Born on November 28^th 1953 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Michael Chertoff is the son of a Rabbi, Gershon Chertoff and a former flight attendant, Livia Chertoff. His name is of Russian origin coming from his paternal grandparents who immigrated to the USA.  His early education saw him attending The Pingry School in Shorthills, New Jersey. After completing his early education Chertoff went on to Harvard University and Harvard Law School from where he graduated in 1978 with a law degree.

Chertoff’s first step on the ladder of success was being recruited to clerk for an appellate judge and for the United States Supreme Court in 1979. His next professional move was working in private practice at which point he was selected by Giuliani to work on Mafia corruption related cases. It was Giuliani and Chertoff’s investigations that put Mafia Don John Gotti in prison in 1986. In 1990 Chertoff was appointed by George H W Bush as United States Attorney for New Jersey a position he retained during the Bill Clinton administration in 1993. But this backfired on Bill and Hillary Clinton when they were investigated by Chertoff during the Whitewater scandal.

2000 saw Michael fundraising for the George W Bush and other Republicans during the presidential campaign.

In 2004, following the Bernard Kerik controversy causing his resignation from the position of Secretary of Homeland Security, it was Chertoff who was nominated by Bush and who was unanimously approved for the position in February 2005.

ABB