Tom Rooney (born March 24, 1968) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 27th district from 2016 to 2019. Previously, he served as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Rolling Meadows and as a member of the Rolling Meadows city council.

Personal life

Rooney received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in History from Loyola University Chicago and an M.P.A. from

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

. He is a graduate of

Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) District 202, is a four-year public high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston ...

and was elected Youth Governor in the Illinois State Youth and Government program. He and his wife, Sue, have four sons: Chris, Brian, Adam, and Christopher. He has taught social studies at

West Leyden High School West Leyden High School is a high school in Northlake, Illinois. First opened for enrollment in 1959, the athletic mascot of West Leyden High School was originally the Knights until 1981. At this time, the East and West Leyden High School athleti ...

for over 20 years, and continued to teach while serving in the legislature.

Political career

In 2000, he was appointed to a vacancy on the Rolling Meadows city council, and he was re-elected in 2001 and 2005. He decided not to run for re-election in 2009 due to his commitment to term limits. In 2011, he was elected Mayor of Rolling Meadows and ran unopposed for a second term in 2015. In the

2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were se ...

, Rooney was a delegate pledged to the

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

of Marco Rubio. In September 2016, he was appointed to the Illinois Senate to replace outgoing Senator Matt Murphy. In the 2018 general election, he lost 52%-48% to Democratic candidate

Ann Gillespie Ann Gillespie is a retired American actress who became an Episcopal priest, and is currently the Senior Associate Rector at Church of Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Jackie Taylor, mothe ...

References

External links

Profile
at Illinois General Assembly {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney, Tom Republican Party Illinois state senators Living people People from Rolling Meadows, Illinois Loyola University Chicago alumni Northern Illinois University alumni Illinois city council members Mayors of places in Illinois 21st-century American politicians 1968 births