Kevin Rudd was educated in Queensland before undertaking tertiary study at the Australian National University. Rudd graduated with a BA (Hons). He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and served as an Australian diplomat from 1981 to1988. He then took up an appointment as the Chief of Staff to the Hon. Wayne Goss, Premier of Queensland, from 1988 to 1991 and was Director-General of the Queensland Cabinet Office from 1991 to 1995.
After a period as a consultant with KPMG, Rudd stood as the Australian Labor Party candidate for Federal seat of Griffith, Queensland. He was elected in 1998 and became Leader of the Opposition in 2006. After the Australian Labor Party won the 2007 federal election, Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister by the Governor-General, Michael Jeffery, on 3 December 2007. He remained in that office until 24 June 2010 when he was replaced by Julia Gillard.
Rudd is the father of Jessica Rudd.
