Al Salvi has lived in Lake County his whole life. He was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1960. He attended Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and the University of Notre Dame where he received his B.A. in 1982. He graduated from the University of Illinois where he received his J.D. in 1985. He was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year. He was also admitted to the California bar in 1987. Al is fluent in Japanese. He was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1992 and was re-elected to a second term in the Illinois General Assembly representing western Lake County. He was nominated by the Republican party for the U.S. Senate in 1996 and for Illinois Secretary of State in 1998. Al is married to attorney, Kathy Salvi. They live in Mundelein, Illinois, with their six children.