Valerie Jarrett is an American politician, author, lawyer, and former government official of the United States. She is also a former actress who took time out of her very busy schedule as a United States government official and senior presidential advisor to appear as herself in the CBS drama series The Good Wife. Valerie is also a very successful businesswoman and a respected mayor.
Who Is Valerie Jarrett?
Valerie June Jarrette, formerly Valerie Bowman, was born in Shiraz, Iran, on November 14, 1956, the daughter of Barbara and James Bowman. Her father was one of the many American doctors working in the Persian country at that time.
It is possible that Valerie began her very early education in Iran until she was 5 years old and her parents moved to London in the United Kingdom where they stayed for only one year. In 1963 her parents finally moved back to America where she continued her early education.
After completing her high school studies, she was selected in 1974 by the very prestigious Northfield Mount Heron – probably one of the best-mixed college preparatory schools in America. After achieving excellence in this institution, she was admitted to Stanford University, California, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1972.
In 1981 she also received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Michigan Law School, Ann Harbor, Michigan. After more than 25 years of service in both her private legal practice and public service, Valerie was awarded an honorary Juris Doctor degree from Colby College, Waterville, Maine.
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Valerie Jarrett Parents
Valerie was born in Bowman’s household in the Middle East country of Iran. Her father, James Bowman, was a geneticist and clinical pathologist. He was part of a highly qualified group of American agricultural and medical experts who wanted to bring their wealth of knowledge and experience to help developing countries meet their challenges.
He ran a children’s hospital in Iran, which he founded in 1956, and used his expertise to help Iran develop its medical details. He later relocated his family back to the United States in 1963.
Valerie’s mother, Barbara Bowman, was one of four people dedicated to child care, helping to establish the famous Erikson Institute – named after the distinguished developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. The Institute is a Chicago-based graduate school established to provide knowledge, education, and expertise to all professionals working with children.
Valerie began her political career in the mayor’s office in Chicago, where she met, interviewed, and hired Mitchell Robinson – the fiancée of U.S. Senator candidate Barrack Obama. She also had a very successful career in business before joining President Barrack Obama’s administration in 2008, where she served as the President’s Assistant for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Affairs and as the President’s Senior Advisor.
Her Daughter
The marriage of Valerie and William produced a daughter, Laura Jarrett. She was born in 1983 in Chicago, Illinois. Laura Jarrett graduated from Harvard Law School in 2010, practiced law for several years after graduation, and currently serves as a correspondent for the Cable News Network (CNN) based in its Washington, D.C. office.
Laura married the Canadian-based politician Tony Belkinson in 2012. President Obama attended the wedding with other than very prominent US government officials.
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Husband (William Jarrett)
In 1983, after spending some time with Dr. William R. Jarrett, Valerie married him. William was a physician specializing in gynecology and obstetrics, and he was the son of the popular Sun-Times reporter Vernon Jarrett.
Their marriage was somewhat short-lived, but in 1998 they finally divorced – only 5 years after their marriage. Valerie knew Willian all her life. They lived very close to each other, became friends of course, then lovers and finally, they married each other.
She never revealed the reasons for her divorce from her husband and the father of her only child, but when a reporter e-mailed her questions about her divorce, she only replied: “Married in 1983, separated in 1987, and divorced in 1988”. William married Dr. Sherry Jarrett after their divorce and had another son and stepdaughter (apart from the child he had during his marriage to Valerie).
Valerie Jarrett Net Worth
Valerie Jarrett has a net worth of approximately $13 million. She was a high-ranking government official for several years and was also very successful in the private sector, hence the impressive fortune.
