Egils Levits
A Latvian jurist and president who spent his life weaving the legal fabric of a nation reborn after Soviet rule.
Born 1955 (age 71)·President of Latvia from 2019 to 2023·Birthday: June 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Egils Levits’s biography is a map of modern Latvian history. Born in Riga just as the shadow of Soviet occupation lengthened, his family fled to West Germany, where he grew up in exile. This displacement forged a profound commitment to the idea of a free, lawful Latvia. He returned to his homeland as a young lawyer in the fervent days of the Singing Revolution, helping to draft the pivotal 1990 declaration that reasserted Latvia's independence. Levits became one of the principal architects of its new legal order, contributing to its constitution and serving as a judge. His deep European integration work culminated in a fifteen-year tenure at the European Court of Justice, where he was respected for his sharp intellect. In 2019, he returned home to assume the presidency, a role he filled with a sober, principled demeanor, emphasizing the rule of law, national unity, and a firm stance against corruption, guiding Latvia through a pandemic and heightened regional tensions.
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.
Egils was born in 1955, 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 Egils Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Egils's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
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
1968Became a teenager
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!
1971Could drive
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
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the tenth President of Latvia from 2019 to 2023, emphasizing constitutional integrity and anti-corruption.
- Was a judge at the European Court of Justice for 15 years, from 2004 to 2019.
- Co-authored the 1990 Latvian independence declaration as a member of the Latvian Popular Front.
- Played a key role in drafting parts of the Latvian constitution (Satversme) after the restoration of independence.
Did You Know?
He holds both a law degree and a doctorate in political science.
He is fluent in Latvian, German, Russian, French, and English.
His father was a journalist and diplomat for the independent Latvian government in exile.
He was the first Latvian president to decline a salary increase for the role.
“The state must be based on law, not the law on the state.”
