Pat Quinn (Democrat) has served the people of Illinois - both as a citizen and a public official - for more than a quarter of a century. He has organized grassroots petition drives, signed by more than four million signatures from voters, in favor tax reform, tougher consumer protection laws, and giving citizens a stronger voice in government. As Governor, Quinn serves as an advocate for consumers, taxpayers, and military men and women and their families. He also spearheads countless initiatives that foster a cleaner environment and encourage economic development in historic business districts and rural communities.

On January 29, 2009, Pat Quinn was sworn in as the 41st Governor of the State of Illinois.

Standing Up For Illinois
Governor Quinn has led countless efforts to help people across Illinois, serving as chairman of the Illinois Delegation to the Great Lakes Commission, the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, the Illinois Main Street Advisory Council, the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council and the Broadband Deployment Council. As Chair of the Illinois River Coordinating Council (IRCC), Governor Quinn works with environmentalists and conservationists to address the economic, environmental and recreational viability of the Illinois River and its tributaries. Governor Quinn has been a strong proponent of the Mud-to-Parks initiative, an innovative award-winning environmental project using sediment dredged from the Illinois River in Peoria to create new parklands and restore landfill sites as far away as Chicago. In addition, Governor Quinn led the grassroots drive to protect Plum Island - an Illinois River island that serves as a refuge for nesting bald eagles - from the developer's bulldozer.

Governor Quinn's office administers Illinois Main Street, helping historic downtown business districts preserve their architectural treasures and revitalize their local economies. Under Governor Quinn's leadership, in partnership with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois Main Street has grown to include 67 communities. Illinois Main Street represents one of the state's most effective public-private partnerships for economic development and community renewal.

Since the mid-1980s, Governor Quinn has placed dozens of successful health care referendums on the ballot in communities throughout Illinois. In 2001, he walked 167 miles across Illinois, from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, to promote the Bernardin Amendment, which calls for decent health care for everyone. Since then, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor created the Walk Across Illinois program, an online health initiative encouraging adults and children in Illinois to walk at least 167 miles over the course of a year. As of July 2007, participants in Walk Across Illinois had logged more than one million miles.

In 2003, Governor Quinn led the successful citizen movement to establish the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to families of National Guard members and reservists called to active duty. His office also maintains one of the country's most widely accessed websites, www.OperationHomefront.org, which offers information to military personnel, their families, and civilians seeking opportunities to support our troops.

Successful State Treasurer
Governor Quinn served as State Treasurer from 1991 through 1995. His Linked Deposit program helped more than 25,000 Illinois families and businesses obtain $2 billion in bank loans to support affordable housing, small business expansion and agriculture. As State Treasurer, he won passage of the Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act, a landmark bill empowering taxpayers to file lawsuits to root out fraud and waste in state government. Governor Quinn also championed the Inspector Misconduct Act, to prohibit state employees from demanding campaign contributions from the businesses and individuals they inspect and regulate.

A longtime consumer advocate, Governor Quinn launched the 1983 drive to create the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a statewide membership organization that supports safe, reliable and affordable utility service. Since then, Governor Quinn has remained in the forefront of efforts to prevent heat shut-offs in the winter, to reduce monthly service charges imposed by utilities and to battle against rate increases for utility consumers.

In 1976, Governor Quinn led the largest petition drive in state history, ending the century-old practice of allowing Illinois legislators to collect their entire salary on their first day in office. In 1980, he organized the Cutback Amendment to reduce the size of the Illinois General Assembly - the first and only Illinois constitutional amendment ever adopted by citizen initiative.

Governor Quinn graduated from Fenwick High School, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Northwestern University School of Law. He was elected commissioner of the Cook County Board of (Tax) Appeals in 1982, served as the City of Chicago's revenue director and was a member of a local school council. He is the author of How to Appeal Your Property Taxes...Without a Lawyer.

Governor Quinn has two sons and lives in Springfield at the Governor's Mansion.