Jesse Ventura was elected the 38th governor of Minnesota on November 3, 1998, the first-ever Reform Party candidate to win statewide office. Ventura shocked the political establishment by defeating Attorney General Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III and St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman.

With running mate Mae Schunk, an educator of 37 years, the Ventura-Schunk ticket received the support of thousands of new voters across the state and sparked a renewed interest in making government work better - all while spending less than $400,000.

Ventura was born James Janos on July 15, 1951 to Sgt. George Janos, a steamfitter for the city of Minneapolis, and First Lt. Bernice Janos, a nurse anesthetist. He grew up in the south Minneapolis Longfellow neighborhood, attended Cooper Elementary School, Sanford Junior High and graduated from Roosevelt Senior High School in 1969.

Immediately after high school, Ventura joined the Navy and was trained as a SEAL (Sea Air, Land). He served in the Navy for six years during the Vietnam era-four on active duty, two in the Reserves. After his honorable discharge in 1973, Ventura attended North Hennepin Community College on the GI bill.

For 11 years, Ventura was a professional wrestler. In 1984, he retired from wrestling and became an actor, appearing in several films including Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He later became a radio talk show host.

In 1990, Ventura was prompted to run for Mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota's sixth largest city, due to the imminent destruction of a treasured wetland. He served as Mayor until 1995, championing crime reduction.

His wife of 26 years, Terry operates a riding school at their Maple Grove horse farm. The Venturas have two children: Tyrel, born in 1979, and Jade, born in 1983.

Ventura is a member of the Make a Wish of Minnesota Board of Advisors and was a volunteer football coach at Champlin Park High School for several years. He is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.