Chris Christie, in full Christopher James Christie, (born September 6, 1962, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.), American lawyer and politician who served as the governor of New Jersey (2010–18) and gained national prominence as a moderate voice in the Republican Party. He sought the party’s nomination for president in 2016. The son of a Korean War veteran, Christie majored in political science at the University of Delaware and graduated in 1984. He then embarked on the study of law, receiving a J.D. from Seton Hall University in 1987. Christie practiced law for more than a decade (1987–2001) at Dughi, Hewit and