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Quick Facts
- NAME: Sarah Palin
- OCCUPATION: U.S. Governor, Reality Television Star
- BIRTH DATE: February 11, 1964 (Age: 49)
- EDUCATION: Wasilla High School, University of Idaho
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Sandpoint, Idaho
- Maiden Name: Sarah Louise Heath
- AKA: Sarah Palin
- ZODIAC SIGN: Aquarius
Best Known For
Sarah Palin, McCain's 2008 running mate, is the second woman and first Republican female to run for vice president on a U.S. major party's ticket.
Videos see all videos
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Sarah Palin - Early Life (2:30)
Sarah Palin - 2008 Presidential Campaign
In 2008, then Presidential hopeful John McCain nominated Sarah Palin to be his running mate in his Presidential campaign.
Sarah Palin - Becoming Governor
In 2006 Sarah Palin took on the incumbent Republican Governor of Alaska and eventually went on to defeat the Democratic challenger to become Governor.
Sarah Palin - Entering Politics
Sarah Palin's first foray into politics was in 1994 as part of the city council in Wasilla, Alaska. And in 1996 she decided to run for Mayor of Wasilla
Sarah Palin - Early Life
Sarah Palin's early life in Alaska was shaped by family, faith and the community around her.
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Play NowSarah Palin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 05:12, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398.
Sarah Palin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Sarah Palin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 05:12 http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398.
"Sarah Palin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Sarah Palin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Sarah Palin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398.
Sarah Palin, http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Sarah Palin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho. Palin entered politics in 1992. In 2006, she became the youngest and first female governor of Alaska. John McCain picked her as his running mate in 2008. After her campaign lost the 2008 presidential election, Palin returned to her home state of Alaska to finish her term as governor.
Early Life
Politician. Born Sarah Louise Heath on February 11, 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. At the age of three months, she moved to Alaska when her parents came to teach school in Skagway in southeast Alaska. Sarah Palin's father, Charles, was a science teacher and track coach. Her mother, Sally, was a school secretary. Palin grew up in the small town of Wasilla, about 40 miles north of Anchorage. In 1982, she played on Wasilla High School's state champion girls' basketball team, picking up the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her intense playing style. An outdoors enthusiast, Palin grew up as an avid hunter and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, eating moose hamburgers and riding snowmobiles.
After graduating from Wasilla High in 1982, Sarah Palin wore the crown of Miss Wasilla in 1984 and was the runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. She also became a television sports reporter in Anchorage.
Palin eloped with her high school sweetheart, Todd Palin, on August 29, 1988, and helped run his family's commercial fishing business after their marriage. Todd, who is part Yu'pik Eskimo, also worked for BP at a Prudhoe Bay processing facility. He took leave from the company when his wife became governor to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Throughout their marriage Palin and her husband had five children: Bristol, Willow, Piper, Track and Trig.
Entry into Alaska Politics
In 1992, Palin decided to enter the political arena. Running as on the Republican ticket, she won a seat on the Wasilla City Council by opposing tax hikes and, four years later, she was elected mayor of Wasilla, knocking off three-term incumbent John Stein 651 to 440. As mayor, Palin cut property taxes and reduced spending. She also raised the city sales tax by half of a percent in order to build a popular sports complex and put more money into public safety. Mayor Palin also effectively used the system of congressional earmarks, collecting $26.9 million in such funding, according the independent watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Palin ran her first statewide campaign in 2002 in a bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, but lost by fewer than 2,000 votes. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski appointed Sarah Palin to chair the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2003. She resigned a year later in protest over what she perceived to be the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, including Republican Party Chair Randy Ruedrich. In 2006, Palin won the Republican primary for Governor, defeating Murkowski.
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Influential Women of Washington
View groupWhen the 19th Amendment was ratified, women were finally given the right to vote, and over the years many courageous women have stepped onto the national political stage as well. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress and almost a century later Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina woman to serve on the Supreme Court. And within the last two decades, the esteemable Hillary Clinton has served as First Lady, a New York senator and Secretary of State. These women, and many more, are setting the stage for the future of female leaders in Washington.
Visit Biography.com's Women's History group to explore more biographies, photos and videos of some the world's most fascinating women."
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View groupWhen it comes to the campaign trail, these politicians aren't just hungry for votes, they're also hungry for the regional grub... (although, considering they are indeed politicians, they probably know that being seen gorging at a local eatery doesn't hurt in the PR factor). Explore our photographic homage on the art of political eating and realize that at least in this arena, all parties can come to an agreement that it does their image good. Click here for photo gallery: http://ow.ly/dsxzd
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