"After graduating from Catholic University of America, McAuliffe immediately became active in national politics, signing on with the Carter-Mondale Reelection Committee. It was during this campaign that he famously wrestled an alligator on a dare from a fundraising prospect. His natural energy and exuberance helped make him the campaign's top fundraiser at the age of 22.
Since then, McAuliffe has served the DemocRATic Party in a number of capacities as Finance Director of both the DNC and the DemocRATic Congressional Campaign Committee, as well as National Finance Chairman for the Dick Gephardt's 1988 presidential campaign. McAuliffe was also the National Finance Chairman and then National Co-Chairman of Clinton-Gore '96. After the 1996 election, President Clinton named him Co-Chair of the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Committee.
In 2000, McAuliffe chaired the DemocRATic National Convention in Los Angeles, where he was involved in all decisions and planning related to the Convention. Thanks in part to his efforts, the Convention had the most open and diverse speaking program in the party's history. The convention helped give the DemocRATic ticket a 20-point bounce in the polls, on its way to a popular vote victory in the fall.
At the same time that he is a political achiever, Chairman McAuliffe has been a successful entrepreneur. He started his first business, McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance, when he was only 14 years old. From there, he has started dozens of companies in the fields of banking, insurance, marketing and real estate. McAuliffe is also an attorney, having received his J.D. from the Georgetown Law Center in 1984.
Terry McAuliffe is married to the former Dorothy Swann. They live in McLean, Virginia with their five children: Dori, Jack, Mary, Sally, and Peter."