David Vitter
A fiercely conservative Louisiana senator whose political career was defined by anti-corruption drives and a major personal scandal.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American politician·Birthday: May 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Vitter built a political identity as a hardline social conservative and a crusader against government waste, a profile that carried him from the Louisiana statehouse to the U.S. Senate. A Rhodes Scholar with a doctorate from Oxford, he presented an intellectual, if uncompromising, face for the Republican right. In the House and Senate, he was a steadfast vote against abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and he championed stricter immigration enforcement. His most public legislative battle was his successful push to kill an earmark-laden spending bill in 2007, which he famously dubbed the 'Louisiana Purchase,' showcasing his anti-pork barrel stance. However, his career is inextricably linked to a 2007 scandal when his phone number was found in the records of the 'D.C. Madam,' a revelation he publicly acknowledged as a 'serious sin.' He survived the immediate fallout and won re-election in 2010, but the shadow remained. After an unsuccessful 2015 run for governor of Louisiana, he did not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016, closing a chapter marked by ideological conviction and profound personal controversy.
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.
David was born in 1961, 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 David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
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
1966Started school
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
1974Became a teenager
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
1977Could drive
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
1979Could vote
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
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a United States Senator from Louisiana from 2005 to 2017, after serving in the U.S. House from 1999 to 2005.
- Led a successful high-profile fight in 2007 to defeat a massive, earmark-filled appropriations bill, which he criticized as corrupt.
- Authored and pushed for the Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Act, which focused on employer verification and enforcement.
- Was the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Louisiana since Reconstruction when he won his seat in 2004.
Did You Know?
He was a Rhodes Scholar and earned his Ph.D. in political philosophy from Oxford University.
His wife, Wendy Vitter, was later appointed as a federal district judge in Louisiana by President Donald Trump.
During his 2015 gubernatorial campaign, attack ads highlighted the 2007 prostitution scandal, contributing to his defeat.
He was an avid runner and completed the Boston Marathon.
“I have always fought for Louisiana's values and against Washington's wasteful spending.”
