rauner was born in Chicago and grew up in Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb 25 miles north of Chicago. His mother, Ann (née Erickson), was a nurse, and his father, Vincent Rauner, was a lawyer and senior vice president for Motorola. He has three siblings, Christopher, Mark, and Paula, and is of half Swedish and half German descent.
Rauner graduated summa cum laude with a degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He later received an MBA from Harvard University.
Rauner was the Chairman of private equity firm GTCR, where he had worked for more than 30 years, starting in 1981 after his graduation from Harvard through his retirement in October 2012. A number of state pension funds, including those of Illinois, have invested in GTCR.