David Cameron
The modernizing Conservative leader who called a referendum that reshaped Britain's global position and triggered his own political exit.
Born 1966 (age 60)·Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016·Birthday: October 9·Generation X
Biography
David Cameron arrived in Downing Street as the fresh-faced answer to a tired Labour government, promising a new era of compassionate conservatism. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he became the UK's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years in 2010, leading a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. His tenure was defined by a program of austerity measures aimed at reducing the national deficit, the legalization of same-sex marriage—a move that split his own party—and the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. His attempt to settle internal party disputes over Europe by promising an in/out vote, however, became his legacy. After campaigning for 'Remain,' the shock 'Leave' victory in the 2016 EU referendum led to his immediate resignation. His unexpected return to government as Foreign Secretary in 2023 under Rishi Sunak marked one of the most surprising political comebacks in recent British history.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
David was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
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
1971Started school
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
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
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
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016, leading the first coalition government since WWII.
- Oversaw the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013, legalizing same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
- Called and campaigned in the 2016 referendum on UK membership of the European Union.
- Appointed Foreign Secretary in 2023, becoming the first former prime minister to hold the role since the 1970s.
Did You Know?
He is a descendant of King William IV through an illegitimate line.
He was a member of the exclusive Oxford University dining society, the Bullingdon Club.
His father was a stockbroker and his great-grandfather was a Jewish financier who was knighted.
He and former Chancellor George Osborne were once work experience interns together in the Conservative Research Department.
“We are all in this together.”
