Charle Crist American politician, Republican, 44th and current governor of Florida Date of Birth: 24.07.1956 Country: USA

1. Charlie Joseph Crist Biography
2. Political Career
3. Personal Life
4. Crist's term as Governor of Florida ended in January 2011.

Charlie Joseph Crist Biography

Charlie Joseph Crist Jr. was born on July 24, 1956 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. His family soon moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. His father was of Greek descent and his mother had Scottish and Irish ancestry. Crist is the second of four children, with three sisters. The name Crist is a shortened form of the Greek surname Cristodulu.

Crist attended school and graduated in 1974, where he became class president. He later attended the University of Florida, where he served as vice president of the student society. In his senior years, he played as a defensive player in American football and played for two years in the Wake Forest University team before transferring to the University of Florida. Crist received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in Alabama.

Political Career

Prior to becoming the Governor of Florida, Crist held the position of Florida State Senator, headed the Department of Education, and served as Attorney General. He won the 2006 elections with 52.5% of the votes against his opponent Jim Davis and assumed office on January 2 of the following year.

As Governor, Crist broke away from the Republican Party's policies on the economy and environmental protection. He worked closely with President Obama's administration on the anti-crisis project, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Crist also opposed certain types of coastal oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and objected to the use of state funds to purchase land for Everglades expansion.

During the 2008 presidential elections, Crist actively campaigned for Republican candidate John McCain. However, his stance on homosexuality has sparked controversy. He supported efforts to ban same-sex marriages in Florida and opposed allowing homosexuals to become adoptive parents, believing that traditional families provide the best conditions for children.

In May 2009, Crist announced that he would not seek re-election as Governor, but instead planned to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Mel Martinez. However, due to low results in the primary elections, Crist decided to run for the Senate as an independent candidate.

Personal Life

Crist has been married twice. His first marriage took place while he was still a student, but it lasted only about a year. In 2008, he married Carole Rome, a successful businesswoman.

Crist's term as Governor of Florida ended in January 2011.