Nikki Haley, born Nimrata Randhawa to Indian immigrants, is the first female governor of South Carolina and the youngest serving governor currently in the United States.
Haley was born in South Carolina and worked as a bookkeeper for her family's clothing store from the age of 13. She went on to get a degree in accounting from Clemson University.
She first entered politics at the age of 32 in 2004 when she ran for South Carolina's House of Representatives. After winning the Republican Party primary, she ran uncontested in the general election and became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.
Haley served as a state representative and announced her intention to run for governor in 2009. She was endorsed by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
Since taking office as governor in 2011, Haley has overseen reducing South Carolina's employment rate to a 15-year low, according to her official website.
Haley received international attention for taking down the Confederate Flag from the state capitol last year following a mass shooting at an African-American church in the city of Charleston.
