America by Heart

Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964. In 1984, after winning the Miss Wasilla pageant, she finished third in the Miss Alaska pageant, receiving the Miss Congeniality award and a college scholarship. She went on to earn her college degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Idaho.

She served two terms on the Wasilla City Council, then two terms as the city's mayor and manager, and was elected by her peers as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. She then chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She was elected Alaska's youngest, and first female, governor, serving from 2006 to 2009. While serving her state she was tapped as Senator John McCain's running mate in 2008, becoming the first female Republican Vice Presidential candidate in our nation's history.

On July 3, 2009, Palin announced she would not seek reelection as governor and that she was resigning, effective July 26, 2009, eighteen months prior to the completion of her first term. She cited ethics complaints that had been filed following her selection as running mate to John McCain as the reason for her resignation, saying the resulting investigations had affected her efficacy to govern the state. She has written two books Going Rogue: An American Life (2009) and America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag (2010), Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas (2013).

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