Marshall Clement 'Mark' Sanford Jr. is an American politician, author, and former real estate entrepreneur who served as the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011, succeeded by Nikki Haley, and as a U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district in two separate periods: from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019. Born on May 28, 1960, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to cardiologist Marshall C. Sanford Sr. and Juilliard-trained pianist Margaret Sanford, he was the eldest of four children. The family relocated to Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1978, where Sanford attended high school. He earned a B.A. in business from Furman University in 1983 and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1988. Following his studies, he worked in real estate in Charleston, South Carolina, served in the United States Air Force Reserve from 2002 to 2011, owned a real estate investment firm, and engaged in farming. His political career as a Republican was marked by fiscal conservatism, libertarian-leaning views, and controversies including a 2009 extramarital affair scandal that led to an impeachment attempt (though he was not removed from office). After declining reelection to the House in 2000, he was elected governor and returned to Congress in 2013 but lost a primary challenge in 2019.