Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel (b. 1959) is a Democrat who has represented Illinois' 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 2003. Prior to his election to Congress, he had worked in the Clinton White House from 1993-1998, first serving as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs, and then Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy. He will be US President-elect Barack Obama's Chief of Staff starting in January, 2009.

Representative Emanuel is Jewish. He and his wife Ann have three children:, Zacharias, Ilana, and Leah. Emanual has a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College (1981), and a master's degree in speech and communication from Northwestern University (1985). Emanuel's father, Dr. Benjamin M. Emanuel, was born in Jerusalem.