Tim Wirth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Wirth
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Wirth in 1986
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| Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs | |
| In office May 12, 1994 – December 23, 1997 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Frank E. Loy |
| 25th Counselor of the Department of State | |
| In office April 23, 1993 – April 30, 1994 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Robert Zoellick |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Sherman (1997) |
| United States Senator from Colorado |
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| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Hart |
| Succeeded by | Ben Nighthorse Campbell |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 2nd district |
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| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Donald Brotzman |
| Succeeded by | David Skaggs |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Timothy Endicott Wirth
September 22, 1939 Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Wren Winslow |
| Relations | John Wirth (brother) Peter Wirth (nephew) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, MA) Stanford University (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1961–1967 |
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
Timothy "Tim" Endicott Wirth (born September 22, 1939) is an American politician. He comes from Colorado. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Wirth served in the United States Senate from 1987 to 1993. Before that, he was in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987. He also held important jobs in the government. These included working for education and as a top diplomat for global issues. From 1998 to 2013, he led the United Nations Foundation. He is still on their board today.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Tim Wirth went to Graland Country Day School in Denver. He also attended Phillips Exeter Academy. He earned his first college degree and a graduate degree from Harvard University. Later, he received a special advanced degree called a PhD from Stanford University in 1973.
Tim Wirth's Political Career
Tim Wirth started his political journey as a special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson. He later worked for education in the Nixon Administration. In 1970, Wirth moved back to Colorado. He successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. He won against the person who held the seat before him.
Serving in the House of Representatives
Wirth represented the areas of Boulder and Denver suburbs in Congress. He served there from 1975 to 1987. As a new Congressman, Wirth helped new members have a stronger voice. He worked with other politicians on budget ideas. He also helped bring more choices to video and phone services. Wirth also created the Indian Peaks Wilderness Act in 1978. This law helped protect natural areas.
Becoming a U.S. Senator
In 1986, Wirth ran for the U.S. Senate. He won the election by a small amount. In the Senate, he focused on protecting the environment. He was especially interested in global climate change. He helped organize important hearings about climate change in 1988. During these hearings, a scientist said that Earth was warmer than ever. He also said this was mostly because of human actions. These hearings helped people start talking about climate change.
Wirth also worked on an idea called "Cap and Trade." This idea became part of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. He also wrote the Colorado Wilderness Bill. This bill became law in 1993. It protected more wild areas in Colorado. He decided not to run for re-election in 1992. He said he was frustrated with how much money was involved in politics. He felt it took away from focusing on important public issues.
After Congress: Global Affairs and the UN
After working in Congress for twenty years, Tim Wirth joined the Clinton-Gore campaign. He then served as the first Undersecretary for Global Affairs for the U.S. State Department. This was from 1993 to 1997. In this role, he was a lead negotiator for the Kyoto Climate Conference. This conference aimed to address climate change globally.
Leading the United Nations Foundation
In 1997, Wirth left his government job. He became the President of the United Nations Foundation (UNF) in 1998. He led the Foundation until 2013. The UNF works to support the United Nations. It focuses on areas like the environment, women's health, children's health, and peace.
During his time at the UN Foundation, Wirth helped with many important projects:
- He helped gather money to stop polio worldwide.
- He started a global effort to reduce the impact of measles.
- He helped create a program to buy anti-malaria bed nets for people in need.
- He supported programs for teenage girls.
- He worked to increase U.S. funding for the United Nations Population Fund. He also helped focus on preventing AIDS.
- He helped create rules for tourism to protect the environment.
- He worked on plans for future climate talks after the Kyoto agreement.
- He helped people understand the benefits and challenges of bioenergy.
- He pushed for better energy efficiency in the U.S. and other countries.
The University of Colorado at Denver has a special position named after Tim Wirth. It focuses on environmental policy. Tim Wirth also supports young people working on climate justice. He has worked to convince Harvard University to stop investing in fossil fuels.
Personal Life
Tim Wirth is married to Wren Winslow Wirth. She leads the Winslow Foundation. They have two children, Chris and Kelsey Wirth. Their daughter, Kelsey Wirth, helped start a company called Align Technology. Their son, Chris Wirth, started Liberty Puzzles. This company makes jigsaw puzzles in Boulder, Colorado. Tim Wirth's nephew, Peter Wirth, is also a politician. His late brother, John Wirth, was a history professor.
See also
- Atari Democrat
