Following are highlights of Rod Blagojevich's career:

Dec. 10, 1956: Blagojevich is born in Chicago.

1979: The would-be governor graduates from Northwestern University.

1983: Blagojevich earns a law degree from Pepperdine University in California. He would later joke about being a C student in constitutional law.

1992: He is elected to the Illinois House from Chicago.

1996: Blagojevich wins a term in Congress, representing Illinois' 5th District.

March 2002: Blagojevich wins a three-way Democratic primary for governor, taking 36 percent of the vote and edging Paul Vallas.

November 2002: Blagojevich wins his campaign for governor after running against then-Attorney General Jim Ryan. He took 52 percent of the vote.

January 2005: Blagojevich's father-in-law, Chicago Alderman Dick Mell, said the governor traded campaign contributions for spots on boards and commissions. Mell would later

recant those comments, but they sparked the interest of investigators into the governor's administration.

October 2006: Major Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko is arrested. He would

later be found guilty.

November 2006: Blagojevich wins a second term, defeating former state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

Dec. 8: Further trailed by questions about the federal investigation, Blagojevich tells reporters "I don't believe there's any cloud that hangs over me, I think there's nothing but sunshine hanging over me."

Dec. 9: Blagojevich is arrested in Chicago by federal agents on corruption charges.