Born in Winchester, VA, Rick Santorum received his Bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1980, MBA from University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and JD from Dickinson School of Law in 1986.
After serving a number of Pennsylvania state political posts, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 and again in 1992. In 1994, Santorum was elected to the United States Senate, where he served until January 3, 2007. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to that seat in 2006.
According to Santorum’s campaign website, he was, along with John Boehner and Jim Nussle, a member of the “Gang of Seven” that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office Scandals. He was also an author of the Welfare Reform Act in 1996. He served for eight years on the Senate Armed Service Committee.
“During his time in elected office, Rick Santorum fought for the preservation of the traditional American family and for the protection of the most vulnerable in our society,” his website states. “Rick was the author of legislation outlawing the heinous act known as partial-birth abortion and he championed the fight to pass the “Born Alive Infant Protection Act” and the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act.” He also authored legislation to advance adult stem cell research, so that ethical research could take place to fight debilitating diseases without the moral implications associated with embryonic stem cell research that destroys human life.”
Santorum led the Senate floor debate in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment in two consecutive Congresses and also wrote the “Workplace Religious Freedom Act.”
After leaving the Senate, he has been involved in a number of private and non-profit organizations, including the Susan B. Anthony List, Americans United for Life and the National Organization for Marriage. He has also created the “Program to Protect America’s Freedom” at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has spoken at university campuses around the country about the need for the next generation of leaders to defend the nation.
Santorum wrote the 2005 New York Times Best Seller, It Takes a Family. He and his wife, Karen, have seven children.