Lee Zeldin
A sharp-elbowed New York Republican who rose from state politics to nearly unseat a sitting governor, later taking the helm of a powerful federal agency.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American politician·Birthday: January 30·Generation X
Biography
Lee Zeldin's career has been defined by a blend of military discipline, legal precision, and partisan combat. A graduate of Albany Law School, he served as an Army Reserve Judge Advocate General officer and was elected to the New York State Senate in 2010, representing Long Island. His political identity solidified in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a vocal defender during the first impeachment proceedings. In 2022, he achieved national political stature by becoming the first Republican to win a gubernatorial nomination in New York in two decades, running a fiercely focused campaign on crime that came startlingly close to defeating the incumbent Democratic governor in a deep-blue state. That near-victory cemented his status as a formidable force, leading to his appointment as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, where he now oversees a vast regulatory apparatus often at odds with his party's deregulatory philosophy.
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.
Lee was born in 1980, 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 Lee Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Lee's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
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
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
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
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served four terms as the U.S. Representative for New York's 1st congressional district from 2015 to 2023.
- Was the 2022 Republican nominee for Governor of New York, losing by the narrowest margin for a GOP candidate in the state in decades.
- Confirmed as the 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in January 2025.
- Served as a member of the New York State Senate from 2011 to 2014, flipping a Democratic-held seat.
Did You Know?
He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, where he serves as a member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
He was one of the first two Jewish Republicans elected to Congress from New York since the 1920s.
During the 2022 gubernatorial campaign, he was physically attacked at a rally but finished his speech.
He graduated from Albany Law School at the age of 23.
“Our nation's strength comes from its people, its Constitution, and the rule of law.”
