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Age: 44

Birth date: Feb. 11, 1964

Birthplace: Sandpoint, Idaho

Education: University of Idaho

Husband: Todd Palin

Children: Two sons and three daughters

Religious affiliation: Christian who has attended nondenominational Wasilla Bible Church in recent years; previously attended Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church.

Family: Palin moved to Alaska with her parents, a teacher and school secretary, when she was an infant. She grew up in Wasilla, a small town near Anchorage. Palin was a member of the state champion girls basketball team, on which she was nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda" for her aggressive play. She was crowned Miss Wasilla in a 1982 beauty pageant and later competed in the Miss Alaska contest. Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism and political science and eloped with her high school boyfriend in 1988 to avoid the cost of a wedding. The couple have five children -two sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Track, deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army in September. The youngest, son Trig, was born in April with Down syndrome.

Career: After her graduation and marriage, Palin worked as a television sports reporter from 1987 to 1989. She also worked in the family''s commercial fishing business and was the owner of a snowmobile, watercraft and all-terrain vehicle business.

Elective office/public service: Palin was elected to the Wasilla City Council in 1992. She served two terms on the council and was elected mayor for two terms. She gained the attention of Republican Party officials by promoting growth and cutting property taxes. Palin ran for lieutenant governor in 2002 but lost. After campaigning for the Republican ticket under Frank Murkowski, she was appointed to the panel that regulates Alaska''s oil and gas industry. Palin established herself as a party outsider by promoting a pipeline project opposed by Murkowski. She ran against the governor in 2006, defeated him in the primary and then defeated a former Democratic governor in the general election. As governor, she has worked on ethics reform, sought to reduce state spending and promoted a deal that would offer $500 million in seed money for constructing a natural gas pipeline. She ignited controversy by firing the state''s respected top police officer. He charged he was dismissed for resisting pressure from Palin''s office to lay off a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce and custody dispute with her sister. A state legislative inquiry concluded in October that Palin had abused her power by pressuring subordinates to fire the trooper. The Alaska Personnel Board on Monday cleared her of wrongdoing in the matter.