John Kendrickson

**John Henry Kendrickson** (born March 12, 1961) is an American politician who is currently the 46th President of the United States, beginning his tenure in 2017. He previously served as Governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2017, in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011, and in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.

Kendrickson was born to a middle-class family in suburban Neenah, Wisconsin. Raised his whole life in Neenah, Kendrickson graduated from Neenah High School in 1979 as valedictorian, and moved to Evanston, Illinois to attend Northwestern University. He graduated from Northwestern with a degree in political science in 1983. Following his graduation, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend University of Michigan Law School, graduating with his juris doctor in 1986. Following his graduation, Kendrickson became a constitutional lawyer and professor, teaching constitutional law at his alma mater, University of Michigan Law School, from 1994 to 2000. Kendrickson represented Michigan's 53rd district in the Michigan House of Representatives for two terms, from 2001 to 2005, before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 12th congressional district, from 2005 to 2011. In 2010, Kendrickson was elected Governor of Michigan and left Washington, D.C. for Lansing, Michigan. He was reelected in 2014 for a second and final term.

In 2016, Kendrickson was nominated to be the Democratic nominee in the 2016 United States presidential election. He went on to win the general election, defeating Republican nominee Eloise Castro. He was sworn in as president on January 20, 2017.

## Early life, education, and career

Kendrickson was born to a middle-class family in suburban Neenah, Wisconsin. His father, Thomas Kendrickson (1927–2011), was an English-American tailor, while his mother, Mary Kendrickson (née Magnussen; 1932–), was a housewife of Swedish and Norwegian heritage. Kendrickson was raised with an elder sister, Ella (1959–), who works in marketing and resides in Chicago. Kendrickson attended public schooling in Neenah, graduating from Neenah High School in 1979 as his class's valedictorian. He ran for senior class president, but lost the election, receiving the lowest amount of votes of the four candidates. After graduating from high school, Kendrickson enrolled in Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, as a political science student. He graduated *magna cum laude* with a bachelor's degree in 1983.

After graduating from Northwestern University, Kendrickson left Illinois and settled in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he began studying at University of Michigan Law School. He graduated with his juris doctor in 1986 and passed the Michigan Bar Exam, receiving admission to the Michigan bar. Kendrickson worked in constitutional law for several years in Ann Arbor, before beginning a career as a law professor at University of Michigan Law School, teaching courses in constitutional law from 1994 to 2000.

## Political career

### Michigan House of Representatives

Kendrickson began his political career in 2000, after announcing his campaign for the Michigan House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 53rd district. Kendrickson went on to win the election in a landslide, taking his seat on January 1, 2001. Kendrickson was reelected for a second term in 2002, but did not run for a third, instead leaving his seat in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.

### U.S. House of Representatives

Shortly after announcing that he'd not be seeking a third term as a Michigan state representative, Kendrickson announced his campaign for Michigan's 12th congressional district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2004, he won the Democratic primary by a landslide, and defeated his Republican opponent, Geoffrey Brown, by a large margin in the general election. Kendrickson went on to be reelected in 2006 and 2008, but did not run for a third term due to his run for Governor of Michigan.

### Governor of Michigan

In 2010, Kendrickson announced his candidacy for Governor of Michigan, hoping to succeed previous governor Giovanni D'Antonio who had been barred from running due to term limits. During summer 2010, Kendrickson won the Democratic primary by a large margin. He went on to face his Republican opponent and former Lieutenant Governor Charles Harvey. Expected to be a close race, Kendrickson narrowly defeated Harvey by two percentage-points. He was reelected in 2014, but did not serve the entirety of his term due to his election as President of the United States, officially leaving office on January 20, 2017. His term was completed by his Lieutenant Governor Fiona Clarke.

### President of the United States

On May 27, 2015, Kendrickson officially announced his bid for President of the United States. In the Democratic primaries, he faced opposition from Senators Andrew Schwartz of Connecticut and Tim Davis of Wisconsin, Governor of Washington Freddie Smart, and Mayor of Washington, D.C. Wayne Richardson. Soon, Kendrickson and Davis emerged as the frontrunners in the race, with Smart dropping out prior to the beginning of the primary elections, and Schwartz and Richardson dropping out during primary elections.

On July 26, 2016, Kendrickson was officially confirmed by the Democratic National Committee to be the Democratic candidate in the 2016 United States presidential election, naming Senator Delia Waterton of New Hampshire as his running mate. He faced off against his Republican opponent, Senator Theodore York of Kentucky, in the general election on November 8, 2016. The Kendrickson-Waterton ticket went on to win both the popular vote and electoral college, with Kendrickson being elected as president. He later went on to announce his cabinet and was sworn in as president on January 20, 2017.

## Personal life

Kendrickson met Lisa Marie Bartholomew while both were students at University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor. They began dating in 1985, and married in 1989. After their marriage, the couple purchased a house in Ann Arbor, where Kendrickson claimed residence, and where they resided permanently until Kendrickson's election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005. They have two children; Elizabeth Eleanora "Ellie" Kendrickson (born January 16, 1992) and Eric Joshua Kendrickson (born December 24, 1994). After being elected as a U.S. Representative, the family purchased a townhouse in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., valued at $2.4 million. After being elected Governor of Michigan, the family moved into the Michigan Governor's Mansion in Lansing.

Kendrickson was raised in the Lutheran religion, while Bartholomew is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. Both have stated that their children were raised "both Christian and Jewish", and that they'd be able to choose what faith they wanted to pursue as adults.