Eric Greitens
A Navy SEAL turned governor whose political career imploded amid scandal, reshaping Missouri politics and his own public legacy.
Born 1974 (age 52)·American politician and former Navy SEAL·Birthday: April 10·Generation X
Biography
Eric Greitens built a public identity on a foundation of extreme discipline and service. Before politics, his life followed a track of elite achievement: a Rhodes Scholarship, humanitarian work abroad, and the grueling training to become a Navy SEAL officer. He channeled this narrative into founding The Mission Continues, a nonprofit for veterans, and later into a successful run for Missouri governor in 2016. His tenure, however, was brief and tumultuous. In 2018, he faced a cascade of allegations, including blackmail related to an extramarital affair and campaign finance violations, leading to his resignation. Though criminal charges were eventually dropped, the scandal left a permanent mark, turning a story of ascension into a case study in political downfall.
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.
Eric was born in 1974, 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 Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
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
1979Started school
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
1987Became a teenager
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
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit organization that empowers veterans through community service.
- Authored the book 'The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL.'
- Elected as the 56th Governor of Missouri in 2016 as a political outsider.
- Received the James Madison Award for his graduate work at the University of Oxford.
Did You Know?
He is a trained boxer and won the Oxford University Boxing Blue while studying at Oxford.
Greitens is a published photographer; his work from humanitarian zones has been exhibited in galleries.
He was a White House Fellow during the George W. Bush administration.
His Navy SEAL nickname was 'The Sniper.'
““The most important weapon in your arsenal is your mind.””
