Jim Gilmore
James Stuart "Jim" Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician. He was the United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from July 2019 until January 2021. He was the 68th Governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Jim Gilmore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe | |
| In office July 2, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Dan Baer |
| Succeeded by | Michael R. Carpenter |
| 68th Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 17, 1998 – January 12, 2002 | |
| Lieutenant | John Hager |
| Preceded by | George Allen |
| Succeeded by | Mark Warner |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office January 18, 2001 – December 5, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Marc Racicot |
| 38th Attorney General of Virginia | |
| In office January 15, 1994 – June 11, 1997 | |
| Governor | George Allen |
| Preceded by | Stephen Rosenthal |
| Succeeded by | Richard Cullen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Stuart Gilmore III October 6, 1949 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Roxane Gatling
(m. 1977; died 2024) |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA, JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1971–1974 |
| Unit | 650th Group, Military Intelligence Corps |
| Awards |  Joint Service Commendation Medal |
Gilmore ran for President of the United States in 2008, but lost the primaries to John McCain. Gilmore announced his launch for his 2016 United States presidential campaign on July 30, 2015.[1] He withdrew after poor polling numbers on February 12, 2016.
In November 2018, Gilmore was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. Representative to United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.[2] His nomination was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on May 23, 2019.[3]
Early life
changeGilmore was born in Richmond, Virginia. His parents were Margaret Evelyn (née Kandle), a church secretary, and James Stuart Gilmore, Jr., a grocery store meat cutter.[4] He graduated from John Randolph Tucker High School and received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in 1971.
Early career
changeGilmore was elected Commonwealth's Attorney of his native Henrico County in 1987 and 1991, and then was first elected to statewide office in 1993 as Virginia's Attorney General.[5] Gilmore resigned in 1997 to run for Governor, also joining the law firm of LeClairRyan as a partner.[6]
Governor of Virginia (1998-2002)
changeGilmore was elected Governor of Virginia in 1997, winning 56% of the vote to Beyer's 43%.[7] He was inaugurated on January 17, 1998.
In his first year as Governor, Gilmore pushed for car tax reduction legislation that was eventually passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Gilmore signed an executive order reducing state spending by all agencies, except for education, to keep the state's budget balanced during the economic downturn.
In 1999, Gilmore proposed and signed into law legislation that reduced tuitions at public colleges and universities by 20%. Gilmore created the nation's first state Secretary of Technology. As Governor, Gilmore signed into law legislation establishing a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent for women seeking an abortion, as well as a ban against partial birth abortion.
The Virginia Constitution forbids any Governor from serving consecutive terms, so Gilmore could not run for a second term in 2001. He was succeeded by Democrat Mark Warner, who took office in early 2002.
2008 Senate campaign
changeIn the November election, Gilmore was defeated, winning only 34 percent of the vote to Warner's 65 percent. Gilmore only carried four counties in the state – Rockingham, Augusta, Powhatan and Hanover. In many cases, he lost in many areas of the state that are normally reliably Republican.[8]
2008 presidential campaign
changeOn December 19, 2006, Gilmore announced he would form an exploratory committee to "fill the conservative void" in the race. On January 9, 2007, Gilmore officially filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to form the Jim Gilmore for President Exploratory Committee.[9]
On July 14, 2007, Gilmore announced that he was ending his campaign. Gilmore said that it would be "impractical" to run, citing the difficulty of raising enough money to be competitive in early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.[10]
2016 presidential campaign
changeGilmore announced that he would run for president in his second presidential campaign for the 2016 presidential election on July 30, 2015.[11][12] His campaign was headquartered in Henrico, Virginia. He withdrew after the New Hampshire primary due to poor debate and polling performances on February 12, 2016.[13]
Ambassadorship
changeGilmore was considered for the position of United States Ambassador to Germany by the Trump Administration,[14] but ultimately not chosen. In November 2018, Gilmore was nominated as the next U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe with the rank of ambassador.[2] He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 23, 2019.[3] He was sworn-in on July 2, 2019.
Personal life
changeIn 1977, Gilmore married Roxane Gatling. Together, they have two sons. Gatling died in August 2024 at the age of 70.[15]
References
change- ↑ Hoffman, Bill (July 28, 2015). "Jim Gilmore on 2016: 'There's Still Room' for Serious Candidates". Newsmax.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts". The White House. November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "PN124 — James S. Gilmore — Department of State". U.S. Congress. May 23, 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ↑ Reitwiesner, William Addams. "The Ancestors of Jim Gilmore". Wargs.com. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ↑ "James S. Gilmore, III". Archived from the original on 2008-03-29. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ↑ Nagourney, Adam. "Times Topics: James S. Gilmore III". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ↑ "Nov97 Gen Election Results for Governor by Congressional District and Locality". Archived from the original on 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ↑ "Results by county for 2008 Senate election". Voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ↑ Lewis, Bob (December 19, 2006). "Former Va. governor opens exploratory GOP White House campaign". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2005-11-21. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
- ↑ Mike Allen, "Gilmore drops out of the race", The Politico, July 14, 2007
- ↑ Cain, Andrew (July 7, 2015). "Former Va. Gov. Gilmore says he will run for president". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- ↑ Hoffman, Bill (July 28, 2015). "Jim Gilmore on 2016: 'There's Still Room' for Serious Candidates". Newsmax.com.
- ↑ "Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore Suspends Presidential Campaign". NBC News.com. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ↑ Gearan, Anne. "Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore on shortlist for ambassador to Germany". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
- ↑ "Roxane Gilmore, former first lady of Virginia, dies at age 70". AP News. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
Other websites
change
- Official Senate campaign website
- Virginia Patriot, Gilmore's official blog (former presidential site redirects here)
- Official MySpace profile
- Gilmore's website as governor of Virginia, January 1999