Gov. Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn was sworn in as the 41st Governor of Illinois on January 29, 2009 and won election to a full term in 2010. Governor Quinn has served the people of Illinois for 35 years as both a citizen advocate and public official.

Governor Quinn has worked to restore integrity to state government with strong new ethics laws, while making job creation and economic growth his top priority. When the Governor took office during the worst recession since the Great Depression, Chrysler’s Belvidere, Ill. plant had 200 jobs. Today that same plant employs more than 4,500 workers.

After inheriting decades of financial mismanagement in Illinois, Quinn has worked to restore fiscal stability by cutting spending to historic lows and enacting major reforms to the pension, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and Medicaid systems. Governor Quinn has also made education a top priority, signing landmark education reform to improve school report cards and set clear benchmarks for teacher evaluations that have served as a model for the nation.

Under Governor Quinn’s leadership, Illinois has moved forward on social justice. Quinn abolished the death penalty, improved nursing home conditions and successfully fought for marriage equality for all Illinois couples.

Born in Chicago and raised in suburban Hinsdale, Quinn graduated from Northwestern University School of Law and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He is the father of two sons and lives on the west side of Chicago.