Mary Landrieu
A centrist Democratic senator from the Deep South who championed coastal restoration and became a pivotal vote on the Affordable Care Act.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American politician·Birthday: November 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mary Landrieu carved a political path that seemed improbable for a Democrat in the 21st century South. Born into a prominent Louisiana political family, she entered the state legislature at just 23. Her career was defined by a pragmatic, pro-business brand of politics that prioritized her state's unique interests, particularly the recovery of New Orleans and the Louisiana coast after Hurricane Katrina. In the U.S. Senate, she was a master of directing federal dollars to vital wetland restoration projects, arguing for the economic and environmental necessity of rebuilding the Gulf's first line of defense. Her final term was marked by high-stakes drama; her vote was the crucial 60th needed to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2009, a move that ultimately contributed to her electoral defeat as the state's political landscape shifted. Landrieu's legacy is that of a bridge between eras, a politician who wielded considerable power for her state until the partisan tides washed that style of politics away.
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.
Mary was born in 1955, 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 Mary Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Mary's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
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
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
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!
1971Could drive
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
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
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
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a United States Senator from Louisiana for three terms, from 1997 to 2015.
- Cast the decisive 60th vote to proceed with the Senate debate on the Affordable Care Act in 2009.
- Secured billions in federal funding for Louisiana coastal restoration and Hurricane Katrina recovery.
- Was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Louisiana and served as the state's treasurer.
- Chaired the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 2014 to 2015.
Did You Know?
She is the daughter of Moon Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
She and her brother, Mitch Landrieu, are the first sibling pair to have both served as mayor of a major American city (New Orleans).
She was the last Democrat to hold a U.S. Senate seat in the Deep South until the 2020 election of Georgia's senators.
“I'm not going to be a senator who goes to Washington and simply votes the party line. I'm going to vote for Louisiana.”
