Ted Cruz 2016: 8 Facts About Personal Life of GOP Presidential Hopeful

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a corporate attorney who served as the state’s solicitor general, was elected to his first public office in 2012. Although his political career has been brief, Cruz is an outspoken Republican leader and may be considering a run for president in 2016.

Here are eight facts about Cruz’s personal life:

1. He was born on Dec. 22, 1970, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Rafael Cruz of Cuba and Eleanor Elizabeth Wilson. Because his mother is an American citizen, Cruz held dual citizenship in Canada and the U.S. He released his birth certificate when people questioned whether he’s qualified to be president.

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2. Cruz’s parents met while attending the University of Texas. After they graduated, his folks opened a small oil industry-affiliated business.

3. Rafael Cruz spent time in prison while Fidel Castro was attempting to overthrow Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s. The elder Cruz operated as a guerrilla, tossing Molotov cocktails and destroying buildings.

4. Cruz’s father read him Bible stories when he was 4 years old, according to an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. The elder Cruz said: “You know Ted, you have been gifted above any man that I know. And God has destined you for greatness.”

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5. When Cruz was 13, his parents enrolled him in a Houston after-school program called the Free Enterprise Education Center. Rolland Storey, who founded the center, organized a speech competition about free-market values. Cruz won four years in a row.

6. Cruz graduated from Princeton University. He was a champion debater. At Harvard Law School, Cruz served as founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review.

7. While at Princeton, Cruz wrote his senior thesis, “Clipping the Wings of Angels,” as an analysis of the history and meaning of the Constitution’s Ninth and 10th amendments.

8. Cruz met his wife Heidi Nelson Cruz while he was working as a domestic policy adviser to former President George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential race. His wife was also a policy adviser.

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