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Rahm Emanuel was elected the 55th mayor of Chicago on February 22nd, 2011 and was sworn in on May 16th, 2011.
A native of Chicago with three terms representing his North Side district in Congress, Rahm Emanuel is deeply rooted in the life of the city.
Emanuel most recently served as the White House Chief of Staff in President Barack Obama's administration. During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the passage of key milestones such as the economic Recovery Act, Wall Street reform, and health care reform - increasing access and decreasing costs for millions of Americans. In August, Emanuel played a crucial role in securing a bipartisan compromise that saved 140,000 teacher's jobs - and protected 5,700 jobs in Illinois.
Prior to his role in the administration, Emanuel served three terms in the House of Representatives representing Chicago's 5th District, which includes the Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and Uptown neighborhoods. While there, he proved to be a strong, effective voice for Chicago neighborhoods.
Emanuel was a fierce advocate for Chicago families, serving on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes, trade, Social Security, and Medicare. He also served on the Subcommittees on Health and Select Revenue.
In addition to his legislative efforts, Emanuel worked hard to directly serve the Chicago residents in his district through "Congress on Your Corner," in which he and his staff set up shop in local grocery stores to talk with constituents about their needs. During tax season, he provided free tax preparation and college financial aid clinics.
In 2007, Emanuel was elected to serve as House Democratic Caucus Chair, the fourth highest position in Democratic leadership. In the first 100 legislative hours under his watch, Democrats passed sweeping ethics reform, restored fiscal responsibility to the budget process, strengthened the U.S.' national security by implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, increased minimum wage, expanded stem cell research, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, cut interest rates on student loans, and ended the subsidies for big oil by investing in renewable energy.
In 2005, Emanuel was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. His aggressive leadership helped propel Democrats to pick up 30 House seats in the 2006 election - and regain the Democratic majority.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Emanuel served as a key member of the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1998, rising to serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy. He played a key role in passing the COPS initiative, which added 100,000 cops to our streets and helped drop crime rates to a 26-year low. Emanuel also worked in the private sector for Chicago investment bank Wasserstein Perella. He began his career at Illinois Public Action, the state's largest public interest organization.
Emanuel graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981 and received a Master's Degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985.
Rahm is married to Amy Rule, and they have three children, Zach, Ilana, and Leah. His family's home is in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood.
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