Tim (Timothy James) Walz was born on April 1964 in West Point, Nebraska as the son of James and Darlene Walz. Tim is of Irish, Swedish, and German ancestry. Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st governor serving the state from January 2019. This post celebrates Tim Walz-a short biography.
Mr. Walz served as Minnesota Representative to the House for the state’s first congressional district in the period 2007 through 2018. Check out this video about Tim Walz giving his acceptance speech after he won the Minnesota governor race:
Tim Walz, the son of a family that was active in the local community, was raised in the rural Eastern Nebraska region where he spent the summers on the farm helping his family. Tim Walz graduated from high school in 1982 and he continued his academic education at Nebraska’s Chadron State College where, in 1989, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science. That same year, Tim also earned the prestigious title of Citizen-Soldier of the Year in Nebraska.
Tim Walz was brought up in Catholic values which resulted in a life of public service. In 1981, when Tim enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard (at the age of only 17), he couldn’t have foreseen he would be serving the nation as a Guard Member for over two decades.
After graduating from high school, Tim had his first teaching job at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This experience brought him to the conclusion that he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and become a teacher.
So now Tim Walz had his desired teaching degree, but Harvard University then offered him the opportunity for gaining new perspectives on education on a global scale by becoming a teacher in the People’s Republic of China where he worked in the years 1989-90.
After he had returned, Tim Walz developed a cooperation program between Chines and American students that is still active today. He also set up a small business under the name of Educational Travel Adventures that organizes educational excursions for high school students to China.
Tim Walz has additionally worked for the Polytechnic University in Macau as a Fellow of International Relations. This position was crucial for him to gain his vast knowledge of China’s unique status in the world.
After Tim Walz returned to America in 1990, he started a full-time career in the U.S. Army National Guard. Subsequently, he accepted a coaching and teaching position in Nebraska. This is when and where he met Gwen Whipple, his future wife. In the year 1993, the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce honored Tim with the title of Outstanding Young Nebraskan for his educational service efforts in the small business and military communities.
In 1994, Gwen Walz and Tim Walz got married and two years later, the couple moved to Minnesota where they both accepted coaching and teaching positions in Mankato (at Mankato West High) where Tim’s wife still is teaching today as a very pro-active teacher.
The inspiring teaching approach that has characterized Tim Walz’s career has brought him wide recognition. In 2002, he won the prestigious Minnesota Ethics in Education award, in 2003, he was elected Teacher of the Year in Mankato and he also won the Minnesota Teacher of Excellence Award. in 2001, Tim had earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2001 from Minnesota State in Mankato and is working towards a Doctorate Degree at Winona’s St. Mary’s University.
In early 2015, Command Sergeant Major Tim Walz retired from the Army National Guard after 24 years of service which had brought him, among many other destinations, overseas during Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2006, Tim Walz took the decision to run for Congress. At the 2006 September 12 DFL primary election, there was no opponent and later, at the November 7 general election, he beat Republican Gil Gutknecht to take office in 2007, on January 3. From Day One in office, Tim Walz demonstrated he was a moderate who focused on constituent service and he became a strong advocate for issues concerning veterans.
In the 2008 elections, Tim Walz got reelected with over 60% of the votes and this was actually only the second time a non-Republican had won a second term in this Minnesota district. In 2010, Walz won a 3rd term and he was also reelected in the subsequent years 2012, 2014, and 2016. The Walzes have two children, a daughter named Hope and a son named Gus.