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'Fox Report' Profile: Rick Perry

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    Shepard Smith looks back at how Texas governor got start in politics

  • Duration 2:59
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Thanks Rick Perry by the way compared his Iowa campaign too early battles of a revolutionary war and World War II.

As we introduce -- each of the GOP contenders here on fox report tonight a closer look at governor Perry's life and career.

If voters in caucus goers choose him as the Republican nominee for president he would not be -- first time Governor Perry has come from nowhere.

I stand before you today as the governor of Texas but I also stand before you.

The son and two tenant farmers -- James Richard Perry was born in 1950 in rural north Texas.

These folks didn't have much money is mother sewed together most of -- close their home had no indoor plumbing.

I'm the product -- a place called paint -- yeah.

And and a zip code.

It's too small to be called a town along them rolling plains texts.

There were only thirteen students and Rick Barry's class -- -- K through twelve schoolhouse.

He was the quarterback of their six man football team his future wife Anita first sat next to him at a piano recital when he was eight.

We had our first date for eight years later.

And she finally agreed to marry -- sixteen years after that.

Nobody says I am not persistent.

Rick Perry went to Texas a and M university where he served in the student military organization the corps of cadets.

The student body elected him as one of five yell leaders he was -- to become a veterinarian.

But his -- couldn't keep pace with his ambitions.

You know the fact of the matter is four semesters of organic chemistry.

Made a pilot out of me.

Rick Perry joined the air force out of college flying C 130 cargo planes around the world.

When his service ended he had the opportunity to become a pilot on Southwest Airlines but he declined choosing instead to help his father back on the form.

When his state representative retired in 1985.

Rick Perry ran for office and -- and in fact he's never lost the election cents.

The father of two started off as a Democrat but became a Republican in the late 1980s.

As Texas moved from blue to red.

-- is so -- city this.

-- served as the State's agricultural commissioner through the 1990s.

Or work for George Bush and Texas legislature before voters elected him is George W Bush's lieutenant governor in 1998.

Two years later bush won the presidential election and theory moved into the governor's mansion just a couple of hundred miles from paint creek.

But a long way from his humble beginnings.

Rick Perry is now the longest serving governor in the history of Texas.

As campaign 2012 continues will take a look at some of the other.

GOP candidates each night on fox report and you can check out their stories online at foxnews.com.

Slash -- New word today that.