Pat Quinn (politician)

Pat Quinn
Quinn in 2013
41st Governor of Illinois
In office January 29, 2009 – January 12, 2015
Lieutenant	Vacant (2009–2011) Sheila Simon (2011–2015)
Preceded by	Rod Blagojevich
Succeeded by	Bruce Rauner
45th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
In office January 13, 2003 – January 29, 2009
Governor	Rod Blagojevich
Preceded by	Corinne Wood
Succeeded by	Sheila Simon
70th Treasurer of Illinois
In office January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995
Governor	Jim Edgar
Preceded by	Jerome Cosentino
Succeeded by	Judy Baar Topinka
Commissioner of the Cook County Board of Appeals
In office 1982–1986
Personal details
Born	Patrick Joseph Quinn, Jr. (1948-12-16) December 16, 1948 (age 75) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Julie Hancock ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1986)​
Children	2
Residence(s)	Chicago, Illinois
Education	Georgetown University (BS) Northwestern University (JD)
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Patrick Joseph Quinn Jr. (born December 16, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Illinois from 2009 to 2015. A Democrat, Quinn began his career as an activist by founding the Coalition for Political Honesty.^[1] He was elected lieutenant governor in 2002 and served under governor Rod Blagojevich. After Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office in 2009, Quinn assumed the governorship. He secured a full term in office in the 2010 gubernatorial election, but lost his bid for a second term in the 2014 gubernatorial election to his opponent Bruce Rauner.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is a graduate of Georgetown University and Northwestern University School of Law. Quinn began his career as a tax attorney in private practice before working as an aide to then-Illinois Governor Dan Walker. He was elected to one term as a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Appeals, serving from 1982 to 1986; he later served as revenue director in the administration of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. Quinn was elected Treasurer of Illinois in 1990 and served one term.

In Illinois' 2002 gubernatorial election, Quinn won the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in the primary and was paired with then-U.S. Representative Rod Blagojevich in the general election. He was sworn into office as lieutenant governor in 2003. Both Quinn and Blagojevich were reelected in 2006. Quinn assumed the governorship on January 29, 2009, after Governor Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office on corruption charges.

Quinn was narrowly elected to a full term in office in 2010, defeating Republican State Senator Bill Brady by a margin of less than 1% out of about 3.5 million votes cast. Quinn was narrowly defeated in 2014 by Republican candidate Bruce Rauner.^[2] Quinn unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois in 2018.^[3]