Pawlenty, Tim (1960-…), a Republican, served as governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. Pawlenty had earlier served in the state’s Legislature.
Timothy James Pawlenty was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Nov. 27, 1960. In 1983, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. He earned a degree from the university’s law school in 1986.
In 1989, Pawlenty won election to the City Council of Eagan, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. In 1992, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he served five two-year terms. While in the Legislature, Pawlenty worked as an attorney and as a business consultant. In 2002, Pawlenty won election as the state’s governor.
As governor, Pawlenty reduced taxes and worked to reform the state’s health care system. He also signed a bill enabling law-abiding Minnesotans to carry concealed handguns. Pawlenty was reelected in 2006 and served through 2011. From May to August 2011, Pawlenty campaigned for his party’s nomination for president in the 2012 election. He dropped out of the race while trailing his rivals in fund-raising and in public opinion polls. In 2018, Pawlenty ran for governor again, but he lost a campaign for his party’s nomination.
