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Rahm Emanuel        

First Jewish Mayor of Chicago & Former White House Chief of Staff

Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician who served as the 55th mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 23rd White House Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010, and as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Chicago between 2003 and 2009.

Emanuel attended Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1981. His first post-graduation job was with the consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. In 1988, Emanuel served as the national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and in 1989 he became the senior adviser and chief fundraiser for Richard Daley's campaign for the Chicago mayorship. During this time, he raised an unprecedented $7 million for Daley.

Emanuel's fundraising abilities helped win him a job as director of finance for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992. Following the campaign, Emanuel became a senior adviser in the Clinton White House, where he was responsible for organizing the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1993. He was also a leading strategist in the unsuccessful push for universal healthcare in 1994.

Emanuel left the White House in 1998, and in 2000, President Clinton named Emanuel to the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, best known today as Freddie Mac. During this time, it is estimated that Emanuel made more than $18 million. Emanuel resigned from the board in 2001, during his successful run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In January 2007, the new Democratic majority elected Emanuel to serve as chair of the Democratic Caucus—the fourth-highest ranking member of House Democratic leadership. Emanuel accepted the position of White House chief of staff for newly elected President Barack Obama.

In 2010, Emanuel left his post as chief of staff to run for the Chicago mayorship, and on February 22, 2011, he won the election. He served as Chicago’s mayor from 2011 to 2019 as the first Jewish Mayor of Chicago.

Just hours after leaving office, the magazine publisher The Atlantic, where Emanuel has written a dozen essays in recent months, made him a “contributing editor." In May 2019, he was named founding executive chair of the National BAM Advisory Council of the Becoming A Man youth program. In June 2019, Emanuel joined Centerview Partners as a senior counselor. In July 2019, it was announced that Emanuel would be joining ABC News as a contributor.

Emanuel is married to Amy Rule, whom he met on a blind date. The couple has three children, a son, Zachariah, and daughters Ilana and Leah.

News


Rahm Emanuel's big speech and the future of Chicago
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday delivered what was one of the most important speeches of his second term. It addressed the city's issues with policing, as well as its growing epidemic of violence. In 2016, Chicago's homicide rate skyrocketed and is on pace to top 700, up from 480 over last year.
Rahm Emanuel Defends $24 Million In School Upgrades ...
Despite a staggering state and city deficit and ongoing pension crisis, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is defending his recently-revealed plan to spend $24 ...

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