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Mary Pat Christie (née Foster; born September 15, 1963) is an American investment banker who was the First Lady of
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
between 2010 and 2018. She is the wife of former New Jersey Governor and
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
presidential candidate
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...
.


Early life and education

Christie was born to an Irish Catholic family in the Philadelphia suburb of
Paoli, Pennsylvania Paoli ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 5,575. His ...
, the ninth of 10 children. She was Class President of the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
Class of 1985 (her husband was President of the Class of 1984). Christie earned her MBA at
Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...
in New Jersey.


Marriage

The Christies, both then recent graduates of the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
, were married in 1986. As newlyweds, they shared a studio apartment in
Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...
. She and her husband have 4 children: Andrew (b. 1993), Sarah (b. 1996), Patrick (b. 2000) and Bridget (b. 2003). The family resides in Mendham Township. Governor Christie has cited his wife's success as a bond trader as enabling him to have a relatively low-paid political career. When a colleague teased him about this, the Governor responded, "Listen, I just have three words for you: joint checking account. That money all lands in the same place, baby. It's fine by me." Mary Pat insisted that the family not move to the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
, so that the children would not have to change schools.


Career

Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in
investment banking Investment banking pertains to certain activities of a financial services company or a corporate division that consist in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated wit ...
, eventually working at a Wall Street investment firm located two blocks from the
World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
. On the day of the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, she lost cell phone reception and was unable to contact her family. She became a managing director at the
Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
investment firm Angelo, Gordon & Co.Laughlin, Alex
"Meet the Spouses of the 2016 Presidential Contenders"
''
National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes da ...
,'' April 13, 2015.
She left her position with Angelo, Gordon & Co. in April 2015, stating that she wanted to spend more time with her family.


Civic activity

When
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
devastated communities along the Jersey Shore in 2012, Mary Pat took a three-month leave from her job to set up and run the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund. Mary Pat heads the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, the Drumthwacket Foundation and New Jersey Heroes. She used her fundraising prowess again to assist Christie's campaign for President.


Presidential campaign

Mary Pat accompanied the Governor as he campaigned in 2015. When he had to return to New Jersey in January 2016 because as the blizzard of 2016 bore down on his state, Mary Pat stayed in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and substituted for the Governor at scheduled campaign stops.


References


External links

*
ABC News interview with Mary Pat campaigning in New HampshireChris Christie's Wife Mary Pat Christie: 'This is a Team Sport Running for President' ABC-TV feature story
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Mary Pat 1963 births American investment bankers American people of Irish descent Chris Christie First Ladies and Gentlemen of New Jersey Living people New Jersey Republicans People from Paoli, Pennsylvania People from Mendham Township, New Jersey People from Summit, New Jersey Seton Hall University alumni University of Delaware alumni