Tim Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska on April 6, 1964, the son of a public school administrator and community activist. Walz spent his summers with his extended family working on their farms. In 1982, he graduated from Butte High School amongst a class of 24.

As a child, Tim’s parents instilled in him the values of hard work and community service. When Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard at the young age of 17, he had no way of knowing that he would retire 24 years later as Command Sergeant Major Walz from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in the spring of 2005. While serving in the guard Walz worked a number of odd jobs before accepting a temporary teaching position at the Native American Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It was his experience at the Pine Ridge reservation that convinced Tim to follow his father’s lead and become an educator.

In 1989, Walz earned a B.S. in social science education from Chadron State College in Nebraska. That year he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year.

Teaching degree in hand, Walz was accepted to a Harvard University Program that sent American teachers to the People’s Republic of China. Walz spent 1989-1990 teaching high school in China as a part of the first government sanctioned groups of American educators to teach in China. His experiences in China led Walz to establish Educational Travel Adventures, Inc., a small business that conducts educational trips to China for high school students regardless of their financial situation.

When he returned from China, Walz began teaching high school in Nebraska. While in Nebraska, Walz met his wife Gwen Whipple. Married in 1994, Tim and Gwen Walz moved back to Gwen’s native Southwest Minnesota. Both began teaching at Mankato West High School. Walz took a leave of absence from his teaching position in 2006 as he made a run for Congress.

Walz completed his master's degree in educational leadership in 2001 and is currently working on his doctorate at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. His 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 as well as being named the Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce for his service in the education, military, and small business communities.

Walz spent 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major before he retired in the spring of 2005. Before retiring, Walz served overseas with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Walz is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.

Tim and Gwen have a six year old daughter named Hope and a son, born October 13, 2006 named Gus.

To download a high resolution JPEG of the Congressman's official photo click here.