ct_gov_ROWLAND

GOVERNOR JOHN ROWLAND

• Rowland was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he has lived his entire life and his family has been located for more than 200 years. His father and grandfather both served as City Comptroller in Waterbury. His family owns an insurance firm, which Rowland helped manage prior to his election to Congress.

• Rowland graduated from Holy Cross High School and VillanovaUniversity with a degree in business administration in 1979.

• One year later, at age 23, he defeated a four-term Democratic State Representative, taking a seat in the state House that had not been won by a Republican in more than a century.

• In 1984, at age 28, Rowland challenged three-term incumbent Democratic Congressman William Ratchford and successfully unseated him. RowlandÂ's tenure in the House was marred by the House bank scandal and a subsequent investigation that revealed Rowland wrote 108 overdrafts on his House bank account, a total higher than all but 49 of the 303 current and former members who wrote overdrafts.

• Rowland left the House in 1990 to run for governor. He won the Republican nomination but finished second behind Independent Lowell Weicker in a three-way race. In 1994, with Weicker out of the race, Rowland defeated Democrat Bill Curry in a four-way race and became the youngest governor in Connecticut history.

• Rowland divorced his first wife, Deborah, in 1994 and married his second wife, Patricia, after he was elected Governor. Hhas three children by his first marriage and shares custody of his second wifeÂ's two children.

• A friend of Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, Rowland crossed party lines to donate money to Lieberman's re-election campaign and suggested that the GOP should consider endorsing Lieberman. The Republican Party ignored his suggestion.

• Rowland, who is 41, is currently the youngest governor in the country.