Al Checchi
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June 6, 1948
Al Checchi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfred Attilio Checchi June 6, 1948 Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Amherst College, Harvard Business School |
| Occupations | Businessman, politician |
| Spouse | Kathryn Checchi |
Alfred Attilio Checchi (born June 6, 1948) is an American businessman who was a candidate for Governor of California in the 1998 gubernatorial election, losing to fellow Democrat Gray Davis in the June 1998 primary.[1] Checchi finished in second place in the Democratic primary, capturing 12.49% of the vote. He ran as a New Democrat and called for increased spending on education.[2] He set a new record at the time for spending in a California gubernatorial race, spending over $40 million of his personal fortune he acquired after selling off all assets owned by Northwest Airlines and leasing everything back out. He then took those millions and ran the costliest political campaign in California at that time.[3][4] Checchi had previously enjoyed success in various business ventures, most notably serving as co-chairman of Northwest Airlines. He attended the Harvard School of Business. Checchi is married to his wife Kathryn and has 3 children.[1]
Checchi was born on June 6, 1948, near Boston, Massachusetts.[1] His grandfather ran the Elba Fruit Market, a grocery in Calais, Maine.[1] Checchi is of Italian heritage. He was raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C. to middle-class parents where he attended Our Lady of Good Counsel.[1] Checchi's father was the No. 3 man in the Food and Drug Administration from 1946 to 1960, and later ran an investment firm.[1][2] Checchi began to think of running for public office when he was 12.[2] At the age of 14, Checchi saw Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.[1]
Checchi attended Amherst College in Massachusetts because he heard it was the most difficult to get into; he graduated in 1970 with an American studies major.[1] He completed a Master of Business Administration at Harvard School of Business.