Early Life, Education, and Family
McDonnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Emma B. Meta (née Meiller) and Lt. Col. John Francis McDonnell. His father was of Irish descent and his maternal grandparents were Germans from Alsace-Lorraine. His family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1955 when he was one year old. He spent four years of his early childhood in Germany when his father, a United States Air Force officer, was sent out on assignment. After returning to Virginia four years later, the McDonnells permanently established residence in Fairfax County. McDonnell's mother worked at Mount Vernon. McDonnell graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1972.
McDonnell attended the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a B.B.A. in management in 1976. Immediately following graduation, he served as a medical supply officer in the United States Army for four years. His military posts were medical clinics in Germany from 1976 to 1979, and in Newport News, Virginia, from 1979 to 1981. In addition, he took night classes and received an M.B.A. from Boston University in 1980. After leaving active duty in 1981, McDonnell worked for the American Hospital Supply Corporation, primarily in the custom products regional division.
His career path shifted from business to law and public policy when he selected a joint degree program at Christian Broadcasting Network University now known as Regent University. He obtained an M.A./J.D. there in 1989. During his studies, McDonnell interned under Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-California).
McDonnell is married to Maureen Patricia McDonnell (née Gardner), with whom he has five children. The oldest, Jeanine, served as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer in Iraq. Their younger daughter, Cailin, coordinated youth outreach for the Republican Party of Virginia's election efforts in 2009. Bob McDonnell has twin sons, both of whom are athletes in the class of 2014 at the University of Virginia.
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