Karl Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is currently U.S. President George W. Bush's chief political strategist.
After dropping out of the University of Utah in 1971, Karl Rove began his political career as the Executive Director of the College Republican National Committee. He held this position until 1972 when he became the National Chairman of the College Republicans (1973-1974). As chairman, Rove had access to many powerful politicians and government officials during the Watergate scandal, including then CIA director George H. W. Bush. For the next few years, he worked in various Republican Circles and assisted George H. W. Bush's 1980 presidential campaign. At the time, Rove's greatest claim to fame was that he had introduced Lee Atwater to George H. W. Bush.
In 1981, Rove founded a direct mail consulting firm, Karl Rove & Co., which was based out of Austin, Texas. This firm's first clients included Republican Governor Bill Clements and Democratic Congressman Phil Gramm, who later became a Republican. In 1993, Rove began advising George W. Bush's gubernatorial campaign. He continued, however, to operate his consulting business until 1999, when he sold the firm to focus his efforts on George W. Bush's bid for the presidency.
After Bush became the 43rd president, Karl Rove took a White House position as a Senior Advisor to the President. Rove is generally considered one of the most influential advisors in the Bush administration, and he has earned a reputation as an aggressive campaigner.