John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland (born May 24, 1957 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is the Governor of Connecticut. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them.
Personal Facts
Rowland's family has lived in Connecticut for more than 200 years. His father and grandfather each served as comptrollers for the City of Waterbury.
Rowland attended Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, where he was on the school's wrestling team. After graduating from Holy Cross, he advanced to Villanova University. He has since received honorary degrees from the University of New Haven, the University of Hartford, and Teikyo Post University.
In January of 2003, Rowland was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame after receiving the "Outstanding American" Award.
Political Facts
A member of the United States Republican Party, Rowland's political career began in 1980 when, at age 23, he was elected to the Connecticut State Legislature. He held his seat until 1984, when he was elected to represent Connecticut's 5th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, where he served 3 consecutive terms.
Rowland was first elected governor in 1995 at age 37, and is currently in his third term, having defeated Democrat Barbara Kennelly 63%-35% in 1998 and another Democrat, Bill Curry, 54%-46% in 2002.
Corruption Scandal
In January 2004, an official investigation began into charges of corruption, and whether he should face impeachment. The allegations, which had been rumors long before they officially broke, include charges that contractors doing business with the state paid for improvements to Gov. Rowland's cottage, that he benefitted improperly from the sale of a condominium in Washington, D.C. at an inflated price, that he took gifts from his inferiors in Connecticut state government, and that he has a pattern of taking partial ownership in businesses immediately before they are granted state contracts.
The scandal was exacerbated when the Governor's wife, Patty Rowland, read a caustic/sarcastic/satiric poem deriding the media & press for investigating her husband's admitted wrong doing.
On April 30, 2004, a special investigation panel started the impeachment process.
On June 21, 2004, Rowland's lawyers announced that he would resign. The resignation would go into effect at noon on July 1, 2004. The announcement followed a decision (on June 18) by the Connecticut Supreme Court that would have required Rowland to testify before the investigative panel.