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Christine Temple Whitman (née Todd; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. As of 2024, Whitman is the only woman to have served as governor of New Jersey. Born in New York City to a Republican political family, Whitman graduated from Wheaton College in 1968 and began her political career in the Nixon administration's Office of Economic Opportunity. After coming within three percentage points of unseating U.S. Senator Bill Bradley in 1990, she ran for governor of New Jersey, defeating Democratic incumbent Jim Florio. A self-described Rockefeller Republican, Whitman defeated Democrat Jim McGreevey to win re-election in 1997. She remained governor until stepping down in 2001 to become Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, where she served until 2003. During her tenure at the EPA, Whitman was noted for having assured the public that the air in lower Manhattan was safe to breathe following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; she apologized in 2016 for having made this statement. In 2022, Whitman joined former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang to form the Forward Party, a centrist third party. Early life, family, and education Christine Todd Whitman was born Christine Temple Todd in New York City on September 26, 1946. Her mother was Eleanor Prentice Todd (née Schley) and her father businessman Webster B. Todd. Both the Todds and the Schleys were wealthy and prominent New Jersey political families. The Schleys were among the first New Yorkers to move to the area that later became Far Hills, New Jersey, which became a popular suburb for wealthy, moderate Republicans. Webster B. Todd amassed a fortune as a building contractor on projects including Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. He used his wealth to donate to Republican politicians and became an advisor to Dwight D. Eisenhower and chaired the New Jersey Republican State Committee twice. Eleanor Prentice Todd served as a Republican national committeewoman, led the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women, and served as vice chair of the Republican National Committee. Eleanor Prentice Todd's political activity caused a newspaper to speculate that she could be a viable candidate for governor, although she never chose to run for office. Christine Todd grew up on her family's farm, Pontefract, in Oldwick, New Jersey. She had three older siblings, including brothers Webster and Danny. At the age of nine, she attended the 1956 Republican National Convention and met President Eisenhower. As a child, Todd attended Far Hills Country Day School before being sent to boarding school at Foxcroft in Virginia. Todd disliked being so far away from home and after a year, she transferred to the Chapin School in Manhattan, allowing her to return home on the weekends. After graduating from Wheaton College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government, Todd worked for Nelson Rockefeller's presidential campaign. Early career Christine Todd married John Whitman in 1974. Christine Todd Whitman worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Republican National Committee. Whitman served on the board of trustees of Somerset County College (later renamed Raritan Valley Community College). Elected to two terms on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, she served for five-and-one-half years beginning in 1983. From 1988 to 1990, during the tenure of Gov. Thomas Kean, she served as president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. In 1990, Whitman ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Bill Bradley, losing a close election. She was considered an underdog against the popular Bradley, but performed better than expected despite being outspent 12-to-one. Her performance endeared her to the party base and made her the leading public advocate of the anti-tax cause. Whitman continued to build her profile by founding a political action committee, the Committee for an Affordable New Jersey, through which she campaigned for Republican candidates in the 1991 midterm elections. Whitman took on a full campaign speaking schedule through October 1992. In 1993, Whitman helped to found the Committee for Responsible Government, an advocacy group espousing moderate positions in the Republican Party. In 1997, the group renamed itself the Republican Leadership Council. Governor of New Jersey Elections 1993 After winning a Republican primary, Whitman ran against incumbent James Florio for governor of New Jersey in the 1993 general election. Whitman won the election by a plurality, defeating Florio by one percentage point to become the first female governor in New Jersey history. As of 2022, she is the only woman to have served as governor of New Jersey. Charges of suppression of minority votes were raised during Whitman's 1993 campaign. Two days after the election, Ed Rollins, Whitman's campaign manager, bragged about having spent $500,000 to suppress the black vote. Whitman denied Rollins's claim and demanded an apology and a retraction. An investigation into Rollins's claim found no wrongdoing. 1997 Whitman was re-elected in 1997, narrowly defeating Democrat Jim McGreevey, the mayor of Woodbridge Township. Whitman again prevailed by a one-point margin and received a plurality of the votes. Murray Sabrin, a college professor who ran as a Libertarian candidate, finished third with five percent of the vote. Tenure During her tenure, Whitman was described as a Rockefeller Republican, as a liberal Republican, and as a moderate Republican. In 1995, the Washington Post called Whitman "an East Coast blue blood, a woman who grew up in the horse country of New Jersey and attended some of the nation's most exclusive private schools". The Post added, "At a time when the party's base has moved to the South, the West, the working class and the religious right, Whitman is a throwback with roots in the patrician Republican politics of three and four decades ago". Whitman "freely calls herself a pro-choice, Rockefeller Republican". Whitman pledged during the 1993 campaign that she would lower state taxes by 10% a year for three years. Once in office, she kept the campaign promise, and lowered income taxes. The decline in the tax burden made it likely that the issue of tax revenue shortfall would be addressed later. Jim Saxton, in a report to the federal congress, argued that New Jersey's income tax cuts improved "the well-being of the New Jersey family", and would not lead to an increase in property taxes. In 1995, Whitman was criticized for saying that young African-American males sometimes played a game known as jewels in the crown, which she claimed had as its intent having as many children as possible out of wedlock. Whitman subsequently apologized and voiced her opposition to attempts by Congressio.... Discover the Christine Gutierrez popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Christine Gutierrez books.