Claire McCaskill
A plainspoken Missouri Democrat who built a career on forensic audits and became the last from her party to win a Senate seat in her state.
Born 1953 (age 73)·American politician·Birthday: July 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Claire McCaskill cut her teeth in Missouri politics as a prosecutor and state auditor, earning a reputation as a tenacious watchdog who relished digging into the books. Her audit work, often targeting members of her own party, established her brand as an independent-minded fighter against waste. This persona carried her to the U.S. Senate in 2006, where she served two terms marked by a pragmatic, centrist approach. She was a key vote on major legislation like the Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank, but never hesitated to break with her party, notably during Supreme Court confirmation battles. Her 2018 defeat marked the end of an era for Missouri Democrats, as she remains the last from her party to hold a Senate seat there, a testament to both her personal appeal and the state's shifting political landscape.
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.
Claire was born in 1953, 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 Claire Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Claire's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
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
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
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 70
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 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a United States Senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019.
- Was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Missouri.
- Served as Missouri State Auditor from 1999 to 2007, known for aggressive investigations.
- Was a key Democratic vote for the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.
Did You Know?
She worked as a waitress at a Howard Johnson's restaurant to help pay for law school.
Her mother was a former city councilwoman and a staunch Democrat who once served in the same state legislature seat Claire later held.
She is a frequent political analyst on MSNBC and other news networks.
“I'm not a go-along-to-get-along girl.”
