From humble roots in Ohio to the halls of Congress, a look at the career of the Speaker of the House
The Boehner Family, c. 1950s
One of twelve children, John Boehner was born in November 1949 and grew up in Reading, Ohio, near Cincinnati. In this photo he is seated on the grass in the center of the first row; the man sitting on the bench behind him is his grandfather Andy, for whom the family bar, Andy's café is named. Family and acquaintances say that the Boehner household was not overtly political. His parents were Democrats.Courtesy John Boehner
At the White House
The Speaker (flanked by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (left) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor in February 2011) has led the Republicans in its budget battle with the Obama White House.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Debt Ceiling Debate
Boehner's initial inability to muster enough GOP votes to pass his plan to raise the debt limit threatened his position as Speaker. After putting off a vote on the proposal on July 28, above, he made a late night appearance in front of the media on Capitol Hill.Joshua Roberts / Reuters
Debt Deal
The Speaker at a news conference on the debt limit, August 1, 2011. Later that evening, Congressional leaders would reach an agreement that would raise the debt ceiling and also cut federal spending.Win McNamee / Getty Images
College
Boehner graduates from Xavier University in 1977. His brother Bob says that his sibling might have skipped college if he hadn't started dating the woman who'd become his wife. "He needed an education if he was going to get anywhere with Debbie," he says.Courtesy John Boehner
Politics
After graduation, Boehner took a sales job at a small plastics company and worked his way up to president and part owner, a self-made millionaire. It was his experience with business that pushed him into the GOP — he felt overregulated and overtaxed — and into politics, first as head of his homeowners' association, then a township trustee, then a state representative and finally a Congressman in 1990, when this photo was taken. It shows the candidate celebrating on election night with his brother and parents.Courtesy John Boehner
GOP Lieutenant
Once in Congress, Boehner allied himself with Republican leader Newt Gingrich, becoming a leading spokesman for the Contract with America, that, according to GOP lore, helped the party take back the House in 1994. During the budget standoff of late 1995 and early 1996 that led to the shutdown of the Federal government, he offered President Clinton coal as a "Christmas gift" at a Capitol Hill news conference, above.Denis Paquin / AP
Majority Leader
Though Boehner was ousted from the party leadership after Gingrich's excesses cost him his job, Boehner assiduously returned to the legislative grind, where he helped create bipartisan outreach on the No Child Left Behind Act. Then in 2006, after Tom DeLay stepped down as majority leader, Boehner was elected to take his place. In this photo, Majority Whip Roy Blunt announces the party's election of Boehner to the post.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Links
Critics say that Boehner has gained a reputation as a country-club Republican, an image that will be hard for him to break: he is, in fact, an avid golfer, seems perpetually tanned and chain-smokes Camel Light 100's. In this photo, he stands beside Tiger Woods at the 2009 AT&T National Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am golf event at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.Matthew Cavanaugh / EPA
In Black and White
Of greater concern to Democrats than golf skills is Boehner's relationship with the lobbyists of K Street and his formidable fund-raising abilities. In 2010, he headlined more than 160 campaign events, raking in tens of millions of dollars for Republicans.Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME
Election Night 2010
Boehner emerges from back stage to address the Republican National Congressional Committee's midterm election results watch party at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Red State
Boehner attends a Republican fundraiser in Lima, Ohio in November 2010, shortly after his elevation to Speaker was announced.Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME
