History of Linda McMahon in Timeline

Linda McMahon is an American business executive and political figure. She served as the 25th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 and as the 13th United States Secretary of Education since 2025. She is a member of the Republican Party. Before her political career, McMahon was a professional wrestling executive.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles

October 4, 1948: Linda McMahon's birth

On October 4, 1948, Linda Marie Edwards (later McMahon) was born.

Others born on this day/year

August 26, 1966: Marriage to Vince McMahon

On August 26, 1966, Linda Edwards married Vince McMahon when she was 17 and he was 21.

1966: Enrollment at East Carolina University

In 1966, Linda McMahon enrolled at East Carolina University, where she pursued a bachelor's degree in French.

1968: Vince McMahon's Employment

In 1968, Vince McMahon worked as a traveling cup salesman.

1969: Graduated from East Carolina University

In 1969, Linda McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a degree.

1969: Move to Gaithersburg and Employment

In 1969, the McMahons moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Linda worked as a receptionist at Covington & Burling, where she translated documents, trained as a paralegal, and studied intellectual property rights.

1970: Birth of Shane McMahon

In 1970, Linda and Vince McMahon's son, Shane McMahon, was born.

1971: Vince McMahon Joins WWWF

In 1971, Vince McMahon joined his father's company, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later WWF, now WWE).

1976: Bankruptcy Filing

In 1976, Linda McMahon and her husband filed for bankruptcy after a series of failed business ventures, including financing Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon Jump, and while Linda was pregnant with Stephanie.

1976: Birth of Stephanie McMahon

In 1976, Linda and Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, was born.

1979: Promotion of Wrestling Events

In 1979, Vince McMahon decided to start promoting wrestling events at the Cape Cod Coliseum.

1980: Co-founding Titan Sports, Inc.

In 1980, Linda McMahon and Vince McMahon co-founded Titan Sports, Inc.

1983: Move to Greenwich, Connecticut

In 1983, the McMahons moved to Greenwich, Connecticut.

1984: Establishment of First Action Figures

In 1984, Linda McMahon established the company's first line of action figures, Wrestling Superstars, helping to expand the company's popularity with children.

1986: Support for the Special Olympics

In 1986, The McMahons began supporting the Special Olympics.

December 1989: Issuance of Memo

In December 1989, Linda McMahon issued a memo.

1989: Direction to fire on-call physician George Zahorian

In 1989, Linda McMahon directed Pat Patterson to fire on-call physician George Zahorian and inform him of imminent legal charges charging him with steroid distribution.

1992: WWE personnel resigned or were dismissed

In 1992, multiple WWE personnel, including ring announcer Mel Phillips and executives Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin, either resigned or were dismissed after being accused of sexually assaulting young boys.

1993: President of Titan Sports, Inc.

In 1993, Linda McMahon became the president of Titan Sports, Inc.

1995: Appointment to Governor's Council

In 1995, as Connecticut Governor, Lowell Weicker appointed Linda McMahon to the Governor's Council for the World Special Olympics.

1997: CEO of Titan Sports, Inc.

In 1997, Linda McMahon became the CEO of Titan Sports, Inc.

May 3, 1999: WWF TV Debut

On May 3, 1999, Linda McMahon debuted on WWF TV during the Corporate Ministry storyline, on the episode of Raw during the Attitude Era.

August 2000: Launch of "SmackDown! Your Vote" Campaign

In August 2000, Linda McMahon initiated WWE's non-partisan voter registration campaign, "SmackDown! Your Vote", targeting the 18-to-30 voter demographic. During the 2000 election, the campaign registered 150,000 new voters.

2000: State Athletic Regulations on Wrestling Industry

By 2000, fewer than half of the 50 states had athletic regulations on the wrestling industry.

2000: Negotiation of TV Deal with Viacom

In 2000, Linda McMahon was the primary negotiator for the World Wrestling Federation's TV deal with Viacom.

2000: Get R.E.A.L. Program

In 2000, McMahon launched the company's Get R.E.A.L. program to deliver positive messages about education to young adults. In 2000, the American Library Association reported the WWF's Know Your Role poster was its highest-selling poster for two straight months.

November 2004: Member of Board of Trustees

In November 2004, Linda McMahon became a member of the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

2005: Appointment to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and Arthur M. Sackler Award

In 2005, Linda McMahon won appointment to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and received the Arthur M. Sackler Award from the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra for WWE's support of its arts education program.

2006: Drug Policy investigation

In 2006, 75 wrestlers (roughly 40%) tested positive for drug use, mostly for steroids.

2006: Construction of Tennis Facility

In 2006, the McMahons paid $2.5 million for the construction of a tennis facility in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.

2006: Distribution of Posters to Libraries and Reading Facilities

Since 2006, thousands of posters featuring WWE superstars have been distributed to libraries and reading facilities.

January 29, 2007: "Wonder Women" Award

On January 29, 2007, Multichannel News named Linda McMahon to its class of "Wonder Women" for 2007. The award recognized her outstanding contributions to the cable and telecommunications industries.

May 2007: Keynote Speaker at Girl Scout Council

In May 2007, Linda McMahon appeared as the keynote speaker at the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut's Women of Achievement Leadership Breakfast.

2007: Steroid investigation after Chris Benoit's death

Following the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit in 2007, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigated steroid usage in the wrestling industry. The McMahons both testified.

2007: Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award

In 2007, WWE received the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award for its support of deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2007: Donated to Donald J. Trump Foundation

In 2007, after Donald Trump's WrestleMania 23 appearance, the McMahons donated $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation.

July 2008: Change in TV Parental Guidelines Rating

In July 2008, WWE changed its TV parental guidelines rating from TV-14 to TV-PG.

December 2008: Marketing Strategy to Attract Young Fans

In December 2008, Linda McMahon described the new TV-PG rating as a marketing strategy to attract a young generation of wrestling fans and create loyalty to the brand at a UBS Media Conference. Due to the TV-PG rating, chair shots to the head were banned, as well as sex scenes, blood, and vulgar language.

2008: Online Voter Registration

As of the 2008 election, Smackdown your Vote! registered many voters online, often in affiliation with Rock the Vote.

2008: GI Film Festival's Corporate Patriot Award

In 2008, WWE received the GI Film Festival's Corporate Patriot Award.

2008: Donations to Various Institutions

In 2008, the McMahons donated over $8 million to the Fishburne Military School, Sacred Heart University, and East Carolina University.

January 2009: Appointed to Connecticut State Board of Education

In January 2009, Linda McMahon was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Governor Jodi Rell.

September 16, 2009: Resignation as CEO of WWE

On September 16, 2009, Linda McMahon resigned from her position as CEO of WWE to run as a Republican for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut.

2009: Departure from WWE

In 2009, Linda McMahon left WWE to pursue a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut.

2009: Sat on the Connecticut Board of Education

In 2009, Linda McMahon served on the Connecticut Board of Education for one year, expressing a lifelong interest in education.

2009: Layoffs

In 2009, WWE laid off workers.

2009: Donation to Donald J. Trump Foundation

In 2009, the McMahons donated $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation.

January 20, 2010: Televised Interview Response

On January 20, 2010, Linda McMahon stated that follow-up was not needed regarding WWE's drug policy, during a televised interview with CBS Face the State.

April 1, 2010: Resigned from State Board of Education

On April 1, 2010, Linda McMahon resigned from the State Board of Education after a legal opinion disallowed board members from soliciting campaign contributions, as she had entered the race for U.S. Senate.

2010: Board Member of Close Up Foundation

As of 2010, Linda McMahon served on the board of the Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit which offers youth field trips to Washington, D.C.

2010: Criticism over Tax Credits

During her 2010 campaign, Blumenthal's campaign criticized Linda McMahon and WWE for accepting tax credits while laying off workers in 2009.

2010: Loss in Senate Election

In 2010, Linda McMahon, as a Republican candidate, lost the Senate election to Democrat Richard Blumenthal in Connecticut.

2010: "Tip-Off Memo" during Senate Campaign

In 2010, the 1989 memo became known publicly as the "Tip-Off Memo" during her campaign for Senate. It became a political liability used against her in both the nomination and general election campaigns.

September 20, 2011: Announced candidacy for U.S. Senate

On September 20, 2011, Linda McMahon officially announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate in Southington, Connecticut.

April 13, 2012: Dedication of Linda E. McMahon Commons Building

On April 13, 2012, Sacred Heart University officially dedicated and opened the Linda E. McMahon Commons Building on its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut.

May 18, 2012: Earned state Republican Party endorsement

On May 18, 2012, Linda McMahon earned the endorsement of the state Republican Party at the Connecticut State Republican Convention.

August 14, 2012: Defeated Chris Shays in primary

On August 14, 2012, Linda McMahon defeated Chris Shays in the primary election for U.S. Senate.

2012: Loss in Second Senate Election

In 2012, Linda McMahon, as the Republican nominee, lost the Senate election to Democrat Chris Murphy in Connecticut.

2012: Hinted at running for Senate again

In 2012, immediately after losing to Blumenthal, Linda McMahon hinted that she would run again for Senate and maintained a high profile, eventually becoming the Republican Party favorite when Joe Lieberman announced his retirement.

2015: Attended meeting with Republican donors

In 2015, Linda McMahon attended a meeting near Jackson, Wyoming with other donors and prospective political candidates.

2015: Donated to Future 45

In 2015, Linda McMahon donated to Future 45, a Super PAC that funded anti-Bernie Sanders advertisements.

December 7, 2016: Nomination for Administrator of the Small Business Administration

On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).

2016: Attended meeting with Republican donors

In 2016, Linda McMahon attended a meeting near Jackson, Wyoming with other donors and prospective political candidates.

2016: Donated to Rebuilding America Now

In 2016, Linda McMahon donated $6 million to Rebuilding America Now, a Super PAC aimed at electing Donald Trump.

January 24, 2017: Confirmation hearing

On January 24, 2017, Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing took place.

February 1, 2017: Nomination approved by Senate Committee

On February 1, 2017, Linda McMahon's nomination was approved by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

February 14, 2017: Confirmation as Administrator of the SBA

On February 14, 2017, Linda McMahon was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).

June 17, 2017: Interview with CNBC

On June 17, 2017, Linda McMahon stated in an interview with CNBC that her role as administrator of SBA involved learning how to develop business plans, how to grow, how to pitch one's business when trying to get investors, or to move into a different market, and that the goals of the SBA were being challenged by a budget cut.

2017: Appointment as Administrator of the Small Business Administration

In 2017, Linda McMahon was appointed as the 25th Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

2017: Visited cities to support Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Throughout 2017, Linda McMahon visited 68 cities to hear from small business owners and support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

January 29, 2018: Progress at SBA

On January 29, 2018, on Linda McMahon's first anniversary as head of the SBA, The Washington Post noted the SBA's progress under her leadership.

March 29, 2019: Announcement of Departure from the SBA

On March 29, 2019, the Trump administration announced that Linda McMahon would step down as the administrator of the SBA in April to work on Trump's re-election campaign.

April 12, 2019: Departed from SBA

On April 12, 2019, Linda McMahon departed from the SBA to work for President Trump's 2020 reelection efforts.

2019: Departure from the Small Business Administration

In 2019, Linda McMahon left her role as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

2020: Chaired pro-Trump Super PAC and America First Policy Institute

In 2020, Linda McMahon chaired America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC, and served as chair of the board for the America First Policy Institute.

2020: Worked for President Trump's reelection efforts

In 2020, Linda McMahon worked for President Trump's reelection efforts.

2021: Founding Chairwoman of America First Policy Institute

In 2021, Linda McMahon became the founding chairwoman of the America First Policy Institute.

October 2024: Named as defendant in lawsuit

In October 2024, Linda McMahon, her husband, and the WWE were named as defendants in a lawsuit alleging negligence regarding the ring boy scandal. The lawsuit claimed the McMahons fostered a culture of sexual abuse within the WWE.

November 19, 2024: Nomination for U.S. Secretary of Education

On November 19, 2024, Linda McMahon was nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.

December 2024: Lawsuit Paused

In December 2024, a federal judge paused the lawsuit against McMahon and the WWE, pending a legal challenge to a state law that could affect the case.

January 20, 2025: Nomination received in U.S. Senate

On January 20, 2025, Linda McMahon's nomination was received in the U.S. Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).