Karl Rove

Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bush's senior advisor, chief political strategist, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff in charge of policy.

Early life and political experiences

High school and college

Rove was raised in Colorado and Nevada, the second of five children. His family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when Rove was in high school. At Olympus High School, Rove began his involvement in politics in 1968: In a 2002 Deseret News interview, Rove explained, "I was the Olympus High chairman for (former United States Senator) Wallace F. Bennett's re-election campaign, where he was opposed by the dynamic, young, aggressive political science professor at the University of Utah, J.D. Williams." http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,450019080,00.html Williams took Rove under his wing, leading to Rove's internship with the Utah Republican Party. in 1970, Rove was sent to Illinois to help on the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Ralph Tyler Smith for the U.S. Senate

Related Topics:
Colorado - Nevada - Salt Lake City - Utah - Olympus High School - Deseret News - United States Senator - Wallace F. Bennett - J.D. Williams - Intern - Utah Republican Party - Illinois - Ralph Tyler Smith - U.S. Senate

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The Dixon campaign incident

In 1970, Rove used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Illinois Democrat Alan Dixon and stole some letterhead, which he used to print fake campaign rally fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing," and distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters. Rove admitted the incident later, saying "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it." (The Washington Post, 7/23/99).

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A part in the Watergate saga

On August 10, 1973, as a protégé of Donald Segretti (later convicted as a Watergate conspirator)http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0529,ridgeway,66005,6.html, in the midst of the Watergate scandal, Rove was the subject of a Washington Post article titled "Republican Party Probes Official as Teacher of Tricks." The article, which was sourced to tape-recorded conversations, reported how the 22-year-old Rove and a colleague had been touring the country giving young Republicans "dirty tricks" training, complete with stories of derring-do such as the incident at the Dixon headquarters. At the request of then-Chairman of the Republican National Committee George H.W. Bush, Rove was questioned by the FBI. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/rove/cron.html Rove's contemporary Lee Atwater signed an affidavit stating that the admissions caught on tape, including the Dixon incident, were made merely "in jest." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/rove/cron.html

Related Topics:
Donald Segretti - Watergate - Scandal - Washington Post - Republican Party - Dirty tricks - Republican National Committee - George H.W. Bush - FBI - Lee Atwater

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The Republican National Committee investigated and exonerated Rove, who blames political opponents from his chairmanship race for spreading false allegations.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/rove072399.htm

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Watergate veteran and Republican critic John Dean corroborates the investigation of Rove during Watergate: "...Based on my review of the files, it appears the Watergate prosecutors were interested in Rove's activities in 1972, but because they had bigger fish to fry they did not aggressively investigate him." http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/03/31/dean/index1.html

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Adoption, divorce, and suicide

Rove learned at age 19, during his parents' divorce, that the man who raised him, a mineral geologist, was not his biological father. Rove has expressed great love and admiration for his adoptive father and for "how selfless" his love had been. Rove's mother committed suicide in Reno, Nevada, in 1981 (New Yorker profile http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/030512fa_fact3).

Related Topics:
Reno, Nevada - New Yorker

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Dropping education in favor of politics

Rove dropped out of the University of Utah in 1971 to become the Executive Director of the College Republican National Committee and held this position until 1972, when he became the National Chairman (1973-1974). In this role, Rove had access to powerful politicians and government officials of the Republican party, and formed ties with George H. W. Bush, then Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1973-1974).

Related Topics:
Dropped out - University of Utah - College Republican National Committee - George H. W. Bush - Republican National Committee

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Weddings and family

In 1976, Rove married Houston socialite Valerie Wainright, who divorced him in 1979. In 1986, Rove married Darby Hickson, a graphic designer and former employee of Rove & Co. They have one child together, son Andrew. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/030512fa_fact3

Related Topics:
Valerie Wainright - Darby Hickson

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