Bob McDonnell

Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 44th attorney general of Virginia and in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Born in Philadelphia, McDonnell was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve. He later served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2006, and was attorney general of Virginia from 2006 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, McDonnell was elected governor of Virginia after using the campaign slogan "Bob's for Jobs." He defeated Democratic state Senator Creigh Deeds by a 17-point margin in the 2009 general election, which was marked by the severe recession of the late 2000s.

After taking office as governor, McDonnell advocated privatization and promoted offshore drilling for Virginia. He moved to extend a contract to outsource the state's computer operations and sought to fund transportation improvements from asset sales, including a proposal to auction off liquor stores operated by the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. He was barred by the Virginia Constitution from seeking a second consecutive term.

On January 21, 2014, McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were indicted on federal corruption charges for receiving improper gifts and loans from a Virginia businessman. They were convicted on most counts by a federal jury on September 4, 2014. McDonnell became the first Virginia governor to be indicted or convicted of a felony. He was sentenced on January 6, 2015 to two years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release; however, he was free on bond during the appeals process. On June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously overturned McDonnell's conviction. Less than three months later, the Justice Department announced that it would not prosecute the case again and moved to dismiss the charges against the McDonnells.

As of 2017, McDonnell served as a professor at Regent University and ran the McDonnell Group, a real estate consulting firm, with his sister.

McDonnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Emma B. Meta (née Meiller) and John Francis McDonnell. His family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1955 when he was a year old.^{[citation needed]}

He spent four years of his early childhood in Germany when his father, a United States Air Force officer, was sent out on assignment. After returning to Virginia, the McDonnells permanently established residence in Fairfax County. McDonnell's mother worked at Mount Vernon. McDonnell graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1972.

McDonnell attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a BBA in management in 1976. Immediately following graduation, he served as a medical supply officer in the United States Army for four years. His military posts were medical clinics in Germany from 1976 to 1979, and in Newport News, Virginia, from 1979 to 1981.