Gary Bauer
A steadfast social conservative who helped define the movement's political agenda, moving from Reagan's White House to presidential debates and ongoing activism.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American politician and activist·Birthday: May 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gary Bauer's career maps the journey of the religious right into the heart of American politics. A lawyer by training, he entered the fray as a policy staffer, eventually becoming a trusted domestic advisor in Ronald Reagan's White House. There, he worked to advance conservative social principles within the federal government. But Bauer's true impact came after he left the administration. He took the helm of influential groups like the Family Research Council, turning think-tank positions into potent political messaging. In 2000, he stepped onto the national stage himself, running for president. Though his campaign was short on funds and votes, it was long on conviction, forcing other candidates to engage directly with his uncompromising stances on life, family, and religious liberty. Since then, Bauer has remained a persistent voice, endorsing candidates, founding his own advocacy organization, and acting as a steadfast guardian of a particular vision for American culture, proving that influence often lasts far longer than any single campaign.
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.
Gary was born in 1946, 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 Gary Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Gary's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
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
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
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
1962Could drive
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
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Under Secretary of Education and later as President Reagan's Chief Domestic Policy Advisor.
- Led the Family Research Council as president, amplifying its influence as a powerhouse of social conservative policy.
- Was a candidate in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, participating in several national televised debates.
- Founded the campaign organization American Values to promote conservative Christian viewpoints in elections.
Did You Know?
He is the son of a janitor and grew up in a working-class family in Newport, Kentucky.
He is a former board member of the Jewish advocacy group the Zionist Organization of America.
During his 2000 campaign, he famously continued a speech after a stage prop collapsed and knocked him unconscious briefly.
He wrote a book titled 'Our Journey' with his wife about their experiences in politics and public life.
“The American people are not looking for a president who is a blank slate. They want someone who stands for something.”
