Bob Ehrlich
A pragmatic Republican who broke a long Democratic streak to become Maryland's governor, navigating a historically blue state with a centrist agenda.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007·Birthday: November 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Ehrlich's political career is a study in Republican ambition within a predominantly Democratic stronghold. A former college football linebacker, he brought that same directness to politics, serving in Maryland's state legislature before winning a U.S. House seat in the 1994 Republican wave. In 2002, he achieved what seemed improbable: he was elected governor of Maryland, the first Republican to hold the office in over three decades. His tenure was marked by clashes with a powerful Democratic legislature, though he found common ground on issues like cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and expanding charter schools. He championed slot machine gambling to fund education, a proposal that initially stalled but later passed. Defeated for reelection in 2006, he remained a vocal commentator on state politics. His governorship demonstrated that a moderate, fiscally-focused Republican could compete in a state where Democratic registration heavily outweighs his own party.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the first Republican Governor of Maryland in 36 years, serving from 2003 to 2007.
- Represented Maryland's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for four terms.
- Signed the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, implementing a 'flush tax' to fund wastewater treatment upgrades.
- Expanded Maryland's charter school system during his term as governor.
Did You Know?
He was a scholarship football player at Princeton University, playing linebacker.
His wife, Kendel Ehrlich, was a public defender and later a news anchor.
He authored several books on political strategy and his experiences in office.
After his governorship, he hosted a weekly radio talk show in Baltimore.
“You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose.”
