Jim Doyle (born November 23, 1945) is the current and 44th Governor of Wisconsin. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party. He defeated the incumbent republican governor, Scott McCallum in 2002, by a margin of 45%-41%. The race was influenced by a libertarian candidate, Ed Thompson who received 10% of the vote. Doyle took office in January 2003.
Personal background
Governor Doyle was born in Madison, Wisconsin to James E. Doyle Sr. and Ruth Bachhuber Doyle. Doyle is married to Jessica Laird Doyle and they have two adult sons, Gus and Gabe. Doyle's parents were founding members of the modern Democratic Party in Wisconsin. James E. Doyle, Sr. ran for governor in 1954 and was appointed as a federal judge in 1965. Ruth Doyle was the first woman from Dane County to be elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1948.
Doyle attended Stanford University for three years, then returned home to Madison to finish his senior year at UW-Madison. After graduating from college, Doyle left for Africa to work as a teacher in the Peace Corps, inspired by John F. Kennedy’s call to public service.
In 1972, Doyle earned his law degree from Harvard University. Doyle then moved to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona where he worked as an attorney in a federal legal services office.
In 1975, Doyle returned to Madison, was elected Dane County District Attorney and served three terms from 1977 to 1982. After he left that office, he spent eight years building his own private law practice until he was elected Wisconsin Attorney General in 1990. Doyle was reelected as Attorney General in 1994 and 1998.
During his 12 years as Attorney General, Doyle distinguished himself in office by fighting for people and fighting for change. He was a national leader in the fight to improve public health through his successful lawsuit against the tobacco industry. He successfully fought to restore public confidence in criminal sentencing, make our schools and streets safer, protect consumers from fraud, and prosecute environmental polluters. Doyle also served as the president of the National Association of Attorneys General from 1997 to 1998.
