Dan Quayle
As Vice President under George H.W. Bush, he became a lasting symbol of political gaffes, overshadowing a conventional conservative career.
Born 1947 (age 79)·Vice President of the United States from 1989 to 1993·Birthday: February 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dan Quayle's political trajectory was that of a young, photogenic Midwestern conservative, swiftly moving from the House to the Senate and then, at age 41, to the Vice Presidency. Selected in 1988 to add youth to the ticket, his tenure was almost immediately defined by a series of verbal missteps, most famously his correction of a student's correct spelling of 'potato.' The media caricature of him as unintelligent became entrenched, despite a solidly conservative voting record and advocacy for policies like the Job Training Partnership Act. His debate against Lloyd Bentsen, where he invoked John F. Kennedy and was met with the devastating retort, 'You're no Jack Kennedy,' cemented a public perception he could never shake. After leaving office, he receded from the national spotlight, writing books and occasionally commenting on politics, his legacy forever tied to the moment when the modern 24-hour news cycle found its perfect, enduring foil.
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.
Dan was born in 1947, 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 Dan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Dan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
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
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
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!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
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 50
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 60
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 70
#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 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 44th Vice President of the United States under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.
- Represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1989, where he championed family-oriented tax relief and defense spending.
- Authored the bill that became the Job Training Partnership Act, a major workforce training program.
- Was the Republican nominee for Vice President in both the 1988 and 1992 presidential elections.
Did You Know?
He worked as a sports reporter for his family's newspaper, The Huntington Herald-Press, before entering politics.
He is an avid golfer and has participated in multiple PGA Tour pro-am events.
His grandfather, Eugene Pulliam, was a powerful newspaper publisher who founded the company that owned the Indianapolis Star and Arizona Republic.
He published a mystery novel, 'The Fight for Freedom,' in 2016.
“What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is.”
