• 1950 — Born in Denver on Christmas.

• 1977 — Moves to Texas to raise money for George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign exploratory committee. Also advises George W. Bush as he prepares for unsuccessful congressional race in West Texas.

• 1981 — Bush opens Rove & Company in Austin, the political direct-mail firm that becomes the base for his political consulting.

• 1993 — Rove advises Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison in her victorious special election campaign for Senate seat vacated by Democrat Lloyd Bentsen. Continues to urge George W. Bush to challenge Democratic Gov. Ann Richards in 1994.

• 1994 — Masterminds Bush victory over Richards, catapulting Bush into national spotlight as potential presidential candidate.

• 1998 — Steers Bush to overwhelming re-election win and moves ahead with presidential race preparation.

• 2000 — Bush campaign stalls with stunning defeat to John McCain in New Hampshire primary. Bush loses popular vote in November but wins presidency in lengthy court fight with Rove near the controls.

• 2003 — Rove confidently predicts weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq.

• 2004 — Despite increasingly unpopular war, Bush wins re-election over Democratic Sen. John Kerry.

• 2006 — Bush approval ratings plummet as war in Iraq drags on. Prosecutors, after long investigation, decide not to seek indictment of Rove in CIA leak case. Time magazine report identifies Rove as one of the leakers.

• 2007 — Rove, citing executive privilege, declines to testify at congressional panel investigating White House firing of nine U.S. attorneys. Rove, citing need to spend time with family, announced his resignation Monday.

Source: Cox News Service