Mark Udall
A seasoned mountaineer and environmental champion who carried Colorado's rugged, independent spirit into the halls of the U.S. Senate.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American politician·Birthday: July 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mark Udall’s political identity is inextricably linked to the Rocky Mountains. The son of iconic Arizona congressman Mo Udall, he forged his own path in Colorado, first as an outdoor educator for the Colorado Outward Bound School. This deep connection to the wilderness shaped his entire career. He served in the state legislature and then the U.S. House, where he was a steadfast voice for conservation, renewable energy, and protecting public lands. In the Senate, his focus expanded to include civil liberties, becoming a vocal critic of mass surveillance programs. A pragmatic Democrat in a swing state, he often sought bipartisan solutions, though his 2014 re-election bid fell short in a tough national climate. Udall’s legacy is that of a workhorse rather than a showhorse—a politician whose policy depth and authentic love for the natural world earned him respect across the aisle.
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.
Mark was born in 1950, 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 Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
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
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
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!
1971Turned 21
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
1980Turned 30
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
1990Turned 40
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
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
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 70
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 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015, sitting on the Armed Services and Energy committees.
- Was a leading congressional advocate for renewable energy and conservation, co-sponsoring major wilderness protection bills.
- As a House Representative, he helped establish the James Peak Wilderness Area and the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness.
- Became a prominent voice in the Senate against bulk data collection by the NSA, championing privacy rights.
Did You Know?
He is a certified mountaineer and guide who has climbed many of the world's major peaks, including Mount Everest.
His father, Mo Udall, was a long-serving U.S. Representative and presidential candidate, and his uncle, Stewart Udall, was Secretary of the Interior.
He worked as the Director of the Colorado Outward Bound School for five years before entering politics.
He and his cousin, Tom Udall, served simultaneously as U.S. Senators from Colorado and New Mexico, respectively.
“We have a fundamental right to privacy. That right is being tested in ways we never imagined.”
