Tim Pawlenty was the 39th Governor of Minnesota, serving from 2003 to 2011. He was born in South St. Paul in 1960 and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science. Pawlenty began his political career as a state senator in 1992 and later served two terms as Governor of Minnesota before becoming the CEO and President of the Financial Services Roundtable advocacy group in Washington D.C.