Ted Lieu
A sharp-witted constitutional lawyer turned congressman, he brings a tech-savvy and unflinching voice to debates on civil liberties and democracy.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American politician·Birthday: March 29·Generation X
Biography
Ted Lieu represents California's 33rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives, a seat he won in 2014. Born in Taiwan in 1969, he immigrated to Ohio as a child and worked at his parents' gift shops. He joined the U.S. Air Force ROTC program at Stanford, served four years as an active-duty JAG officer, and remained in the reserves, rising to Colonel. After military service, he practiced as a civil rights attorney and entered California politics, serving in the State Assembly and Senate. In Congress, Lieu sits on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees. His legal training and fluency in technology issues — from net neutrality to AI regulation — make him a strategic Democratic voice. He uses social media to distill complex arguments with pointed wit.
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.
Ted was born in 1969, 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 Ted Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Ted's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
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
1974Started school
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
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
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
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
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
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as an active-duty attorney in the U.S. Air Force and achieved the rank of Colonel in the Reserves.
- Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he serves on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees.
- Co-chaired the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, advocating for strengthened U.S.-Taiwan relations.
- Authored the first bill in Congress to regulate artificial intelligence, the 'AI Job Loss Mitigation Act.'
Did You Know?
He is one of only a handful of members of Congress who are immigrants.
He is a prolific user of Twitter (now X), known for his threaded legal and political commentary.
He earned his law degree from Georgetown University, graduating magna cum laude.
He is a certified computer programmer, having taken courses at Los Angeles City College.
“I did not leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left me and left America.”
