Brian Schweitzer
A folksy, bolo-tie-wearing Democrat who governed deep-red Montana with a populist flair and a fierce focus on energy independence.
Born 1955 (age 71)·23rd Governor of Montana·Birthday: September 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brian Schweitzer stormed into Montana politics like a prairie wind, a Democrat who talked like a rancher and governed as a pragmatic populist. With his signature bolo tie and a black Labrador named Jag by his side, he cultivated a maverick image that resonated in a conservative state. As governor, his priorities were distinctly Western: he aggressively pushed for the development of Montana's vast energy resources, particularly coal and wind, under a banner of 'energy independence.' He famously vetoed a record number of bills from a Republican legislature, using a branding iron to stamp 'VETO' on the documents. Schweitzer championed popular measures like freezing college tuition and expanding children's health insurance, all while maintaining a fiscally conservative stance that often baffled national party labels. His boisterous, straight-talking style made him a compelling figure and proved that a certain kind of Democrat could not only survive but thrive in the Rocky Mountain West.
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.
Brian was born in 1955, 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 Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
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
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 23rd Governor of Montana for two terms, from 2005 to 2013.
- Vetoed 79 bills in a single legislative session, a state record, often with theatrical flair.
- Chaired the Democratic Governors Association, helping to elect Democrats to state offices nationwide.
- Presided over a period of significant state budget surpluses and established a large state rainy-day fund.
Did You Know?
He is a trained soil scientist and worked on irrigation projects in Saudi Arabia and Libya early in his career.
His grandfather was a Lebanese immigrant, and Schweitzer speaks fluent Arabic.
He and his brother raised cattle on a ranch near Whitefish, Montana.
He once appeared in a political ad shooting a 'red tape' coffin to symbolize cutting bureaucracy.
““I don't carry water for any political party. I carry a bucket for the people of Montana.””
