Christie in 2014, photo by Christopher Halloran/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Christopher James Christie
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 6, 1962
Ethnicity:
*father – German, Irish, Scottish
*mother – Italian/Sicilian
Chris Christie is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and federal prosecutor. A Republican, he was U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, from January 17, 2002 to December 1, 2008, Governor of New Jersey, from January 19, 2010 to January 16, 2018, Chair of the Republican Governors Association, from November 21, 2013 to November 20, 2014, and Chair of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission, from March 29, 2017 to November 1, 2017.
He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2016 and 2024.
Chris is the son of Sondra A. (Grasso), a telephone receptionist, and Wilbur James Christie, a certified public accountant. His father’s ancestry was half German, with the rest being Irish, and some Scottish. His mother was of Italian (Sicilian) descent. His family moved to Livingston, New Jersey, after 1967. Chris is married to investment banker Mary Pat Foster Christie, with whom he has four children.
Chris’s paternal grandfather was James Christopher Christie (the son of Hugh Henry Christie and Bridget Smith). James was born in New Jersey. Hugh was the son of James H. Christie, who was born in Scotland, and of Rosanna Matthews, whose parents were Irish. Bridget was the daughter of Irish parents, John Smith and Bridget.
Chris’s paternal grandmother was Caroline “Carrie” Winter (the daughter of John H. Winter and Caroline Lott). Chris’s grandmother Caroline was born in New Jersey. John was born in New Jersey, to German parents, Charles Winter and Christine. Chris’s great-grandmother Caroline Lott was also was born in New Jersey, also to German parents, Cyriaeus/Ziriak/Jeremiah Lott and Walburgh Ernst.
Chris’s maternal grandfather was named Philip/Phillip Grasso (the son of Santo Grasso and Santa). Philip was of Italian origin.
Chris’s maternal grandmother was named Anna/Anne Scavone (the daughter of Salvatore Scavone and Domenica). Anna was of Italian origin.
Three people of significant Italian heritage have won a caucus, primary, and/or nominating ballot for a major American party’s Presidential nomination. The three are:
*Al Smith (who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 1928, and was also a candidate for the 1920, 1924, and 1932 Democratic nominations for President: in 1928, he won 12 contests; in 1932, he won 4 contests; Smith’s paternal grandfather was Italian)
*Michael DiSalle (1960; Democratic; won 1 state, Ohio)
*Rick Santorum (Republican; ran in 2012 and 2016: in 2012, he won 11 contests; Santorum is of three quarters Italian descent)
Ted Cruz, whose maternal great-grandfather was Italian, won 11 contests in the 2016 Republican Party primaries.
Other people of significant Italian heritage who are mounting or have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*John A. Volpe (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination)
*James Traficant (who sought the 1988 Democratic nomination; Traficant’s father was of Italian descent)
*Rudy Giuliani (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination)
*Tom Tancredo (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination)
*George Pataki (who sought the 2016 Republican nomination; Pataki’s maternal grandfather was Italian)
*Richard Ojeda (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Ojeda’s mother is of at least three quarters Italian descent)
*Tim Ryan (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Ryan’s mother is of Italian descent)
*Bill de Blasio (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; de Blasio’s mother was of Italian descent)
*Ron DeSantis (who is seeking the 2024 Republican nomination)
Geraldine Ferraro, who was of Italian descent, was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1984.
Sources: Genealogy of Chris Christie – http://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Chris Christie (focusing on his father’s side) – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
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