Forty-fourth vice president of the United States and former U.S. senator. Born February 4, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana. A member of an influential newspaper-owning family, Quayle graduated from DePauw University in 1969. That same year, at the height of the Vietnam War, he entered the Indiana National GuardÑa decision that would attract much attention during his political career, when many people criticized him for using his familyÕs connections to avoid service in Vietnam. Quayle attended law school at Indiana University and upon graduation he started a law practice with his wife, Marilyn Tucker.

In 1976, Quayle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served two terms in the House and was elected to the Senate in 1980. In 1988, then-Vice President and Republican presidential candidate George Bush chose him as a running mate; when Bush defeated Michael Dukakis, the 41-year-old Quayle became one of the youngest vice presidents ever. It was generally conceded that Bush had selected him as a running mate because of his standing with conservatives, and his opponents and many members of the press ridiculed him on account of a series of alleged gaffes betraying ignorance and immaturity. Others defended him, applauding his support of Òfamily values,Ó an endorsement most notably showcased in a now-infamous speech he made criticizing the TV sitcom Murphy Brown, starring Candace Bergen, for portraying an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

After the 1992 presidential election, which Bush lost to Bill Clinton, Quayle moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he has taught classes, lectured, and campaigned for Republican candidates. He also heads his own political action committee, Campaign America, whose headquarters he moved from Indiana to Phoenix. Though Quayle announced his entrance into the 2000 presidential race in April 1999, he withdrew in September, citing the formidable financial advantage of the Republican front-runner and the son of his former boss, Texas' Governor George W. Bush.