A portrait shot of a smiling, middle-aged Caucasian female (Kirsten Gillibrand) looking straight ahead. She has long blonde hair, and is wearing a dark blazer with a grey top; on her left lapel is a gold pin that reads "United States Senator". She is placed in front of a dark background.
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| Date of birth | December 9, 1966(age 50) | | Place of birth | Albany, New York, U.S. | | Birth name | Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik | | Nationality | American | | Political party | Democratic Party | | Spouse | Jonathan Gillibrand (m. 2001) | | Children | Theodore Gillibrand (b. 2003)
Henry Gillibrand (b. 2008) | | Residence | Brunswick, New York | | Alma mater | Dartmouth College (B.A.)
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (J.D.) | | Occupation | Attorney
Politician | | Religion | Roman Catholicism | | Assumed office | January 26, 2009 | | Serving with Chuck Schumer | | Preceded by | Hillary Rodham Clinton | | In office | January 3, 2007 - January 26, 2009 | | Succeeded by | Scott Murphy | | Preceded by | John E. Sweeney |
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Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand (c-enˈkɪərstən_ˈdʒɪlɨbrænd ; born December 9, 1966) is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to being appointed to the Senate by New York Governor David Paterson in 2009, she served two terms in the House of Representatives, representing New York's 20th congressional district.Gillibrand was born and raised in the Albany area. She is a 1988 graduate of Dartmouth College, where she majored in Asian studies. She received her Juris Doctor from UCLA Law School in 1991 and passed the bar the same year. She was an associate in the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in Manhattan before becoming a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner in Albany.Gillibrand won an upset congressional election in November 2006, beating four-term incumbent John E. Sweeney 53% to 47%. Her reelection campaign in 2008 against Sandy Treadwell was significantly easier, winning 62% to 38%. In December 2008, President Barack Obama nominated Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State, leaving an empty seat in the New York senate delegation. After two months and many potential names considered, Governor David Paterson appointed Gillibrand to fill the seat. Gillibrand was required to run in a special election in 2010, which she easily won with 63% of the vote. Her term ends in 2013 and she is currently running for reelection in 2012.Originally known in the House for conservative and centrist liberal views, since her appointment to the Senate, Gillibrand has been seen more as a progressive Democrat. In both cases, her viewpoints were significantly defined by her constituency (a heavily Republican congressional district versus a largely liberal US state). In the House, Gillibrand was an opponent of strict gun control, against amnesty for illegal immigrants, and she voted twice against the 2008 bailout of the US financial system. In the Senate she focused on support of gay rights, authored legislation to crack down on illegal guns and gun traffickers, scaled back her former support of gun rights, and changed her views on immigration through support of the DREAM Act; she is best known for successfully championing both the repeal of Don't ask, don't tell and the adoption of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.Gillibrand currently resides in Brunswick with her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, a venture capitalist and British national, and their two sons, Theodore and Henry.
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