38th Governor of California, November 17, 2003 -
(Republican)

Born:  July 30, 1947, in Graz, Austria

Marriage:  Maria Shriver (1986), 4 children

Well-known in California for his Hollywood roles as Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger emerged as the victor in a field of 135 candidates on the ballot to replace recalled Governor Gray Davis.

Early Life

As a teenager growing up in Austria, Arnold's passion was weight lifting. He was 20 years old when he won his first "Mr. Universe" title. In the years to follow, he was awarded thirteen championships, including Mr. Olympia, Mr. World, and four more Mr. Universe titles. Arnold moved to the United States in 1968, at the age of 21. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in business.

Career

Schwarzenegger is best known for his bodybuilding titles and his starring role in films, from his 1970 debut in Hercules in New York to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, released in 2003. Throughout his acting career, Schwarzenegger has participated in a variety of business ventures including real estate, fitness gyms, diet products, and the Planet Hollywood chain of restaurants.

Promoting sports and fitness programs for children is a focus for Schwarzenegger, who has been a training coach for the Special Olympics. In 1995 he founded the National Inner-City Games Foundation as an alternative year-round program for urban youth. As National Chairman, he actively oversees programs in 15 cities across the U.S. plus Arnold's All-Stars, providing enrichment activities in all California middle schools. Schwarzenegger served as Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1990-93.

As
Governor

During his first term, Schwarzenegger resolved California’s budget crisis. He eliminated the unpopular surplus tax on vehicles. Schwarzenegger called for a special election in 2005, launching what he referred to as his “reform agenda.” The voters, however, rejected all of his propositions (teacher tenure requirements, use of union dues for political campaign contributions, state budgetary spending limits, redistricting). This defeat led him to work more closely with legislative members of the opposite party. Together they passed bills to raise the minimum wage, reduce global warming, and improve California’s roads and levees.

Schwarzenegger was reelected by a large margin in 2006. At his inauguration, he stated “We must think of ourselves as belonging not just to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, but to the Party of California … because California is a collective ideal worth preserving.”