Tim Kaine
A pragmatic Virginia Democrat who balanced faith and public service, becoming a vice-presidential nominee and a steady voice in the Senate.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American lawyer and politician·Birthday: February 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Tim Kaine's political journey is a study in Midwestern earnestness meeting Southern pragmatism. Born in Minnesota and raised in Kansas City, he took a year off from Harvard Law to work with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras, an experience that cemented his commitment to social justice and fluency in Spanish. He settled in Virginia, building a career as a civil rights lawyer specializing in housing discrimination before entering politics. His tenure as Richmond's mayor, lieutenant governor, and then governor was marked by a focus on fiscal responsibility and education, steering the state through the 2008 recession with a balanced budget. In 2016, Hillary Clinton selected him as her running mate, placing his steady, plainspoken demeanor on the national stage. Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2012, he has carved a niche as a workhorse on armed services and foreign relations committees, often advocating for congressional authority over war powers.
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.
Tim was born in 1958, 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 Tim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Tim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
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
1971Became a teenager
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
1974Could drive
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
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 70th Governor of Virginia, navigating the state through the 2008 financial crisis with a focus on education and infrastructure.
- Was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2016 election as Hillary Clinton's running mate.
- Elected to the U.S. Senate from Virginia in 2012, where he serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.
- As Richmond's mayor, championed initiatives to reduce homelessness and improve city services.
- Successfully argued housing discrimination cases as a civil rights attorney prior to his political career.
Did You Know?
He is fluent in Spanish, a skill he honed during a year working with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras.
Kaine is one of the few U.S. Senators who plays a musical instrument regularly, often bringing his harmonica to campaign events.
He and his wife, Anne Holton, are the first couple to have both served as Virginia's First Lady and First Gentleman.
He is a dedicated Boston Red Sox fan, despite representing Virginia.
“I'm a progressive, but I'm a fiscally responsible progressive.”
