Nikki Haley biography
Date of birth : 1972-01-20
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Lexington, South Carolina
Nationality : Australian
Category : Politics
Last modified : 2010-05-25
Credited as : Member of South Carolina House Representatives, Accountant, Lexington County
22 votes so far
Nikki Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina. Her parents Dr. Ajit and Raj Randhawa are Indian Punjabi Sikh immigrants from Amritsar and she has an older brother Mitti, sister Simran Singh, and younger brother Charan. She went to Clemson University and majored in Accounting and then joined the FCR Corporation before joining her mother's business in 1994. The family business grew to a multi million dollar company.
Career
She was named to the Board of Directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce in 1998.
She was named to the Board of Directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. She became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003 and president in 2004. She chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for the local hospital. She also serves on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, West Metro Republican Women, President of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chairman for 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign and is a member of the Rotary Club in Lexington.
In 2004, she ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives against incumbent Republican representative Larry Koon. Koon, who had served since 1975, was the longest-serving member of the House. In the primary election, Haley won 40% of the vote (2,247 votes) to Koon's 42% (2,354 votes), thus forcing a runoff. Her platform was anti-tax and fiscally conservative with an emphasis on education.
In the runoff, Haley won with 54.7% (2,928 votes) of the total. She then ran unopposed for the House seat as there was no Democratic opponent. She became the first Indian American GOP state legislator in the United States.
She has served as secretary of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs committees. She also was elected chairman of the Freshman caucus in 2005 and elected as a Majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly. She was the only freshman legislator named to a whip spot.
On May 14, 2009, Nikki Haley announced she is running for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina in 2010.
On November 11, 2009, Nikki Haley was endorsed by Jenny Sanford, the first lady of South Carolina. Haley was also endorsed by former Alaska Governor and GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts Governor and GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Personal Life
Haley was raised in a Sikh family, and identifies herself as a Christian, and sits on the board for Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church, Medmission. On September 6, 1996 she married Michael Haley, in a Methodist church ceremony. Michael is a federal employee with the United States Department of the Army and an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard. Together they have two children, Rena and Nalin. Haley's brother Mitti is an active duty officer who has served in the U.S. Army for the past 20 years.
