Sharon Paul

**Sharon Louise Paul** (née **Ericksson**; born July 12, 1949) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as Governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019, and was the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential election. Prior, Paul served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 3rd congressional district from 2007 to 2011, and as the Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia from 2003 to 2007.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Paul graduated from Tupelo High School in 1967. She later attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating with her degree in human and organizational development in 1971. Afterwards, Paul moved to Atlanta, Georgia and received her MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1973. Paul remained in Atlanta, and began working in executive positions at Wahlmann Group, a distributor of farm-grown goods to stores and supermarkets. She left the company in 2003, in order to begin a career in politics.

In 2002, Paul launched her campaign for Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia. She went on to secure the Republican nomination, and later easily won the general election. While serving her first term, she announced her campaign for Georgia's 3rd congressional district of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. She went on to win the Republican nomination after receiving the endorsement of Governor John Summers, and went on to win the general election. She launched her campaign for Governor of Georgia in 2010, later winning the election in a landslide victory. She was reelected for a second term in 2014. In 2015, Paul announced her campaign for President of the United States. Originally seen as an outsider, she began polling higher after strong debate performances and amassing considerable support amongst Southern voters. She went on to win the Republican nomination and selected U.S. Senator from Nevada Carter Marsh as her running mate. The Paul/Marsh ticket eventually lost the general election to Governor of Michigan Henry Williamson and his running mate U.S. Senator from North Carolina Alexandra Damon.

After her election defeat, Paul returned to her role as Governor of Georgia, and remained a prominent name in Republican politics. Her final term as Governor expired in 2019, and she was succeeded by Adam Keyes. Following the swearing in of Keyes, Paul announced her retirement from politics in order to prioritize her family life and assist in electing younger Republicans into office.

## Early life and family

Paul was born on July 12, 1949 in Tupelo, Mississippi to parents Jon (1922–1998) and Mary Ericksson (née *Sanderson*; 1925–2004). Her father was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a Swedish family, while her mother grew up in Tupelo in a family of English descent. Jon moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the 1940s due to his career as an architect, which is where he met Mary who was studying education at Oglethorpe University; Mary later began working as an elementary school teacher in Tupelo. They married in 1947, and later returned to Mary's hometown of Tupelo to settle down. Paul's father was a Lutheran while her mother was a Southern Baptist, and Paul was raised largely within the Southern Baptist church. Paul is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Michael, born  (1952-03-17) March 17, 1952 (age 71).

## Education and early career

Paul attended public schooling in Tupelo, beginning her education in 1956. She began high school at Tupelo High School in 1963, where she was a varsity cheerleader and honors student. Paul graduated from high school in 1967, and later moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, Paul majored in human and organizational development with a concentration in international leadership and development, and was a member of the cheerleading squad. She also joined the Pi Beta Phi (ΠΒΦ) sorority, before graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1971.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Paul moved to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology. She graduated with her MBA in 1973. After finishing her education, Paul remained in Atlanta and began working at Wahlmann Group, a distributor of farm-grown goods to stores and supermarkets. In 1993, she became the chief operating officer (COO) of Wahlmann Group. Paul left her position at Wahlmann Group in 2003, in order to begin her political career.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Sharon Paul.*

## Personal life

Paul began a relationship with corporate attorney and venture capitalist Clark Paul in 1971, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. They became engaged in 1973, and married the following year. After their marriage, the couple purchased a six-bedroom home in Peachtree City, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. They have four children together: Eric, born  (1976-04-17) April 17, 1976 (age 47), Jennifer, born  (1978-06-12) June 12, 1978 (age 45), Maryanne, born  (1979-10-29) October 29, 1979 (age 44), and Patricia "Trish", born  (1982-08-05) August 5, 1982 (age 41).

Following her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul purchased a two-bedroom townhouse in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She sold the townhouse after her election as Governor of Georgia in 2010, and subsequently moved into the Georgia Governor's Mansion in Atlanta. After completing her final term as Governor in 2019, Paul sold her Peachtree City home and moved into an eight-bedroom home in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, valued at $5.6 million.