Early Life, Education, and Early Career
Ensign was born in Roseville, California, to Sharon Lee Cipriani, whose father was Italian; and a father whose surname was Mueller. Ensign says that he is one eighth (1/8) Filipino, as his Philippine-born paternal grandfather was half-Filipino and half-German. His family moved to Nevada when he was a child. His mother remarried Michael S. Ensign, a gaming industry executive who subsequently became chairman of the board of directors of Mandalay Bay, and who formally adopted John.
Ensign attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, becoming a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and later graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981. He went on to receive his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Colorado State University in 1985 and entered veterinary practice soon after. He became a successful businessman, opening a 24-hour animal hospital in Las Vegas. He owned two animal hospitals before entering politics.
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