Emanuel, Rahm (1959-…), served as the mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. Emanuel, a Democrat, previously had been a United States congressman and the chief of staff for President Barack Obama. The chief of staff manages the White House staff and serves as a close adviser to the president.
Rahm Israel Emanuel was born in Chicago on Nov. 29, 1959. As a teenager, Emanuel studied ballet. The Joffrey Ballet offered him a scholarship, but instead he went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1981. He received a master’s degree in speech and communication from Northwestern University in 1985.
While still a student, Emanuel worked for several political campaigns. He earned a reputation as an effective fund-raiser. After college, Emanuel worked for Illinois Public Action, a consumer advocacy group. In 1988, Emanuel served as the national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
In 1989, Emanuel was the chief fund-raiser for Richard M. Daley’s campaign for mayor of Chicago. He served as finance director for Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign in 1992. From 1993 to 1998, Emanuel served in a number of roles on Clinton’s White House staff. He then worked as an investment banker. He also sat on the board of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).
In 2002, Emanuel won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented a district covering the north side of Chicago and several western suburbs. He was reelected in 2004, 2006, and 2008. In 2005, Emanuel was named chairman of the DCCC. From 2006 to 2009, Emanuel was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. In that position, he was the House’s fourth-ranking Democrat.
Emanuel resigned his congressional seat in January 2009, when Obama appointed him White House chief of staff. Emanuel stepped down from the White House position in October 2010. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to begin a campaign to become the city’s mayor. Emanuel won the election in February 2011. He was elected to a second term in 2015. As mayor, Emanuel faced such challenges as school funding shortfalls and underfunded public pensions. He garnered praise for the city’s work on such public works projects as mass transit upgrades and park expansion. He received much criticism, however, about his administration’s handling of police misconduct cases. Emanuel did not seek reelection in 2019.
In 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Emanuel to serve as United States ambassador to Japan. The Senate confirmed the nomination in December.
