Karl Rove

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame
2009 Inductee

Karl Rove (born December 25, 1950) has been described as “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation…He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.” Those abilities, recognized by The Weekly Standard’s Fred Barnes, served Rove well in his professional posts as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000 to 2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004 to 2007.

Before holding key positions at the White House, Rove was known as the architect of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Prior to 2000, Rove built a highly successful public affairs company that worked for non-profit groups, non-partisan causes, and Republican candidates. His client list included U.S. Senators, gubernatorial candidates, and even the Moderate Party of Sweden. Rove himself was raised in a Scandinavian home.

Since leaving public service, Rove has become a contributor on Fox News Channel, writes a weekly op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, is a Newsweek columnist, and is completing a book to be published by Simon & Schuster. The New York Times has heralded Rove’s contributions to public debate for bringing substantive contributions to public discourse on politics.

Although not a native of the state, Rove has many ties to Texas, having attended and taught at University of Texas, Austin. He serves on boards for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas State History Museum Foundation, and is a member of the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors and the Texas Philosophical Society.

Karl and his wife, Darby, have one son, Andrew.