The Life and Times of John Boehner

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.

• 2011 TIME 100: John Boehner