1. Marshall Clement Sanford Jr., the eldest son of Marshall and Peggy Sanford, was born May 28,1960, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was given the nickname Mark so he wouldn't be confused with his father.
2. As children, Mark and his siblings—John, Bill, and Sarah—spent their summers and holidays with their parents on the family farm in Beaufort County, S.C.
3. The summer after Mark's junior year of high school, his father, a cardiologist, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Later that summer, his father moved Mark, his mother, and siblings permanently to their South Carolina farm.
4. Sanford studied at Furman University, where he earned a B.A. in business. He went on to get an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia. After graduation, he worked at the New York office of Goldman Sachs. While in New York, he went by his birth name, Marshall. Upon returning to South Carolina, he switched back to using Mark.
5. Mark married Illinois native and Georgetown alumni Jenny Sullivan in 1989. The couple met in the Hamptons while they both were working in New York.
6. In 1994, with no previous political experience, Sanford was elected to Congress. One promise he made during his campaign was to serve only three terms. Sanford kept his promise and left Congress in 2001.
7. While in the House, he didn't accept his allowance for housing; he slept in his office instead.
8. Sanford was elected governor of South Carolina in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. As governor, he holds "Open Door After Four" sessions at his office. These sessions allow citizens a five-minute appointment to speak with him.
9. Sanford celebrated his election and re-election as governor with barbecues. He preferred a casual celebration to the traditional inaugural ball. Both barbecues were held at the Watermelon Shed at the state farmers' market in Columbia.
10. Sanford's hobbies include windsurfing, working on his family farm, and running.
Sources:
Almanac of American Politics
Biography Resource Center
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
Greenville (S.C.) News
Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)
Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
US States News
State (Columbia, S.C.)
SC.gov
Updated on 3/12/09
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