Age: 49

Birth Date: Aug. 4, 1955, in San Antonio, Texas.

Education: Attended U.S. Air Force Academy; bachelor's degree from Rice University, 1979; law degree from Harvard University, 1982.

Experience: White House counsel (2001-present); Texas Supreme Court justice (1999-2000); Texas secretary of state (1997-1999); Texas governor's general counsel (1995-1997); corporate attorney with Houston law firm Vinson & Elkins (1982-1995).

Family: Wife, Rebecca, and three sons.

Nicknames: Called "the judge" by White House colleagues. Known as Al to friends.

Personal: Gonzales, unlike other top officials, is not independently wealthy. His financial disclosure filed last spring lists his assets between $72,000 and $381,000 with more than $10,000 in credit card debt.

War On Terror: As White House counsel, Gonzales has been at the center of defending antiterrorism policy. He wrote the 2002 memo which led the White House to decide it could waive anti-torture laws and other international rights of terror detainees.

Some civil liberty activists question Gonzales stance on human rights. He has told Senators that as attorney general he will abide by treaties prohibiting torture.