Bernie Sanders

Bio:
Bernie Sanders (born Bernard Sanders on September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American politician. Bernie grew up in Brooklyn, attending P.S. 197 before enrolling in Brooklyn College for a year. Bernie transferred to University of Chicago, where he discovered his political interests. He was a member of the Young People’s Socialist League and active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In 1964, Bernie graduated with a degree in Political Science. That year, he married his first wife, Deborah Shiling, and the two bought a home in Vermont. By 1968, he was living in Vermont year-round and starting his political career. In 1971, he was a member of the Liberty Union Party. He ran as a candidate for Governor in 1972 and 1976 and for Senator in ’72 and ’74. In 1974, Bernie came in third. In 1981, Bernie ran for the mayor of Burlington, Vermont and won. He was reelected three more times. While mayor, Bernie championed a plethora of progressive agendas, including community-trust housing, environmental issues and the preservation of public space. Bernie ran for U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. He came in third. In 1990, he ran for the seat again and won, becoming the first independent elected to the House in 40 years. In 2005, Bernie announced he would replace Jim Jeffords in the Senate. He won the 2006 election and was reelected in 2012. In 2015, Bernie announced he would run for president in 2016.

Best Known For:
Bernie Sanders is best known as a politician from Vermont and the only serving Socialist in the US Congress.

Personal Life:
Bernie and Deborah divorced in 1966. His son, Levi, was born to Susan Campbell Mott in 1969. In 1988, Bernie married Jane Driscoll and helped raised her three children.