Michael Haley (soldier)

William Michael Haley[1] is a commissioned officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard who served as the first gentleman of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. He was the first to hold the position.

Michael Haley
Haley in 2023
First Gentleman of South Carolina
In role
January 12, 2011 – January 24, 2017
GovernorNikki Haley
Preceded byJenny Sanford (First Lady)
Succeeded byPeggy McMaster (First Lady)
Personal details
Spouse
​
(m. 1996)​
Children2
EducationClemson University
University of North Carolina, Charlotte (BA)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
RankMajor
UnitSouth Carolina Army National Guard
Battles/warsAfghan War

Haley is the husband of former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley.

Career

Military service

Haley is an officer with the South Carolina Army National Guard and specializes in security cooperation.[2]

In January 2012, Haley was deployed on a yearlong tour of duty in Afghanistan as a captain in the South Carolina Army National Guard.[3][4][5] The unit served in Helmand Province as an agribusiness development team helping Afghan farmers improve farming techniques and develop cash crops to replace opium poppies.[6] Haley served as a liaison between the military and civilian authorities.[7] He is thought to have been the first spouse of a governor to serve on active duty in a war zone.[3][8]

Marines serving with Haley in Helmand Province nicknamed him FGOSC (First Gentleman of South Carolina).[9]

First Gentleman of South Carolina

Since Haley is the first person to become first gentleman of South Carolina, and because there have only been fifteen first gentlemen in U.S. history, including the five men in that role as of 2015,[10] there was speculation about what his role would be.[5][11] Haley chaired the foundation that oversees the preservation and management of the South Carolina Governor's Mansion in Columbia.[10][11]

Stand for America

Haley is listed as president of Stand for America, a policy and media organization that Nikki Haley started after leaving her position as UN ambassador. Internal Revenue Service paperwork from 2019 indicates that Michael Haley worked 40 hours per week at the New York-based organization and received no compensation.[12]

Personal life

Haley was known as William or Bill until he met his future wife, who started calling him by his middle name, Michael.[13]

Originally from Ohio, Haley entered a foster home at the age of three and was adopted by Bill and Carole Haley at the age of four.[14]

Haley and Nikki Randhawa met in 1989 as undergraduates at Clemson University.[15] While Nikki Haley is a Clemson graduate, Michael graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in business administration.[16][3] Haley is a graduate of Hilton Head Preparatory School.[17]

Michael and Nikki Haley were married in 1996 in two ceremonies, a Sikh ceremony and a ceremony at St. Andrew's by-the-Sea, the Methodist church in Hilton Head, where Haley's parents, Carole and Bill reside.[17][18][19] Before retiring to Hilton Head, Bill Haley had been a director of a steel manufacturing plant, and Carole Haley had taught school.[19]

Haley worked at Exotica International, an upscale men's and women's clothing store owned by his mother-in-law. He worked for eight years as a federal technician in various positions in human resources with the South Carolina Army National Guard. He spends his time as an investor and partner in several companies and participates on several boards and advisory boards.[16][3][20]

References
  1. Alberta, Tim (February 12, 2021). "Nikki Haley's Time for Choosing". Politico.
  2. "Haley, Chosen to Rebut Obama's State of Union Speech, Is Rising Republican Star". Voice of America. January 12, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. Wilkinson, Jeff (July 30, 2012). "First gentleman Michael Haley to serve with Guard in Afghanistan". Spartanburg Herald - Journal.
  4. Lowe, Rachael (May 8, 2015). "May proclaimed 'Month of the Military Spouse'". The State. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  5. Beam, Adam (May 23, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE Michael Haley: No better way to represent S.C. than in the Guard". The State. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  6. Schafer, Susanne (January 10, 2013). "S.C. Gov. Haley's husband deploys with Guard". Army Times. AP. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  7. Low, Kristen (July 31, 2012). "First Gentleman of South Carolina, husband of Nikki Haley, to ship out to Afghanistan". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  8. Singh, Simran (November 12, 2010). "We live the American Dream". India Abroad.
  9. Beam, Adam (December 10, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE Michael Haley: No better way to represent S.C. than in the Guard". The State.
  10. Thompson, Krissah (April 24, 2015). "What happens when a man takes over role of first lady?". News Journal. Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  11. Funderburg, Greg (November 3, 2010). "What Will SC's First, First Gentleman Do?". Fox News. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  12. "Form 990 (2019)". Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  13. "55 Things You Need to Know About Nikki Haley". Politico. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
  14. Haley, Nikki (April 3, 2012). Can't Is Not an Option: My American Story. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-56886-6.
  15. Smith, Gina (November 25, 2011). "Haley the 'Clemson girl' a rarity among governors". The Herald. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  16. Jennings, Natalie (January 10, 2013). "Nikki Haley's husband departs for Afghan mission". Washington Post. AP.
  17. Lauderdale, /david (April 23, 2013). "Governor mixes business, pleasure at Heritage". The Island Packet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  18. Dewan, Shaila (June 13, 2010). "All Her Life, Nikki Haley Was the Different One". New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  19. Dawsey, Josh (June 19, 2010). "Nikki Haley's Hilton Head in-laws have been helping since campaign's onset". McClatchy - Tribune Business News.
  20. "Haley's Comet". The Economist. January 16, 2016.
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