Thom Tillis
Politician
After serving as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, this Republican Party politician was elected a United States Senator from North Carolina.
He spent his childhood in Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee, and worked for insurance and computer companies before earning a bachelor's degree in technology studies from the University of Maryland, University College (UMUC) and subsequently securing employment with IBM.
He entered politics by serving on the parks and recreation board of Cornelius, North Carolina.
Following two separate marriages to and divorces from a high school girlfriend, Tillis married his second wife, Susan, with whom he went on to raise children named Ryan and Lindsay.
He defeated Democrat Kay Hagan in the 2014 North Carolina election for a seat in the United States Senate.