Gavin Newsom is the governor of California. He was born on October 10, 1967, in San Francisco, California, to William Alfred Newsom III, a lawyer and California state appeals court judge, and Tessa Thomas Menzies, a waitress, secretary, paralegal, and businesswoman.

Early Life and Career

Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in political science in 1989. He has spoken publicly about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, a learning disability. After divorcing, Newsom’s mother worked multiple jobs to raise him and his sister.

In 1992, Newsom opened a wine shop in San Francisco with investment help from family friend Gordon Getty. Newsom and his partners later expanded into a profitable slate of restaurants and wineries known as the Plumpjack Group.

Political Career

Newsom began his political career in 1995, volunteering for Willie Brown’s successful San Francisco mayoral campaign. In 1996, Mayor Brown appointed Newsom to San Francisco’s Parking and Traffic Commission. Newsom was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1997 and was elected to the board in 1998, being reelected twice.

On November 4, 2003, Newsom garnered about 42% of the vote in the first round of San Francisco’s mayoral election. He was elected mayor of San Francisco with almost 53% of the vote in the runoff election on December 9, 2003. Newsom served as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

As mayor, Newsom ordered the city and county of San Francisco to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the state law banning same-sex unions. The California Supreme Court later ruled that Newsom exceeded his authority and invalidated the marriages of more than 4,000 same-sex couples.

In 2011, Newsom was elected California’s lieutenant governor, a position he held until 2019. He was elected governor of California in 2018 and has been serving in that position since January 2019.

Personal Life

Newsom has been married twice, first to Kimberly Guilfoyle from 2001 to 2006, and then to Jennifer Siebel Newsom in 2008. He has four children with Jennifer Siebel Newsom: Montana, Hunter, Brooklynn, and Dutch. Newsom is a Catholic and has spoken about the importance of his faith in his life.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.