Sarah Palin

Name at birth: Sarah Louise Heath

Sarah Palin, the first female governor of Alaska, was John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in the elections of 2008. Palin was born in Idaho but moved to Alaska with her family when she was three months old. Two accomplishments from her youth have become especially well known: she played point guard for Wasilla (AK) High School, helping the team win Alaska's small-school championship in 1982, and then placed second in the Miss Alaska contest of 1984. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Idaho in 1987, then returned to Alaska and married Todd Palin, her high school boyfriend, in 1988. After a few brief stints as a TV sportscaster in Anchorage, Palin joined the Wasilla city council in 1992, then served as the city's mayor from 1996-2002. She became Alaska's first female governor on 4 December 2006 after running a campaign based on ethics and clean government. Two years later, in a surprise selection, McCain made her the Republican Party's first female candidate for vice president. She and McCain were defeated by the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and John McCain.