Bob Kerrey
A decorated Vietnam veteran turned senator who championed healthcare reform and later led a major New York university.
Born 1943 (age 83)·American politician and naval officer·Birthday: August 27·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Kerrey’s life is a study in dramatic shifts between military service, political power, and academic leadership. He grew up in Nebraska and, after college, joined the U.S. Navy, serving as a SEAL in Vietnam. That service cost him part of his leg and earned him the Medal of Honor, an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview. Returning home, he entered politics, bringing a blunt, independent-minded style to the governor’s mansion in Lincoln. In the U.S. Senate, he was a centrist Democrat known for his fierce advocacy of deficit reduction and his pivotal, sometimes controversial, votes on healthcare and economic policy. After a presidential bid in 1992, he left the Senate and embarked on a second act as president of The New School in New York City, steering the progressive university for over a decade.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
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
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 80
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 83 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a Navy SEAL during a 1969 combat operation in Vietnam.
- Served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska, implementing tax reforms and economic development initiatives.
- Represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate for two terms, where he was a key figure on the Senate Finance Committee.
- Served as President of The New School in New York City from 2001 to 2010, expanding its urban campus and programs.
Did You Know?
He is one of only two Medal of Honor recipients to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Kerrey lost part of his right leg below the knee in Vietnam and ran subsequent political races using a prosthesis.
He was a member of the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”
