“Baby Boomers” at a Glance
A rundown of temporal attributes and historical peers shared by many Boomers
As part of my ongoing “Jigsaw Gens” series, I profile the various American generations (and “microgenerations”) identified by historians.
Previous three editions:
Hemingrebels (“the Lost Generation”) at a glance
GI-Gens (“the Greatest Generation”) at a glance
Traditionalists (“the Silent Generation”) at a glance
In this installment…
Featured Generation: “Baby Boomers” (aka Leapers, Empty Nesters, GrowthPivots, Wonder Dears, Shockwaves, WoodBernians)
Who they are: The fourth identified generation, named by editor/author Landon Jones in his 1980 book Great Expectations when referencing the post-WWII surge in pregnancies conceived by GI-Gens and Traditionalists
When they were born: Approximately between 1949–1960
Key Members
Lawmakers: John Roberts, Chuck Schumer, Sonia Sotomayor, Patty Murray, Samuel Alito, Debbie Stabenow, Elena Kagan, Bill Frist, J.C. Watts, Mike Pence, Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Deval Patrick, John Cornyn, Karen Bass, Lindsey Graham, Deb Haaland, Rahm Emanuel, Amy Klobuchar, Mark Warner, Gary Locke, Jon Tester, Russ Feingold, Jay Inslee, Chellie Pingree, Kweisi Mfume, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lisa Murkowski, Jesse Ventura, Rob Portman, Nydia Velásquez, Howard Baker, Phil Scott, Elijah Cummings, Raúl Grijalva, Tom Cole, Marcia Fudge, Jeb Bush, David Paterson, John Ensign, Luis Gutiérrez, Dan Newhouse, Lucy McBath, Marsha Blackburn, Kim Reynolds, Mark Takano, Hilda Solis, Larry Hogan, Janet Napolitano, Ken Calvert, Bob Menendez, Rick Santorum, Xavier Becerra, George Allen, Charlie Baker, Rick Scott, Doug Burgum, Susan Collins, Gwen Moore, Darrell Issa, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Mary Fallin, Jennifer Granholm, Adam Schiff, Linda Lingle, Kathy Hochul, Laura Kelly, Shelley Moore Capito, Ron Johnson, Carlos Giménez, Sheldon Whitehouse, Cynthia Lummis, Kate Brown, Tom Rice, David Joyce, Maria Cantwell, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Huckabee, Chris Van Hollen, Michelle Steel, Chuy García, Vern Buchanan, Chris Stewart, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Annie Kuster, Mike Simpson, Fred Upton, Betty McCollum, Judy Chu, Sherrod Brown
Literary Writers: John Hughes, Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis, John Grisham, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Sam Raimi, Amy Tan, Louise Erdrich, André Aciman, Tony Kushner, Jeffrey Eugenides, Candace Bushnell, Mitch Albom, Jonathan Franzen, Sandra Cisneros, Orson Scott Card, Patricia Cornwell, Joy Harjo, Melissa Scott, Denis Johnson, Mary Gaitskill, Robert R. McCammon, Jay McInerney, Ha Jin, Laura Numeroff, Walter Mosley, nila northSun, Julia Alvarez, Lorrie Moore, Oscar Hijuelos, Mary Karr, Luci Tapahanso, George Saunders, Diana Gabaldon, Barbara Kingsolver, Gloria Bird, Junot Díaz, Helen DeWitt, Khaled Hosseini, Jane Smiley, Michael Cunningham, Terry McMillan, Wally Lamb, Nora Roberts
Journalists & Historians: Gayle King, Meredith Vieira, Christopher Hitchens, Tim Russert, Al Roker, Jane Pauley, Charles Krauthammer, Ken Burns, Maria Shriver, John F. Kennedy Jr., Ann Curry, Joan Lunden, Christiane Amanpour, Maureen Dowd, Katie Couric, Nicholas Kristof, Robin Roberts, John Quiñones, Harry Smith, Leeza Gibbons, Bryant Gumbel, Paul Krugman, Matt Lauer, Harold Meyerson, David Sedaris, Leonard Pitts, Ray Hanania, Paula Zahn, Mona Charen, Froma Harrop, Deborah Norville, Eugene Robinson, Kathleen Parker, Thomas Friedman, Stacey Schiff, Fred Hiatt, Gene Weingarten, Randy Shilts, Jane Robelot, Mary Schmich, Susan Faludi, Antonio Mora, Daoud Kuttab, Jill Abramson, Drew Gilpin Faust
Scientists & Researchers: Bill Nye, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Sally Ride, bell hooks, Andrea Lynn Kritcher, Ben Carson, Mae Jemison, Susan Helms, Jim Voss, Steven Sasson, Radia Perlman, Charles M. Rice, Jamie Hyneman, Alan Sokal, Ronald McNair, Judith Resnick, George Church, Huda Zoghbi, Howard G. Cunningham, Ellen Ochoa, David Julius, Frances Arnold, Zhuo-Hua Pan, Anthony Atala, Bruce Beutler, Marlene Zuk, Bill Bryson, Lynn J. Rothschild, Gregg Semenza, William Kaelin Jr., Peter J. Radcliffe, Éva Tardos, Pamela C. Rasmussen, Avi Wigderson, Susan B. Horwitz, Mehmet Oz, Craig Mello, Andrew Fire, Rick Husband, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Jon Krakauer, Saul Permutter, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Susan Jane Helms
Athletes: George Foreman, Larry Bird, Hulk Hogan, Joe Montana, Ric Flair, Archie Manning, Larry Holmes, Dorothy Hamill, Sugar Ray Leonard, Walter Payton, Mark Spitz, Chris Evert, Randy Savage, Julius Erving, Scott Hamilton, Florence Griffith Joyner, Pat Summitt, Tony Dungy, John Matuszak, Caitlyn Jenner, Wade Boggs, Dale Earnhardt, John McEnroe, Ronnie Lott, Marvin Hagler, Lou Ferrigno, Moses Malone, Steve Prefontaine, Bill Belichek, William Theodore Walter III, Andy Reid, Lawrence Taylor, Kevin Nash, Cal Ripken Jr., Howie Long, Kirby Puckett, Mike Singletary, Leslie Frazier, Ozzie Smith, Jimmy Connors, Eric Dickerson, Russ Grimm, Scott Hall, Buster Douglas, Edwin Moses
Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders: Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen, Tony Robbins, Shonda Rhimes, Tommy Hilfiger, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Chris Gardner, Jeff Foxworthy, Vera Wang, Russell Simmons, Ellen DeGeneres, Anthony Bourdain, Reed Hastings, Phil McGraw, Mark Cuban, Ginni Rometty, Sheila Crump Johnson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Christie Brinkley, Vinod Khosla, Jorge M. Pérez, David Copperfield, Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Helene D. Gayle, Sharon Osbourne, Barbara Corcoran, Joy Mangano, Billy Mays, Arianna Huffington, Gia Carangi, Steve Case, Dean Kamen, F. Lennox Campello, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Indra Nooyi, Carly Fiorina, Kris Jenner, Maria Contreras-Sweet, David Steward, Do Won Chang, Meg Whitman, Alexander Tsiaras
Activists & Organizers: Al Sharpton, Sylvia Rivera, Anita Hill, Rush Limbaugh, Eve Ensler, Condoleezza Rice, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Judith Butler, Ruby Bridges, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Bill O’Reilly, Winona LaDuke, Rick Steves, Gary Indiana, Margaret Hamburg, Phil Wilson, Jeanine Pirro, Cornel West, Philip S. Deloria, Mark Levin, Elizabeth Ann Hulette, Barbara May Cameron, Julieanna Richardson, Lee Atwater, Judy Shepard, Cherríe Moraga, John Eastman, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Clayton Lonetree, David Wojnarowicz, Greg Louganis, Christina Hoff Sommers, Michael Pollan, Randy Barnett, Edwin Meese, Kay Coles James, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Thom Hartmann, Rick Santelli, Katie Roiphe, Markos Kounalakis, Diane Elam, James Fallows, Randy Souders, Lori K. Gordon
Entertainers: Robin Williams, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Garcia, John Travolta, LeVar Burton, Tom Hanks, Dennis Haysbert, Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett, John Turturro, Freddie Prinze Sr., Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Murray, Sinbad, Jessica Lange, Pam Grier, Kathy Najimy, Roseanne Barr, Michael Clarke Duncan, Bruce Willis, Lynda Carter, Sigourney Weaver, Debbie Allen, Ray Romano, Luis Guzmán, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Michael Keaton, Ron Perlman, Fran Drescher, Loretta Devine, Tony Danza, Miguel Ferrer, Vanna White, Kirstie Alley, Steve Harvey, Tim Allen, David Alan Grier, Linda Hamilton, Beverly D’Angelo, Tony Shalhoub, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits, Vicki Lawrence, Angelica Huston, Leslie Jordan, Reginald VelJohnson, Bo Derek, Cybil Shepherd, Gary Sinise, Carrie Fisher, Bryan Cranston, Scott Bakula, Mr. T., Shelley Long, Christopher Reeve, Don Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Paul Reubens, Drew Carey, Ellen Barkin, David Hasselhoff, Mark Harmon, Darryl Hannah, Kelsey Grammar, John Leguizamo, Morgan Fairchild, Howard Stern, Mel Gibson, Patrick Swayze, Michael Horse, Kevin Costner, Mary Steenburgen, Kim Cattrall, Megan Mullaly, Daniel Stern, Jeff Bridges, David Duchovny, Allison Janney, Maureen McCormick, Stanley Tucci, Delta Burke, Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, Kevin Sorbo, Marilu Henner, Christine Baranski
Musicians: Madonna, Billy Joel, Reba McEntire, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Pat Benatar, Gloria Estefan, Bruce Springsteen, Carol Kane, Michael Bolton, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond, Randy Jackson, Steve Lukather, Rosanne Cash, Ice-T, Belinda Carlisle, Tom Petty, Lionel Ritchie, Crystal Gayle, RuPaul, Vince Gill, Steve Parry, Anita Baker, John Mellencamp, Chaka Khan, Joan Jett, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Travis, Duke Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Obie Benson, Lawrence Payton, Sheila E., Gene Simmons, Kenny G, Natalie Cole, Hank Williams Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Yo-Yo Ma, Weird Al Yankovich, Lyle Lovett, Patti LuPone, Amy Grant, Karen Carpenter, Allen Jackson, Bebe Neuwirth, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Luther Vandross, Randy Rhoads, George Strait, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Gibbons, David Cassidy, Lorrie Morgan, Nancy Wilson, Ace Frehley, Danny Elfman, Teddy Pendergrass, Lindsey Buckingham, Tom Waits, Dusty Hill, Nile Rodgers, Huey Lewis, Nikki Six, Steven Van Zandt, Paul Stanley, Suzi Quatro, David Lee Roth, Mick Mars, Steve Vai, Joey Ramone, Amy Irving, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Charlie Wilson, James Horner, Alex Van Halen, Keith Whitley, Susanna Hoffs, Apollonia Kotero, Robert Cray, Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michael Stipe, Robert “Kool” Bell, Michael Ray, Mary Chapin Carpenter
Visual Artists: Matt Groening, Tim Burton, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Keith Haring, Gretchen Bender, Ashley Bickerton, Jenny Holzer, Nan Goldin, Tom Otterness, Kenny Scharf, Annette Lemieux, Glenn Ligon, David Salle, Vanessa Jennings, Peter Halley, Mike Kelley, James Luna, Charlene Teters, Jim Denomie, Larry McNeill, Scott McCloud, Alison Bechdel, Jaron Lanier, Richard Prince, Lesley Dill, Jean Wells, Ned Bittinger, Ross Bleckner, Renee Stout, Larry Dell Alexander, Charles Ray, Fred Wilson, Gary Hill, Kaloust Guedel, Alison Saar, Soraida Martinez, Lin Evola, Sean K. L. Browne, Roni Horn, Linda St. Clair, Dellamarie Parrilli, Lee Harold Letts, Bob Eggleton, Tim Tate, Lorna Simpson
Cusp Cohorts
Preceding Microgeneration: “Silent Nesters” (1944–1948)
Prominent “Silent Nesters”: Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, Tom Selleck, Diane Sawyer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Frazier, Stephen King, Crista McAuliffe, Stephen Spielberg, Marsha P. Johnson, Suzanne Somers, Donald Trump, Steve Martin, Connie Chung, Diana Ross, Alice Walker, Nolan Ryan, Jesse Eugene Russell, Angela Davis, Linda Ronstadt, Jerry Springer, George W. Bush, Bette Midler, Cheech Marin, Al Michaels, Cher, George Lucas, Rick Barry, Arlene Raven, Kiki Camarena, David Lynch, Gregory Hines, Vincent McMahon, Rick James, John Ritter, Carl Bernstein, Samuel L. Jackson, Barry White, James Patterson, Stevie Nicks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nell Carter, Wilma Mankiller, Ana Mendieta, Priscilla Presley, Larry Echo Hawk, Kathy Bates, Anna Nieto-Gómez, Liza Minelli, Tom Clancy, Patti LaBelle, Carl Weathers, Powers Boothe, Ericka Huggins, John Paul DeJoria, Boz Scaggs, Jim Davis, Ina Garten, Pat Riley, Janet Campbell Hale, Sylvester Stallone, Candice Bergen, David Halberstam, Gladys Knight, Leslie Marmon Silko, Naomi Judd, Deborah Lipstadt, Jimmy Buffett, Henry Winkler, Brenda Travis, Farrah Fawcett, Sandy Duncan, Bernadette Peters, John McAfee, Patty Duke, Michael Douglas, Shulamith Firestone, Bill Richardson, Martin Yan, Edmonia Lewis, Jann Wenner, Carlos Santana, Donna Summer, George R.R. Martin, Bubba Smith, Ifti Nasim, Fred Hampton, John Oates, Sally Field, Ben Stein, Donny Hathaway
Subsequent Microgeneration: “Generation Jones” (1961–1965)
Prominent “JonesGens”: Barack Obama, Whitney Houston, Michael Jordan, Quentin Tarantino, Jodie Foster, Leonard Leo, Eddie Murphy, Suzanne Collins, Tori Amos, Dan Marino, Brett Kavanaugh, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Rock, Sunita Williams, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael J. Fox, Garth Brooks, Jeff Bezos, David Foster Wallace, Michelle Obama, Kevin McCarthy, Sandra Bullock, John Thune, Ann Coulter, Tom Cruise, Stephen Hillenburg, Brooke Shields, M.C. Hammer, Tom Ford, Steve Scalise, Katherine Clark, Brett Easton Ellis, Courtney Love, Jerry Rice, Diane Humetewa, Michael Dell, David Brooks, William McCool, Sarah Palin, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Ralph Macchio, Viola Davis, Melissa Etheridge, Charles Barkley, Audrey Niffenegger, Brad Pitt, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Lisa Whelchel, Molly Shannon, George Clooney, Jamie Raskin, Kate Spade, Dan Gerhard Brown, Terri Sewell, Peter Staley, Bo Jackson, Wanda Sykes, RowVaughn Wells, Pramila Jayapal, Melissa Gilbert, Tammy Baldwin, Rand Paul, Tim Scott, John McWhorter, Chuck Palahniuk, Mary Barra, Demi Moore, Carl Lewis, Jim Carrey, Melissa McBride, Keanu Reeves, Mark Kelly, Johnny Depp, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Jim Jordan, Anthony Kiedis, Michael “Flea” Balzary, Robert Frederick Smith, Mariska Hargitay, Jeff Probst, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Biondi, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, George Lopez, Meg Ryan, Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brian Sandoval, Tracy Chapman, Shania Twain, Rosie Perez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Jon Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, Don Bacon, Wynonna Judd
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