Jon Tester
A Montana dirt farmer with a flat-top haircut who became a pivotal, plainspoken Democratic voice in the U.S. Senate, championing rural America.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American politician and farmer·Birthday: August 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jon Tester looks like he was carved from the very land he works—a third-generation farmer from Big Sandy, Montana, missing three fingers from a childhood meat grinder accident, with a flat-top haircut he gives himself. This authentic, grounded image is the foundation of his improbable political story. While serving in the Montana legislature, he carried the smell of soil and diesel fuel into the statehouse, a reminder of his roots. In 2006, he pulled off a stunning upset to win a U.S. Senate seat, becoming a walking contradiction in Washington: a Democrat from a deep-red state who refused to conform. Tester’s power came from his stubborn focus on kitchen-table issues for rural communities—affordable healthcare, veterans' affairs, and keeping family farms alive. He wielded his vote as a crucial, independent-minded swing vote in a narrowly divided Senate, often frustrating party leadership but always answering to Montana. His career proved that in an era of political polish, a man of unvarnished authenticity could not only survive but exert real influence.
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.
Jon was born in 1956, 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 Jon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Jon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
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
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
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
1977Turned 21
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
1986Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
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 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as President of the Montana State Senate from 2005 to 2007.
- Authored and championed the 'Food Safety Modernization Act,' the most significant overhaul of U.S. food safety laws in decades.
- Served as Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, spearheading major reforms to the VA healthcare system.
Did You Know?
He is a certified organic farmer who still works on his family's farm.
He plays the trumpet and was in a band called 'The Flatheads.'
He lost the tips of three fingers on his left hand in a meat grinder accident at age nine.
“I'm a dirt farmer. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a career politician. I'm just a guy that wants to make a difference.”
