James S. Gilmore was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and received an undergraduate degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1971. After a three-year tour as a U.S. Army counterintelligence agent in West Germany, he entered the University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1977. After working for a decade in community service and as a lawyer in private practice, he was elected Commonwealth's Attorney in his home county of Henrico in 1987 and 1991. He was elected Virginia Attorney General in 1993 and Governor in 1997. As Governor, he established a record of success in improving education in Virginia and providing tax relief to Virginia's working families.

While governor, James Gilmore created the nation's first secretariat of technology, established a statewide technology commission, and signed into law the nation's first comprehensive state Internet policy. During his term as Governor of Virginia, he chaired the national Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce which was charged with making recommendations to Congress on Internet taxation, an issue of global significance.

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