Accessibility links

Breaking News
USA

Who is Nikki Haley?


South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, seen in this Jan. 14, 2015 file photo, is escorted down the steps of the Capitol by her husband Michael, in Columbia, S.C. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the first woman tapped for a top-level administration post during his White House transition so far.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, seen in this Jan. 14, 2015 file photo, is escorted down the steps of the Capitol by her husband Michael, in Columbia, S.C. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the first woman tapped for a top-level administration post during his White House transition so far.

Nikki Haley, born Nimrata Randhawa to Indian immigrants, is the first female governor of South Carolina and the youngest serving governor currently in the United States.

Haley was born in South Carolina and worked as a bookkeeper for her family's clothing store from the age of 13. She went on to get a degree in accounting from Clemson University.

She first entered politics at the age of 32 in 2004 when she ran for South Carolina's House of Representatives. After winning the Republican Party primary, she ran uncontested in the general election and became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.

FILE - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gestures while speaking at the Federalist Society's National Lawyers Convention, Nov. 18, 2016, in Washington.
FILE - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gestures while speaking at the Federalist Society's National Lawyers Convention, Nov. 18, 2016, in Washington.

Haley served as a state representative and announced her intention to run for governor in 2009. She was endorsed by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Since taking office as governor in 2011, Haley has overseen reducing South Carolina's employment rate to a 15-year low, according to her official website.

Haley received international attention for taking down the Confederate Flag from the state capitol last year following a mass shooting at an African-American church in the city of Charleston.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG