U.S. Representative from Missouri
January 3, 1977 — January 3, 2005

Dick was born in 1941 in the same south St. Louis neighborhood that he represented in Congress. Gephardt began his career in public service as a precinct captain in St. Louis’s 14th Ward. After graduation from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan Law School, he was twice elected Alderman and became the leader of a group of aggressive young reformers known as the “Young Turks.”

Dick was first elected to represent Missouri’s Third District in 1976. As a House freshman, he was given the rare opportunity of serving both on the Ways and Means and Budget Committees, where he became a national leader on health care, trade, and tax fairness.

In 1984, Gephardt was elected chairman of the house Democratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking Leadership position in the House. In 1987, he became the first democratic candidate to enter the 1988 presidential race, where he won the Iowa Democratic Caucus, and helped frame the economic issues that dominated the election. In 1989, he was elected by his colleagues in the House to serve as their Majority Leader. In 1994, Gephardt was elected by his colleagues to serve as the House Democratic Leader, the top Democratic leadership position in the House.

Working in Congress, Gephardt sought to promote economic and personal security by strengthening bedrock commitments to the American people, especially Medicare and Social Security. He fought to lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity and opportunity for every hard-working family. He always sought to enact policies that unlock people’s potential and liberate the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people. Joining with Senator John McCain, he repeatedly reached across the aisle to pass campaign finance reform, end corporate welfare, and restore tax code fairness for all.

Drawing on his knowledge, leadership abilities, and diplomatic experience he helped lead the country through the worst attack in its history since Pearl Harbor. On September 12, 2001, Gephardt visited the White House and pledged his unstinting support in the fight against terrorism and to do whatever it takes to protect all American families.

Dick has traveled widely. He conferred with Nobel Laureates Kim Dae Jung, Yitzhak Rabin, Vaclav Havel, and Nelson Mandela. A leading voice for human rights, tolerance and racial reconciliation, he sought to convey American values in his trips abroad and to establish contacts with other nations and peoples to strengthen America’s place in the world. He is a leading advocate for HIV/AIDS relief in Africa and other developing regions.

According to Brookings Institution scholar Thomas Mann, “Gephardt is also a politician with strong views on policy, tailored to fit the new world of globalization and technology but clearly sized to accommodate his strong identification with working-class families pressed for money and time.” For nearly two decades, he has been an outspoken advocate for issues of economic fairness and opportunity for every American family.

Dick is a St. Louis native who is deeply attached to his city, its people, and its culture. A fiercely loyal Cardinal fan, Gephardt also started the process that brought the Super Bowl Champion Rams to the city from Los Angeles.

Mr. Gephardt is currently a consultant to Goldman Sachs and Senior Counsel at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. He also holds a consulting position with Anheuser Busch Companies in St. Louis, Mo. Part of his activities with both firms has been to assist corporations like Boeing and auto manufacturers in dealing with their challenges in reaching modern agreements with their labor union employees. This work is a result of Mr. Gephardt’s long standing relationship with many of the countries largest labor unions.

Dick has been married to Jane Gephardt for 38 years and they are the parents of three children: Matt, a software developer; Chrissy, a Democratic activist; and Kate, a teacher.