Rod Blagojevich biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Politician. The youngest of two children, Rod Blagojevich was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 10th, 1956. His father, Radisa Blagojevich, was an immigrant steel plant laborer from Serbia, and a former Nazi prisoner during World War II. His mother, Millie, was the child of immigrants from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and worked as a ticket-taker for the Chicago Transit Authority. The family lived in a working class immigrant neighborhood in Chicago.

Rod and his older brother, Rob, were immersed in their parents' cultures from an early age. They spoke fluent Serbo-Croatian to their father, whose English was limited. They were also part of a folk music group their mother made them join, which required them to wear traditional dress, play instruments and sing Serbian love songs. Rod, however, admits that his musical idol was Elvis Presley, a man whose lyrics he would later turn to for inspiration when making political speeches.

Blagojevich referred to his performance in school as "mediocre," once calling a D he received in his high school algebra class "a case of grade inflation." But the young man spent his time out of school working hard; he took on odd jobs as a shoe shiner, a pizza delivery boy, and a meat packer to help the family pay the bills. As a teenager, Blagojevich was also an avid sports fan who played on the basketball team and trained briefly to be a Golden Gloves boxer.

Young Lawyer

After graduation, Blagojevich enrolled at the University of Tampa. He spent two years in Florida before transferring to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. To afford college, he began working for the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System as a dishwasher. In 1979, Blagojevich received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern, and entered Pepperdine University Law School in Malibu, California, soon after.

After graduation, Blagojevich enrolled at the University of Tampa. He spent two years in Florida before transferring to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. To afford college, he began working for the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System as a dishwasher. In 1979, Blagojevich received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern, and entered Pepperdine University Law School in Malibu, California, soon after.

Friends and acquaintances during this time remember Blagojevich as a voracious student with an impressive knowledge of U.S. presidents. Blagojevich was also talked about as one of the more socially conservative students in the class, who didn't drink or socialize much. "We would go see the Clash and paint our hair purple and Rod wouldn't go," one of his classmates remembers.