Glenn Youngkin recently won the election as the 74th governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has no real political background; he was considered an underdog by many. In fact, it may be his Democratic opponent’s comments regarding parents’ involvement in school that propelled Youngkin to victory. However, Youngkin has garnered great support, not only in his state, but also across the nation. The 2021 gubernatorial election garnered national attention as many political experts viewed the election as a “bellwether election” that showed the average American’s opinion on political happenings across the United States.
Youngkin has spent most of his life in the private sector, but he has brought a common sense approach to making life better for the average Virginian. He ran on a platform of decreasing taxes and increasing parental involvement in schools. He’s been labeled as a “populist with a Conservative leaning,” much like the former President Trump. However, Youngkin seeks to make his own mark on politics, resisting endorsements from prominent Republicans during his campaign.
| Celebrated Name: | Glenn Youngkin |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Glenn Allen Youngkin |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 55 |
| Birthdate: | December 9, 1966 |
| Birthplace: | : Richmond, VA |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 6 ft. 7 in. |
| Weight: | 180 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse | Suzanne Youngkin (nee’ Schulze) |
| Children/Kids: | Three Sons: Grant, John, and Thomas; One daughter: Anna |
| Dating/Girlfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Glenn Youngkin Gay? | No |
| Highest Political Office: | Governor of Virginia |
| Profession: | Businessman, Politician |
| Colleges Attended: | Rice University; Harvard Business School |
| Degrees: | Bachelor of Arts (Managerial Studies); Bachelor of Sciences (Mechanical Engineering); MBA |
| Salary: | $175,000 |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $440 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Glenn Allen Youngkin was born in Richmond, Virginia on December 9, 1966. His parents are Carroll Wayne and Ellis Quinn Youngkin. Youngkin’s family moved from Richmond to Virginia Beach when he was a teenager, and Glenn would attend school at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia. He played basketball, and he received numerous awards for his athletic prowess.
Youngkin would win a scholarship to Rice University in Houston, Texas. He was a member of the basketball team, and he played each of his four years in college. During his college years, Youngkin would score 82 points during his basketball career as well as 67 rebounds. Youngkin’s father also played basketball in college, playing for Duke University.
Youngkin would earn two degrees while at Rice. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Managerial Studies, and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He graduated from Rice in 1990. By 1994, he would earn an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Personal Life
Glenn Youngkin married his wife, Suzanne Schulze Youngkin, in 1995. Together, the couple have four children. They have three sons: Grant, John, and Thomas. They have one daughter, Anna.
The couple currently live in Great Falls, Virginia.
Youngkin is not shy when he shares that he is a devout Christian. His personal beliefs have a definitive influence on his political beliefs. He is a member of the vestry at his church, Holy Trinity Church, in McLean, VA. The church is a non-denominational church.
Age, Height, and Weight
Glenn Youngkin is 55 years old. His height lends to his past college career as a basketball player; he is 6′ 7″ in height. He is said to weigh approximately 180 pounds.
Net Worth
Glenn Youngkin has an estimated net worth of $440 million. Glenn Youngkin has been a businessman for most of his life. Youngkin would accept donations for his political campaign, but 40 percent of those monies would come from his own funds.
Forbes.com says that Youngkin has most of his sizable wealth from his stake in the Carlyle Group, which is only two percent since he retired in September 2020. He would shortly after announce a run at the governor’s office.
Career Outside of Politics
Most of Youngkin’s career has been outside of politics. In 1990, Youngkin would take a job at the First Boston investment bank. There, he was tasked with handling mergers and acquisitions. He also took care of capital market financing.
Later, the company would be bought out. It would then become Credit Suisse First Boston. However, Youngkin only worked there for two years. In 1992, he decided to go to Harvard to pursue his MBA.
In 1994, Youngkin would take a job with the McKinsey and Company management consulting firm.
By August 1995, however, Youngkin would become associated with the Carlyle Group. This private equity firm was located in Washington, D.C., so Youngkin was able to return home to his home state. By 1999, Youngkin was named a partner in the company. He worked as the managing director of Carlyle.
In 2000, the firm placed him over the United Kingdom buyout team. During this time, Youngkin worked both inside the United States and in the United Kingdom.
By 2009, the founders of the Carlyle Group would ask Youngkin to take on another task. This time they wanted him to be on the operating committee. Youngkin, along with seven others, would oversee day to day operations of the company. That same year, Youngkin would be a part of the executive committee. He co-chaired this committee with Daniel Akerson. Youngkin would become the interim CFO of the company when the position became open in 2010. However, by 2011, a new chief financial officer was appointed, so Youngkin was no longer tasked with this job.
Youngkin was the chief operating officer of the Carlyle Group from March 2011 to June 2014. He supervised the process of taking the company public. By June 2014, Youngkin was the chief operating officer as well as the co-president of the Carlyle Group. He worked with Michael J. Cavanaugh, who came to the company from JP Morgan Chase. The two would develop and implement growth initiatives as well as overseeing the day to day operations of the firm.
However, Cavanaugh left in 2015. This made Youngkin the president and chief operations officer of the Carlyle Group.
In 2017, the founders of the company announced that Youngkin would be co-CEO along with Kewsong Lee. This move also made Youngkin a member of the board as well. He and Lee would have many responsibilities together, and, under their leadership, the firm would become a corporation.
In July 2020, Youngkin announced his upcoming retirement from the company. In 2020, Youngkin and his wife would establish a nonprofit organization that would assist the unemployed with job training programs. This nonprofit was called the Virginia Ready Initiative.
Career in Politics
Glenn Youngkin was the underdog for much of the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race. Terry McAuliffe was an experienced politician, and Youngkin has spent most of his adult life in the private sector.
In late 2020, Youngkin announced his retirement. By January 2021, he had announced that he would be running for governor. Much of his campaign was self-funded. In fact, he spent at least $5.5 million of his own money to campaign.
Many Republicans – and most of his Democratic critics – wanted to paint Glenn Youngkin as a Donald Trump supporter. He was questioned multiple times regarding his beliefs on the 2020 presidential election and whether Joe Biden is a legitimate president. However, Youngkin distanced himself from “Trumpism” in a way that made him stand out among candidates. Youngkin saw both “never Trumpers” and Trump supporters as his constituency, and he handled questions regarding his opinions on the former president and the 2020 election well.
Youngkin wanted the election to be about local policies, and, although he stated he was honored to be endorsed by President Trump, he did not make his campaign about Trump, the election or Trump policies. However, much of the public recognized the populist nature of his campaign, much like Trump’s, and they made connections to the Trump Administration’s policies.
Throughout the campaign, Youngkin’s opponent tried to portray Youngkin as another Trump, but Youngkin built his own support among Virginians – perhaps with a little help from his Democratic opponent.
Youngkin had run on a platform that put parents in charge of their children’s education. All throughout 2021, parents in Virginia had clashed with their local school boards. However, in Loudoun County, parents and school board members had nearly come to blows over the disciplinary system in the schools as well as the curriculum. Things all came to a head when parents learned that a student had sexually assaulted a fellow student in a school bathroom, but, the superintendent of the schools had allegedly allowed the boy to transfer without informing the new school of the reason for the transfer.
Things were at a boiling point in Virginia when Terry McAuliffe told a reporter that parents had no business making educational decisions for their children. Youngkin was polling slightly behind McAuliffe at that time, but within days, Youngkin picked up in the polls. He outran McAuliffe all the way to the finish line, despite McAuliffe campaign appearances by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Obamas.
Youngkin’s election has been seen as a “bellwether election” for the upcoming 2022 mid-terms. He was supported by both Trump supporters and suburban Virginians who supported President Biden in the 2020 election.
