Serving U.S Senator Rob Portman is, by all means, an ambitious politician who is making his mark in the U.S political arena and has a track record of never losing elections. Portman who started his higher education by getting a degree in Anthropology got influenced in the latter days of his life and subsequently switched his interests to politics. This in turn prompted him to get a degree in Law.
Senator Rob Portman’s Bio
The U.S Senator was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 19, 1955, and his full name is Robert Jones Portman. He had his high school education at Cincinnati County Day School and upon finishing high school in 1974, he went to Dartmouth College where he got involved in politics and after graduation, Portman is said to have worked on the campaign team of Bill Gradison who influenced him a lot and subsequently he enrolled himself in the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1984 with his Juris Doctor degree.
Portman after earning his J.D degree had his first job as a legal practitioner with Patton Boggs Law firm but later he moved to Graydon Head & Ritchie Law Firm where he was later made an associate. He commenced his career in the U.S government in 1989 when he worked for George H.W Bush, and later as a Congressman, a position he maintained from 1993 to 2005 representing Ohio and playing key roles in the passing of bills like the Welfare Reform Bill and the Balanced Budget Agreement.
Upon leaving Congress, Senator Rob Portman got several White House Appointments which included being a United States Trade Representative; a position which President George W Bush personally bestowed upon him given Portman’s history of being a good negotiator and a decent man. Senator Rob Portman also served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget after he was nominated once more by President George W Bush and his tenure was a successful one as he is said to have been a supporter of fiscal discipline.
After his resignation from his post as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, he worked with Squire Sanders for a couple of years before he declared his intentions to run for Senate in 2011 which he eventually won and he has been inactive practice till date.
His Family Life
A look at the family lineage of Senator Rob Portman shows that his paternal heritage comes from Switzerland as his great-grandfather immigrated from there to the U.S. Sources also have it that he has a mixed ancestry of Scots Irish, English, and German ancestry.
His family owns The Golden Lamb Inn located in Ohio and it is a family inheritance that was passed on by Robert Jones who bought it far back in 1926 and with the help of Virginia Kunkle Jones (who was his fiance at the time), transformed the Inn and managed it till 1969 when it was given out on lease to the Comisar family.
Portman’s father is the owner of the Portman Equipment Company, a forklift dealing company that he started from scratch with only five employees but which later grew to accommodate well over 300 staff members. Although the Portman family was never interested in politics, sources have it that Senator Rob Portman could have gotten his entrepreneurship political outlook courtesy of his upbringing around highly business-minded people.
The U.S Senator is happily married to his partner Jane Dudley since 1986. The couple has 3 children together named Joseph Dudley Portman, William Dudley Portman, and Sarah Dudley Portman.
5 Facts You Need To Know About Rob Portman
1. He was Speculated as the U.S Vice Presidential Candidate
As it was common knowledge that Senator Rob Portman gave his unwavering support to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential elections many speculated that Romney would pick him to serve as vice president, however, that was not the case as Portman discarded such speculations.
2. He Supported the Move to re-establish the Violence Against Women Act in 2013
Portman is among the U.S Senators in 2013 who gave their votes to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Acts and he also went further to lend his support to prevent human sex trafficking.
3. Concerning Gay Marriage
Senator Rob Portman made history as the first Republican serving senator to lend his support to gay marriage. The decision was said to have been influenced by the fact that his son William is gay.
4. How Did he Meet his Wife Jane?
Portman and Jane were set up to meet on a blind date by Jane’s aunt and uncle who happen to be friends with Portman’s mum and dad. The pair were matched primarily because of their love for making adventurous trips and as at the time they were being matched, Jane just come back from the Himalayas on a hiking trip and Portman was set to go to China for a kayaking adventure.
After their first date, the pair stayed in touch and when they ended up living in the same city in Washington D.C., they became an item and everything subsequently led to the family they have today.
5. His Wife Jane Used to be a Democrat
Strange as it sounds, Republican Senator Rob Portman got married to a Democrat but eventually, his wife Jane is said to have shifted alliances to support her husband after he agreed to be a Methodist. The family is now said to go to Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church.
