About Jim Doyle

Since taking office in 2003, Governor Jim Doyle has worked hard to move Wisconsin forward, fighting to make Wisconsin more affordable for middle class and working families.

Personal History – the Peace Corps, a Prosecutor, and Governor

Governor Jim DoyleBorn on November 23, 1945, to James E. Doyle Sr. and Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, Governor Doyle and his three sisters grew up in Madison.

Governor Doyle’s parents were founding members of the modern Democratic Party in Wisconsin and he credits them for instilling him with a strong commitment to public service, and an unwavering desire to improve the lives of working families.

Governor Doyle and the First Lady, Jessica Laird Doyle, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Inspired by John F. Kennedy’s call to public service, after college Jim and Jessica joined the Peace Corps, working for two years as teachers in Tunisia, Africa.

The Peace Corps showed Jim and Jessica just how big a difference a committed person can make in the lives of others – and taught them lessons about service that they would carry with them for a lifetime.

After Jim graduated in 1972 from Harvard Law School, their commitment to service brought Jim and Jessica to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Jim provided legal services for families who couldn’t afford it, while Jessica taught children to read.

After adopting their first son, Gus, the couple moved back to Wisconsin, where they always knew they wanted to raise their family. Three years later, they adopted a second son, Gabe. The Doyle family now includes a grandson, Asiah.

In 1976, Jim was elected Dane County District Attorney, and spent three terms putting hardened criminals behind bars – sometimes for life. When he left that office, he spent eight years building his own private law practice. He was elected Wisconsin’s Attorney General in 1990.

Jim was reelected as Attorney General in 1994 and 1998, gaining a reputation as a fighter for working people and the middle class, taking on big money special interests like big tobacco, and standing up for Wisconsin consumers

In 2002, Jim Doyle won a hard fought three way Democratic primary, and then went on to defeat Republican Governor Scott McCallum. He was the only Democrat in the country to defeat an incumbent Republican governor, and became the first Democratic governor of Wisconsin in 16 years.

Governor of Wisconsin

Governor Jim DoyleWhen he took office, Governor Doyle inherited some of the most substantial challenges that the state has ever faced – a $3.2 billion budget deficit, a lagging economy, and a decline in good paying manufacturing jobs. Governor Doyle took bold action, balancing the budget without raising taxes, cutting wasteful government spending while protecting our schools, and creating more than 140,000 new jobs.

Governor Doyle is continuing to lead.

He has a plan to make Wisconsin more affordable for middle class and working families who are feeling squeezed. His Affordability Agenda will make sure that Wisconsin families can afford the health care they need, pay their heating bills and fill up at the gas pump, secure a good paying job and send their kids to college.

In other words, Governor Doyle is committed to making sure that we can all afford to live where we love to live – Wisconsin.