Jim Gilmore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Gilmore
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Official portrait, 2019
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| United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe | |
| In office July 2, 2019 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Dan Baer |
| Succeeded by | Michael R. Carpenter |
| 68th Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 17, 1998 – January 12, 2002 |
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| Lieutenant | John Hager |
| Preceded by | George Allen |
| Succeeded by | Mark Warner |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office January 18, 2001 – December 5, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Marc Racicot |
| 38th Attorney General of Virginia | |
| In office January 15, 1994 – June 11, 1997 |
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| Governor | George Allen |
| Preceded by | Stephen Rosenthal |
| Succeeded by | Richard Cullen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Stuart Gilmore III
October 6, 1949 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Roxane Gatling
(m. 1977; died 2024) |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA, JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | US Army |
| Years of service | 1971–1974 |
| Unit | 650th Group, Military Intelligence Corps |
| Awards | Joint Service Commendation Medal |
James Stuart Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician and diplomat. He also worked as a lawyer. He was the 68th governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002.
As a member of the Republican Party, Gilmore also led the Republican National Committee in 2001. Later, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. This was during the first Trump administration.
Gilmore grew up in Virginia. He earned two degrees from the University of Virginia. After college, he joined the U.S. Army. He worked as a counterintelligence agent. He was later elected to public office. He served as a county prosecutor and then as the Attorney General of Virginia. In 1997, he was elected Governor of Virginia.
After his time as governor ended in 2002, Gilmore ran for other offices. He tried to become a U.S. Senate member in 2008. He also sought the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the 2008 and 2016 elections, but was not successful.
In November 2018, President Donald Trump chose Gilmore to be the U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. This job has the same rank as an ambassador. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination on May 23, 2019. Gilmore officially started his role on July 2, 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Gilmore was born in Richmond, Virginia. His mother, Margaret Evelyn, was a church secretary. His father, James Stuart Gilmore Jr., was a meat cutter at a grocery store. He finished high school at John Randolph Tucker High School. In 1971, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.
Gilmore met his future wife, Roxane Gatling, in 1974. They met at a club meeting while he was a law student. They got married on August 6, 1977. They have two sons, Jay and Ashton Gilmore.
Military Service
In 1971, Gilmore joined the United States Army. He trained at the United States Army Intelligence Center in Arizona. He also studied foreign languages at the Defense Language Institute in California. For three years in the early 1970s, he worked in the 650th Military Intelligence Group. He served in West Germany during the Vietnam War. He spoke German fluently. He worked as a U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent.
Legal Career
Gilmore earned his law degree (J.D.) from University of Virginia Law School in 1977. Ten years later, he was elected as the Commonwealth's Attorney in Henrico County. He was re-elected to this position in 1991.
In 1993, he was elected as Virginia's Attorney General. He won against William D. Dolan III by a large number of votes. Gilmore left this job in 1997 to run for governor.
Governor of Virginia
In 1997, Gilmore ran for governor. He promised to hire 4,000 new teachers for public schools. He also promised to slowly remove Virginia's personal property tax on cars. Gilmore won the election with 56% of the votes.
Car Tax Reduction and State Budget
In his first year, Gilmore worked to pass a law to reduce car taxes. This law lowered taxes on cars worth less than $1,000. It also planned to slowly remove the tax on cars worth more than $1,000. The tax reduction was planned to reach 100% by 2002.
Around 2001, Virginia's economy slowed down. Tax money coming into the state decreased. The economy was also affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks. Despite this, Gilmore wanted to continue reducing the car tax. He signed an order to cut state spending in most areas, except for education. This helped keep the state budget balanced. When Gilmore left office in 2002, the state's "rainy day fund" (money saved for emergencies) had decreased.
Trade Missions and Job Creation
In April 1998, Gilmore traveled to Germany. He wanted to create more jobs and bring investments from German companies to Virginia. During his time as governor, he led several trade missions. These trips were to South America in 1999, Asia in 2000, and Europe again in 2001. These missions aimed to create jobs by encouraging international business with Virginia.
Education Reforms
The Gilmore Administration started new "Standards of Learning" in Virginia's public schools. These standards set a common plan for what students should learn in subjects like mathematics, science, English, and social studies. New tests were also put in place to check student learning. During Gilmore's term, students' test scores improved.
In 1999, Gilmore proposed a law that reduced tuition fees at public colleges and universities by 20%. He also created a special group to study how public colleges and universities were managed. This group helped create a plan to give more freedom to some universities. In return, these universities agreed to meet certain goals.
Promoting Diversity and Technology
Gilmore signed a law to create Virginia's first stand-alone Martin Luther King Holiday. Before this, Virginia celebrated a combined holiday. Gilmore and his wife hosted Coretta Scott King at the Governor's Mansion. He also helped fund a new African-American History Trail in Virginia. He asked the State Board of Education to include more diverse historical figures in the social studies curriculum. During his term, the learning gap between minority and white students became smaller. He also increased funding for two historically Black universities in Virginia.
Gilmore created the first state Secretary of Technology position in the nation. This role focused on technology for the state. They also created a statewide technology commission. They signed the nation's first complete state Internet policy into law.
Legal Decisions as Governor
As governor, Gilmore made decisions on various legal matters. He granted clemency (a reduction in punishment) to one inmate on death row because of mental illness. In another case, he pardoned Earl Washington Jr., a former death row inmate. This happened after DNA tests, which Gilmore ordered, showed another person was involved.
Gilmore also signed laws about women's health decisions. These laws included a 24-hour waiting period and required informed consent for certain medical procedures. He also increased funding for adoption services. He signed a bill that banned human cloning.
Later Political Campaigns
2008 Presidential Campaign
In December 2006, Gilmore announced he was thinking about running for President of the United States. He officially announced his campaign on April 26, 2007. He said he wanted to represent the "Republican wing of the Republican Party."
However, Gilmore ended his campaign on July 14, 2007. He said it was too hard to raise enough money to compete in early voting states.
2008 Senate Campaign
After his presidential campaign, Gilmore considered running for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia. The current senator, John Warner, was retiring. Gilmore wanted the Republican Party to choose its candidate at a convention, not a primary election. He believed a convention would be cheaper and would favor him. The party decided to hold a convention.
Gilmore officially announced his Senate campaign on November 19, 2007. He won the Republican nomination at the convention by a very close vote. In the November election, Gilmore lost to Mark Warner. He won only 34 percent of the votes. This was a difficult election for Republicans in Virginia.
2016 Presidential Campaign
On July 7, 2015, Gilmore said he planned to announce his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He officially filed his candidacy on July 29. He announced it with an internet video the next day.
Gilmore's campaign focused on several key issues. These included protecting the right to bear arms, improving border security, reforming healthcare, and strengthening America's economy.
Gilmore was one of the candidates with the lowest support in polls. He rarely received more than 1% in national polls. He did not qualify for most of the lower-tier debates. He continued his campaign even though he was not getting much support. He participated in one "undercard" debate in January 2016.
In the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses, Gilmore received only 12 votes. He then received 133 votes in the New Hampshire primary. He ended his campaign on February 12, 2016, before the South Carolina primary.
Appointments and Other Positions
During his time as governor, Gilmore led the Congressional Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. This group advised the United States Congress on taxing the Internet. The Commission's report suggested not taxing the Internet.
From 1999 to 2003, Gilmore chaired the Congressional Advisory Panel. This panel looked at how the U.S. could respond to terrorism involving dangerous weapons. This group was known as the Gilmore Commission. It gave five reports to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and to Congress.
From January 2001 to January 2002, Gilmore was the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Gilmore is the President & CEO of the Free Congress Foundation. This is a conservative think tank that he has renamed the American Opportunity Foundation.
He also served as Chairman of the National Council on Readiness & Preparedness. This program focuses on homeland security and community involvement. He is also President of USA Secure, a non-profit homeland security think tank in Washington, D.C..
From 2005 to 2017, he was on the board of directors for the National Rifle Association.
In 2021, Gilmore was interviewed by a UK-based think-tank. He discussed his time as United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. He also talked about the European Union, US - China relations, and the Biden Administration's foreign policy.
Ambassador to the OSCE
In November 2018, Gilmore was chosen to be the next U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. This role has the rank of ambassador. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination on May 23, 2019. Gilmore officially started his duties on July 2, 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Jim Gilmore para niños
- 2016 Republican Party presidential candidates
