The son of a public school administrator and community activist, Congressman Tim Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska on April 6, 1964. Raised in a rural community, Walz spent his summers farming with his extended family. In 1982, Tim Walz graduated from Butte High School alongside his 24 classmates. In 1990, Walz began to serve full-time in the Army National Guard. He subsequently accepted a position teaching and coaching in Nebraska where he met his wife, Gwen Whipple. Married in 1994, Tim and Gwen Walz moved to Mankato, Minnesota two years later. The couple accepted positions teaching and coaching at Mankato West High School where Tim taught until his run for Congress in 2006.

Tim’s inspiring approach to teaching has gained him recognition as the 2002 Minnesota Ethics in Education award winner, 2003 Mankato Teacher of the Year, and the 2003 Minnesota Teacher of Excellence. Walz completed his master’s degree in educational leadership in 2001.

After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in the spring of 2005. Prior to retiring, Tim served overseas with his battalion in Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Now serving his third term in Congress, Tim was re-elected in 2010 with 49% of the vote. Running on his record of fiscal responsibility and his work on behalf of Veterans, Tim’s authentic approach to the difficult problems facing our country resonated with southern Minnesota. Walz was first elected when he defeated six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht by a margin of 53% to 47% in 2006. Tim represents Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District which includes the communities of Worthington, Mankato, Albert Lea, Austin, Rochester and Winona. He is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, the Veteran’s Affairs Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.