Nimarata Nikki Haley born January 20, 1972) is an American politician and diplomat who served as Governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Nations for two years, from January 2017 through December 2018.A member of the Republican Party, Haley is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet.Haley joined her family’s clothing business before serving as treasurer and then president of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She was elected to the South Carolina House of Nikki Haley Representatives in 2004 and served three terms. In 2010, during her third term, she was elected governor of South Carolina and re-elected in 2014. Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina and the second American state governor of Indian descent, after fellow Republican Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.
Nikki Haley Facts
- Born:Nimarata Nikki Randhawa,January 20, 1972 (age 51)Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S.
- Political party: Republican
- Spouse :Michael Haley
- Children :2
- Education :Clemson University (BS)
- Occupation: Politician diplomat author businesswoman
Nikki Haley Early life and education
Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa at Bamberg County Hospital in Bamberg, South Carolina to immigrant Sikh parents from Amritsar, Punjab, India. Nikki Haley Her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, had worked as a professor at Punjab Agricultural University in the 1950s, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, received her law degree from the University of Delhi.
Both of her parents immigrated from India to Canada in 1964 after Ajit received a scholarship offer from the University of British Columbia. After he received his PhD in 1969, he moved his family to South Carolina to be a professor of biology at Voorhees College, a historically black institution in Nikki Haley Denmark, South Carolina. He retired from teaching in 1998. Raj earned her master’s degree in education and taught for seven years in Bamberg public schools. In May 1976, she started a popular women’s clothing boutique, Exotica International, in West Columbia. At age 12, Nikki Randhawa began helping with the bookkeeping at the clothing shop. In 1993, the Randhawas opened The Gentlemen’s Quarters, a male counterpart to Exotica. The stores closed in 2008 upon Raj’s retirement from merchandising.
Haley has three siblings: two brothers and one sister. Nikki Haley Nikki Haley She attended Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, graduating in 1989. She graduated from Clemson University in 1994 with a BS degree in accounting and finance. Haley has been known by her middle name, Nikki, a Punjabi name meaning “little one”, since she was born.
Nikki Haley Early career
After graduating from college, Haley worked for FCR Corporation, a waste management and recycling company, before joining her family’s clothing business as its bookkeeper and chief financial officer.After she married Michael Haley in 1996,she became active in civic affairs. In 1998, she was named to the board of directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce. She was named to the board of directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003, and president in 2004.
Haley chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for a local hospital She also served on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, and West Metro Republican Women.[30] She was the president of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and was chair for the 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign
Nikki Haley South Carolina House of Representatives (2005–2011)
In 2004, Haley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 87 in Lexington County. She ran in the Republican primary on a platform of education reform and property tax relief.Initially, she ran because she believed that incumbentNikki Haley Republican state representative Larry Koon, who was the longest-serving legislator in the South Carolina Statehouse at the time, was not going to seek reelection. However, Koon entered the race just before the filing deadline. Nevertheless, Haley stayed in the race.
In the primary election, Koon received 42 percent of the vote, Haley received 40 percent, and David Perry received 17 percent.As no candidate received a majority of the vote (50 percent or higher), Haley and Koon advanced to a runoff election on June 22. In the runoff, she defeated Koon by ten percentage points, 55 percent to 45 percent.After his loss, Koon accused Haley of running a smear campaign, which she denied. She ran unopposed in the general election.
Haley became the first Nikki Haley Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina. She was unopposed for re-election to a second term in 2006. In 2008, she won re-election with 83 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Edgar Gomez, who garnered only 17 percent.
In 2012, Haley credited Hillary Clinton with inspiring her to run for office; in an interview she said:
Nikki Haley Governor of South Carolina (2011–2017)
Nikki Haley On May 14, 2009, Haley announced that she would run for the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election. Haley had been persuaded to run by incumbent governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford.[63] She was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, as well as Jenny Sanford, the first lady of South Carolina. Haley also received the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin three weeks before the primary.
The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on June 8, 2010, and Haley received 49% of the vote, forcing a runoff election on June 22.Haley won the runoff vote 65 to 35 percent.
Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010, defeating Democratic candidate Vincent Sheheen, 51% to 47%.She is considered the third non-white governor elected by a Southern state, after Virginia’s Douglas Wilder and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal.
Nikki Haley Gubernatorial policies
Nikki Haley Upon becoming governor, Haley appointed Bobby Hitt as the state’s secretary of commerce. In her State of the State address and other speeches, she touted South Carolina’s economic growth and low unemployment rate, and urged businesses to move to the state based on a low cost of doing business, “a loyal, willing workforce,” and South Carolina’s status as “one of the lowest union-participation states in the country.”
Nikki Haley Before June 2015, Haley supported flying the Confederate flag on the statehouse grounds.In the immediate aftermath of the Charleston church shooting, Haley did not take a position on removing the flag, saying, “I think the state will start talking about that again, and we’ll see where it goes.” On June 22, Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds.She stated:
“These grounds [the State Capital] are a place that everybody should feel a part of. What I realized now more than ever is people were driving by and felt hurt and pain. No one should feel pain.” Haley also said, “There is a place for that flag”, but she added, “It’s not in a place that represents all people in South Carolina.”
Nikki Haley In July 2015, Haley signed a bill to authorize removing the Confederate flag from the flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol. In December 2019, she defended the people of South Carolina, saying that “some people” in South Carolina saw the flag as a representation of “service and sacrifice and heritage” before the flag was hijacked by the white supremacist mass killer Dylann Roof In regard to the state trial of Roof, Haley urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against him.
Haley and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New York on September 28, 2014
In April 2016, Haley indicated she would not support an anti-trans “bathroom bill” introduced by the South Carolina State Senate that would require transgender individuals to use restrooms based on their gender assigned at birth. Haley said that the legislation was unnecessary and would not solve any identifiable problem in the state.
Nikki Haley In 2021, Haley spoke against Executive Order 13988, officially titled Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
Haley with Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman in 2017
Haley has been described by South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham as a “strong supporter of the State of Israel”. As governor, she signed a anti-BDS law to stop efforts of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. This legislation was the first of its kind on a statewide level. Haley also stated that “nowhere has the UN’s failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel”.
Nikki Haley On November 23, 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Haley for ambassador to the United Nations.Upon taking office on January 20, 2017, Trump sent Haley’s nomination to the United States Senate.She was confirmed two days later on a 96–4 vote; the four senators who voted against Haley were independent Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Democrats Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), Tom Udall (New Mexico), and Chris Coons (Delaware) Trump reportedly considered Haley for the position of secretary of state, which she declined. Haley was the first Indian American to hold a Cabinet-level position.Immediately following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Haley resigned as South Carolina governor, and Lt. Governor Henry McMaster became governor.
Haley sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on January 25, 2017, Senator Marco Rubio standing to the side
Haley was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on January 25, 2017.[129] She met with United Nations secretary-general António Guterres on January 27, 2017, at the UN Headquarters in New York City.She replaced Ambassador Samantha Power
Nikki Haley United States ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)
n 2017, Haley declared to the U.N. Security Council that sanctions against Russia for its Crimean conflict would not be lifted until Russia returned control over the region to Ukraine. Later that year, Haley said the U.S. would retain “strong and tough” sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Ukraine.
On March 30, 2017, Haley stated that the U.S. would no longer focus on forcing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to leave power. This was a policy shift from former president Barack Obama’s initial stance on Assad. On April 5, speaking to the U.N. Security Council a day after the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Haley said Russia, Assad, and Iran “have no interest in peace” and attacks similar to this would continue occurring should nothing be done in response. A day later, the U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles toward the Shayrat Air Base in Syria. Haley called the strike a “very measured step” and warned that the U.S. was prepared “to do more” despite wishing it would not be required. On April 12, after Russia blocked a draft resolution meant to condemn the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Haley criticized Russia, saying “We need to see Russia choose to side with the civilized world over an Assad government that brutally terrorizes its own people.”June 28, while appearing before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Haley credited President Trump’s warning to Syria with stopping another chemical attack: “I can tell you due to the president’s actions, we did not see an incident.
Nikki Haley Personal life
Nikki Haley Born Nikki Randhawa, she married Michael Haley on September 7, 1996.They celebrated with both Sikh and Methodist ceremonies. The couple have two children, Rena (b. 1998) and Nalin (b. 2001).
Haley converted to Christianity in 1997.She and her husband regularly attend the United Methodist Church.She also attends Sikh services once or twice a year. She visited the Harmandir Sahib with her husband in 2014 during her visit to India. During a Christianity Today interview, when asked whether or not she hopes her parents convert to Christianity, Haley responded, “What I hope is that my parents do what’s right for them.”
Nikki Haley Her husband, an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, had a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2013.
Haley and her family reside on Kiawah Island, South Carolina near the city of Charleston.
Haley had an estimated net worth of $1 million in 2019. Her net worth grew to an estimated $8 million by 2022