Linda McMahon Bio
Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards; born October 4, 1948) is an American administrator, business executive, and political figure who has served as the United States Secretary of Education since 2025. A Republican, she is widely known as the co-founder and long-time chief executive of Titan Sports, later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a company she helped grow from a regional promoter into a global entertainment business. McMahon served as the 25th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019, and earlier ran twice for the United States Senate from Connecticut in 2010 and 2012. She has also been a leading Republican donor and fundraiser, chaired the America First Policy Institute, and served on civic and educational boards.
Early Life and Background
Linda Marie McMahon was born on October 4, 1948, in New Bern, North Carolina, the daughter of Henry Edwards and Evelyn Edwards. Her parents both worked at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, a military installation near her hometown. She grew up in a Welsh-American family with conservative Baptist roots, later converting to Roman Catholicism. As an only child who described herself as a tomboy, she spent much of her childhood playing basketball and baseball.
She graduated from New Bern High School and, at 13, met Vince McMahon, then 16, whose mother became close friends with the Edwards family. The two dated throughout high school and married on August 26, 1966, when she was 17 and he was 21. She enrolled at East Carolina University the same year, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in French on a teacher-preparation track.
Path to Public Service
After college, the McMahons moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland, in 1969, where Linda worked as a receptionist and trained as a paralegal at the law firm Covington & Burling, focusing on intellectual property. Years of financial strain followed, including a period on food stamps, and in 1976 the couple filed for bankruptcy after a string of failed business ventures. By 1980, she and her husband had co-founded Titan Sports, Inc., beginning her corporate leadership career.
Her move into public life came gradually. She joined the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009, citing a lifelong interest in education. She later ran two U.S. Senate campaigns in Connecticut, lost both, and was nominated in 2016 to lead the Small Business Administration, the first step in her federal government service.
Linda McMahon Career
Early Career (1980–2009)
McMahon co-founded Titan Sports, Inc., with her husband in 1980, helping to run small hockey, sporting, and wrestling events at the Cape Cod Coliseum. She handled administration and used her knowledge of intellectual property law to protect company trademarks, even helping to feed fans with homemade meatball sandwiches in the lean early years. Many employees referred to her as a co-chief executive.
In 1983 the family settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she would live for decades. She became president of the company in 1993 and chief executive officer in 1997, guiding its transformation from a regional wrestling promoter into a large multinational entertainment business. She negotiated major deals, including the company’s 2000 television agreement with Viacom, and built WWE’s first line of action figures, Wrestling Superstars, in 1984.
Senate Campaigns and Political Rise (2009–2016)
McMahon resigned as CEO of WWE on September 16, 2009, to run for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut as a Republican, spending up to $50 million of her own money. She won the Republican primary and lost the general election to Democrat Richard Blumenthal by 11.8 percentage points in 2010. Two years later, she secured the 2012 Republican nomination for Connecticut’s other Senate seat, spending $15.7 million of her own funds, and lost the general election to Democrat Chris Murphy.
After her second defeat, McMahon turned her attention to political fundraising and donor organizing. She contributed to groups such as American Crossroads and Ending Spending Fund, and associated with major Republican donors including Paul Singer. In 2016 she donated $6 million to Rebuilding America Now, a Super PAC supporting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Small Business Administration (2017–2019)
On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate McMahon as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Her nomination was approved by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on February 1, 2017, by an 18–1 vote, and she was confirmed by the full U.S. Senate on February 14, 2017, by a bipartisan vote of 81–19. She was sworn in as the 25th Administrator of the SBA that same day.
During her tenure, McMahon visited 68 cities in 2017 to meet small business owners and support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. She also helped expand emergency call center staffing after Hurricane Harvey, hired roughly 3,000 additional workers, and worked to revamp the agency’s online presence. On March 29, 2019, she announced her departure effective April 12, 2019, to join Trump’s 2020 reelection effort.
America First Policy Institute and Second Trump Transition (2019–2024)
After leaving the SBA, McMahon became the founding chairwoman of the America First Policy Institute in 2021. She also served as chair of America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC that helped raise $83 million for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. She co-chaired Trump’s second presidential transition team alongside Howard Lutnick.
Throughout this period she remained a prominent Republican donor and strategist, maintaining an active role in party fundraising and policy planning while preparing for a possible return to public office.
Secretary of Education (2025–Present)
On November 19, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated McMahon to serve as the United States Secretary of Education. Her nomination was received in the U.S. Senate on January 20, 2025, and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The committee advanced her nomination on February 20, 2025, by a 12–11 vote.
On March 3, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed McMahon as the 13th United States Secretary of Education by a vote of 51–45. She was sworn in the same day. As Secretary, she has expressed support for school choice and charter schools, and she holds oversight of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, a partnership of conservative organizations creating civics programming for the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Notable Events and Milestones
McMahon’s career is marked by several signature moments, including her 2010 and 2012 U.S. Senate campaigns in Connecticut, her bipartisan 81–19 confirmation as SBA Administrator in 2017, and her 51–45 confirmation as Secretary of Education in 2025. She also helped transform WWE from a regional wrestling promotion into a publicly traded global entertainment company.
Linda McMahon Awards and Recognition
McMahon has received awards for both her corporate leadership and her charitable work through WWE, including recognition for her support of education, the arts, and U.S. troops.
Honors and Industry Recognition
In 2005, McMahon received the Arthur M. Sackler Award from the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra for WWE’s support of its arts education program. In January 2007, Multichannel News named her to its class of Wonder Women, recognizing her contributions to the cable and telecommunications industries.
Under her leadership, WWE received the USO of Metropolitan Washington’s first Legacy of Hope award, the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award in 2007, and the GI Film Festival’s Corporate Patriot Award in 2008 for its support of deployed U.S. service members.
Linda McMahon Family
Family Background and Personal Lineage
McMahon was born into a Welsh-American family in New Bern, North Carolina, the daughter of Henry Edwards and Evelyn Edwards, both of whom worked at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. She grew up as an only child in a conservative Baptist household. Her early introduction to Vince McMahon came through their mothers, who worked in the same building and became close friends.
Personal Life
McMahon married Vince McMahon on August 26, 1966. The couple has two children: a son, Shane McMahon, born in 1970, and a daughter, Stephanie McMahon, born in 1976. They also have six grandchildren. The family has long resided in Greenwich, Connecticut.