Ed Gillespie
A master Republican strategist and lobbyist who shaped national policy from the backrooms of Washington for decades.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American political strategist·Birthday: August 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ed Gillespie operates in the engine room of American power. Starting as a congressional aide, he quickly mastered the arts of messaging and coalition-building. He co-founded a powerhouse lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates, before becoming a key architect of the Republican Party's communication strategy. As Chairman of the Republican National Committee during George W. Bush's re-election campaign, he helped orchestrate a presidential win. He later served as Counselor to the President in the Bush White House, a behind-the-scenes role where he shaped policy and political strategy. Though his own runs for elected office in Virginia fell short, his influence as a thinker, fundraiser, and tactician for the GOP establishment has been profound and enduring.
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.
Ed 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 Ed Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Ed'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 Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005.
- Acted as Counselor to President George W. Bush, a senior advisory role in the White House.
- Co-founded the bipartisan lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates.
- Was the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2013 and for the U.S. Senate from Virginia in 2014.
Did You Know?
He started his career as a Senate parking lot attendant and later a waiter before becoming a congressional aide.
Gillespie is the author of the book 'Winning Right: Campaign Politics and Conservative Policies'.
He is of Irish descent and has been active in Irish-American political circles.
He briefly served as the Chair of the Virginia Republican Party in the 2000s.
““In politics, you can’t win with a message that’s only about what you’re against. You have to be for something.””
