Dick Gephardt
A steadfast Democratic leader from the industrial heartland who shaped House policy for decades and championed working-class economic interests.
Born 1941 (age 85)·American attorney, lobbyist and politician·Birthday: January 31·The Silent Generation
Biography
For over a quarter-century, Dick Gephardt was the embodiment of the Midwestern Democrat in Congress. Elected from a St. Louis district in 1976, he built a career on a bedrock of labor support, trade protectionism, and a deep understanding of congressional mechanics. As House Majority Leader and later Minority Leader, he was the steady, pragmatic operator navigating the turbulent politics of the Reagan era, the Clinton impeachment, and the post-9/11 landscape. His two presidential bids, in 1988 and 2004, were grounded in his signature issue: a fierce defense of American jobs against what he saw as unfair trade agreements. Though he never reached the White House, his influence was profound; he was a master of the House's procedural rules and a key architect of legislation from healthcare to the minimum wage. After retiring, he moved into lobbying, a transition that underscored his lifelong identity as a consummate Washington insider who believed in government's power to shape the economy.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dick was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
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
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
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 60
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 70
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 80
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 85 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995 and as House Minority Leader from 1995 to 2003.
- Was a principal author of the 1988 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires advance notice of mass layoffs.
- Won the 1988 Iowa Democratic presidential caucus, defeating eventual nominee Michael Dukakis.
- Led House Democratic opposition to the authorization of the use of force in Iraq in 2002.
Did You Know?
He was an Eagle Scout and has remained active with the Boy Scouts of America throughout his life.
Before politics, he served in the Missouri Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
He and his wife, Jane, have been married since 1966; she was a former flight attendant whom he met on a campaign flight.
“Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our own country and the world.”
