Politician and Governor of Minnesota Timothy James Pawlenty was born on November 27, 1960. The Minnesota-born American politician served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. Previously, Tim Pawlenty also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a majority leader for two terms, from 1993 to 2003.

Originally planning to become a dentist, Timothy James enrolled in the University of Minnesota. During 1980 and 1982, he started working as an intern at the office of U.S. Senator David Durenberger. In 1983, Tim Pawlenty graduated with a B.A. in political science and earned a J.D. in 1986 from the University of Minnesota Law School. In 1987, Pawlenty tied the knot with Mary Anderson and settled in the city of Eagan. The couple has two daughters, Anna and Mara.

At the age of 28, Tim Pawlenty was appointed to the city's Planning Commission and was elected to the Eagan City Council. In 1992, he won a set as a state representative and was re-elected four times. He also gained the vote support for majority leader by House Republicans in 1998.

In order to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate, Tim Pawlenty stepped forward in 2002, but Vice President Dick Cheney asked him to step aside to allow Norm Coleman to challenge Paul Wellstone. After facing the opposition, Pawlenty decided to run for governor to succeed Jesse Ventura. In the important race of four major-party candidates; including Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democratic Roger Moe, Independent Tim Penny and Green Ken Pentel; Pawlenty won with the narrow margin.

The platform of Tim Pawlenty's campaign was focused on balancing the budget without raising taxes. He also supported the issues of requiring visa expiration dates on driver's licenses, a 24-hour waiting period on abortions, implementing the state's conceal-carry gun law and changing the state's education requirements in his platform.

Tim Pawlenty became the 39th governor of Minnesota starting his term on January 6, 2003. He was re-elected in 2006 by a margin of one percent. Along with the state's budget balancing, Pawlenty's administration also advocated numerous public projects including Northstar Commuter Rail Line, Target Field's construction, and a Major League Baseball stadium.

In 2005, Tim Pawlenty was rumored to be a contender for president. In 2008, he showed great involvement in U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign. In late 2009, Tim Pawlenty started taking steps towards a presidential run. In May 2011, he officially announced his presidential campaign for 2012 running on a strongly conservative platform.