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He is a whip-smart lawyer and Internet wizard whose prowess at golf is as legendary among his current friends as his snappy dress is famous among his former secretaries.

His decision to enter political life was apparently triggered by the death of his father a decade ago. Since then, he has immersed himself in Democratic politics, fundraising for a long line of White House hopefuls, including Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He was introduced to the latter by an old friend and law-firm colleague, best-selling author Scott Turow.

Now David Jacobson, a 57-year-old golden boy with an all-American upbringing in a Chicago suburb, has emerged as President Obama's pick as U.S. ambassador to Canada, a “dream job” according to his wife, Julie, who is also a lawyer by training.

“We could not be happier,” she said breathlessly by phone from the family's stately home in Glencoe, Ill., hours before boarding a flight to Washington, where her husband's nomination is set to be confirmed by the Senate. “We are very, very, very excited. I think Canada's the most beautiful country in the world.”

Not surprisingly, Mr. Jacobson's nomination is being loudly hailed from the tight-knit Chicago circle where he forged both high-powered political alliances and deep friendships.

“We're enormously proud of him. He's bright as hell, quick and careful,” said Dwayne Quaini, a former chair of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, the Chicago law firm where Mr. Jacobson worked as a litigator for more than 30 years, specializing in securities, complex litigation and E-business.

The firm's receptionist put it this way: “We love him. First of all, he's attractive and the sharpest dresser in the kingdom. He also talks the same way to the doorman as he does to the President. I love him too much.”

In Ottawa, where Mr. Jacobson is virtually unknown, reaction to his nomination has been more measured.

Little is known about him, even on paper. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was editor of the Georgetown Law Journal and worked briefly at a prominent New York law firm before accepting a job at Sonnenschein – in part to be closer to his mother, who was ill at the time.

Disclosure filings also reveal Mr. Jacobson's role as a “bundler” – one that allowed him to raise at least $50,000 of individual donations for Mr. Obama's campaign.

His detractors charge Mr. Jacobson “bought his way” into the Ottawa job and question his expertise on policy at a time when tensions are running high on issues of trade, the environment and border security.

Mr. Jacobson has been advised not to talk to the media until his nomination is confirmed later this summer.

However, interviews with his former colleagues, friends and former associates offer a more nuanced snapshot – of a man who is both driven and politically ambitious, someone who is said to have an almost obsessive preoccupation with policy, and views the ambassadorship as a calling, rather than a plum post.

“His first interest is in politics. He wanted to make the world better through governance. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, fundraising is still a way to open that door, but his heart is in the right place.… He loves the hurly burly of politics,” said Mr. Turow, a partner at Mr. Jacobson's former law firm.

Mr. Turow and other associates cited the economy and security as key areas of interest for Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Turow introduced Mr. Jacobson to Mr. Obama at a party at his home on Chicago's North Shore in August, 2003, during the early throes of his Senate campaign. There were a hundred people in the room, but meeting Mr. Obama proved especially consequential for Mr. Jacobson.

Although he'd initially supported Mr. Biden in his bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination, he subsequently threw his support behind Mr. Obama. He spearheaded “Lawyers for Obama” in an effort to harness support and later enlisted experts to work on Mr. Obama's policy groups, building a reputation as a star networker.

Outside Chicago's legal circles, he is best known as the founder of “First Tuesday,” a monthly mixer still hugely popular with the city's tech crowd.

Mr. Jacobson briefly left his law practice to pursue an Internet venture several years ago, but eventually rejoined the firm.

However, close friends said he never saw himself as a lifelong litigator. “When you're a litigator, you're always at someone's throat or someone is always at your throat. David is a nice guy. That kind of life over the long haul can really take its toll,” said one friend, who has known Mr. Jacobson for more than 20 years.

Mr. Jacobson was appointed deputy finance chair for Mr. Obama's national campaign. “He pretty quickly became a rising star in democratic politics on the national scene,” Mr. Turow recalled.

But even as a fundraiser, Mr. Jacobson was preoccupied with policy.

“I believe his motivation for the fundraising end came from his passion for the policies Obama would bring. In other words, he's not a fat cat getting rewarded,” said Alan Solow, a lawyer and democratic fundraiser.

In the wake of Mr. Obama's victory, Mr. Jacobson was appointed special assistant to the President, filling executive slots in the White House. His family never bothered to move to Washington, however, underlining that the post was always seen as temporary until a more permanent and prominent posting cropped up, sources said.

He met his wife, Julie, at Sonnenschein, where she interned before her senior year of law school at New York University. Mr. Jacobson was an associate at the firm.

After they married, Ms. Jacobson quit her job to raise their two children. She recently returned to work, running a trendy Chicago-area bookshop.

“They both have a warmth and an openness about them that people find very attractive and they, in turn, are very attracted to people,” said Mr. Quaini of the couple, who have spent family holidays in Canada.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Jacobson and his wife are expected to arrive in Ottawa over the summer.

Asked how she feels about the prospect, Ms. Jacobson said: “My bags are already packed.”