Jim Gilmore

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Jim Gilmore is an American politician, diplomat and lawyer from Virginia. Born October 6, 1949 in Richmond, he served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence agent and later earned a law degree from the University of Virginia. He began his public career as a prosecutor in Henrico County and then served as Virginia’s Attorney General from 1994 to 1997.

Gilmore was elected Governor of Virginia and served from 1998 to 2002. As governor, he pushed for car tax relief, helped create Virginia’s Standards of Learning, and increased funding for public colleges. He also created the state’s first Secretary of Technology and led several trade missions abroad. His administration supported a 24-hour waiting period for abortion and a ban on human cloning, and he ordered DNA tests in some criminal cases.

After leaving office, Gilmore ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and again in 2016, but did not win. He also held leadership roles in conservative organizations and served on the board of the National Rifle Association from 1999 to 2003. In 2001, he was the Chairman of the Republican National Committee for a year.

Under President Donald Trump, Gilmore served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from 2019 to 2021. He was confirmed by the Senate in May 2019, sworn in June 25, 2019, and presented his credentials on July 2, 2019; his term ended January 20, 2021.

Personal life: Gilmore is married to Roxane Gatling; they had two sons. Roxane Gatling passed away in 2024. Gilmore remains a native Virginian who studied at the University of Virginia and served in the Army’s Military Intelligence Corps.