Before the election Lincoln served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War.

Before the 2002 election FC Bayern General Manager Uli Hoeneß expressed his support for Stoiber and the CSU.

Before election to the papacy, Pacelli served as secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, papal nuncio to Germany ( 1917 – 1929 ), and Cardinal Secretary of State, in which capacity he worked to conclude treaties with European and Latin American nations, most notably the Reichskonkordat with Nazi Germany.

Before his election as Pope, he served as Bishop of Caere, which made his election controversial, because, at this stage of history, a bishop was expected never to leave office to move to another see.

Before his election to the papacy, he had previously served as Bishop of Sutri.

Before his papal election, Cardinal della Rovere was renowned for his unworldliness and had even written learned treatises entitled On the Blood of Christ and On the Power of God.

Before the election, he founded the Young Nationalists as his party's youth wing and served as its first president.

Before Reagan's election, supply side policy was considered unconventional by the moderate wing of the Republican Party.

Before the 2008 presidential election he said, " On social issues, I lean Libertarian, minus the crazy stuff ," but said in December 2011 that if he were president he would do whatever Bill Clinton advised him to do because that " would lead to policies that are a sensible middle ground.

Before Harding's election, the nation had been adrift ; President Woodrow Wilson had been ill by a debilitating stroke for eighteen months and before that Wilson had been in Europe for several months attempting to negotiate a peace settlement after World War I.

Before John XXII's election a contest had begun for the imperial crown between Louis IV of Bavaria and his opponent, Frederick I of Austria.

Before his royal election, he was by inheritance Duke of Swabia ( 1147 – 1152, as Frederick III ).

Before this election, the United States had no chief executive.

Before the election, the War Democrats joined the Republicans to form the National Union Party.

Before the 1923 election, he resolved his dispute with Asquith, allowing the Liberals to run a united ticket against Stanley Baldwin's policy of tariffs ( although there was speculation that Baldwin had adopted such a policy in order to forestall Lloyd George from doing so ).

Before Clay's election as Speaker of the House, the position had been that of a rule enforcer and mediator.

Before the 1966 election, the widow ’ s pension was tripled and redundancy payments for laid-off workers were introduced.

Before and shortly after this election, the HZDS supported the creation of a looser federation — a confederation — between the two republics.

Before the 2002 election, former Moderate Party MP Sten Andersson defected to SD, citing that the party had gotten rid of its extreme right elements.

Before the election of 2004, Karzai led the country after being chosen by delegates of the Bonn Conference in December 2001 to head an interim government after the removal of the Taliban Emirate.

Before 2010, commissioners were elected on a nonpartisan basis, but Sullivan County's commission election became a partisan election in 2010 after the county Republican Party decided to conduct a primary election for commission seats.

Before the 2010 United Kingdom general election it was divided into three constituencies contained wholly within the borough-Brent South, Brent East and Brent North.

Before the Brunei People ’ s Party electoral success, a military wing had emerged, the North Kalimantan National Army ( Malay abbreviation TNKU, Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara ), which saw itself as an anti-colonialist liberation party.

Before 1873, England had two parallel court systems: courts of " law " that could only award money damages and recognized only the legal owner of property, and courts of " equity " ( courts of chancery ) that could issue injunctive relief ( that is, a court order to a party to do something, give something to someone, or stop doing something ) and recognized trusts of property.

Before becoming member a party needs to have been observer of the EFA for at least one year.

Before the party has even begun rumors of an adulterous relationship between Ashley and Scarlett have started, and Rhett and Melanie have heard the gossip.

Before the 1890s, there was no formal party system in New South Wales.

Before the 1890s, there was no formal party system in Victoria.

Before the 1890s, there was no formal party system in Tasmania.

Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland.

Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs.

Before the Labour Party rose in British politics the Liberal Party was the other major political party along with the Conservatives.

Before Cermak, the Democratic party in Cook County was run by the " Lace Curtain " Irish.

Before Wright returned to Paris, he gave a confidential report to the United States consulate in Accra on some of the things he had learned about Nkrumah and his political party.

Before Ferdinand VII died in 1833, Zumalacárregui was marked out as a natural supporter of the absolutist party which favoured the king's brother, Carlos.

Before World War II, as the main non-revolutionary left-wing party, the Social Democrats fared best among non-Catholic workers as well as intellectuals favouring social progressive causes and increased economic equality.

Before setting out he persuades the citizens of Athens to pass the death sentence upon Demosthenes and his followers ( including Hypereides, leader of the Athenian patriotic party ).

Before long a pro-French party took shape among the nobility, urging that she should be replaced by John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, the closest male relative to the infant prince, and now third in line to the throne.

Before he became leader of the Conservative Party, Disraeli had announced that, as a result of the Reform Act of 1867 which had enfranchised the male working class, the party needed to pursue social reforms if it was to have electoral success.

Before the party her friend Cynthia ( Joan Cusack ) gives her a valium from Katharine's bathroom when Tess suffers a panic attack.

Before 1540 he was sworn of James V of Scotland's privy council, and was known as one of the party in favour of the English alliance and of an ecclesiastical reformation.

Before the 2006 elections the party announced that it intended to run for a third time, despite the threshold for representation having been raised to 2 %.

Before the 2009 elections, Shem-Tov was expelled from the party by Shlomi Sandak who was the temporary chairman of the Green Leaf Party.

Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese Democratic Bloc.

Before the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in May 2010, the leader of the third largest parliamentary party ( usually the leader of the Liberal Party, or Liberal Democrats ) would then ask two questions.

Before and during World War II the museum was put on a shoestring budget by the Nazi party and many exhibits were allowed to get out of date with a few exceptions such as the new automobile room dedicated 7 May 1937.