Who Is Tim Walz's Wife? All About Gwen Walz

'I can't wait for all of you and America to get to know my incredible wife, Gwen.'

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gushed about his longtime spouse at his speech in Philadelphia announcing his Democratic nomination for the vice presidency alongside current Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

Tim Walz's wife Gwen Walz has been by his side for three decades, and we're sure to see more of her in the lead up to the 2024 presidential election. Get to know the potential future second lady and the Walz family.

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Who is the wife of Tim Walz?

Tim Walz's wife is Gwen Walz (née Whipple).

The couple met when they were both public school teachers in Alliance, Nebraska (Tim Walz's home state). Gwen taught English, while Tim taught social studies.

Gwen told Minnesota Public Radio in 2019, "Tim and I even shared a classroom, with a divider right down the middle. In Minnesota, we taught at the same school."

The couple reportedly had their first date at a screening of Michael Douglas' 1993 classic Falling Down, then got dinner at a local Hardee's, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. They married on June 4, 1994.

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Does Tim Walz have children?

Tim and Gwen Walz share daughter Hope and son Gus.

Tim previously revealed that both of his children were conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

"When my wife and I decided to have children, we spent years going through fertility treatments," he said at the Philadelphia rally announcing his candidacy. "I remember praying each night for a call with good news, the pit in my stomach or the agony when we heard the treatments hadn't worked. So it wasn't by chance that when we welcomed our daughter into the world, we named her Hope."

In an interview with Pod Save America, Tim said Gus was also conceived through IVF.

Hope, 23, is a fan of Bon Iver, with Tim saying that meeting the band made her (and his!) day.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Tim and Gwen Walz discussed Gus' nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD and anxiety disorder diagnoses.

"Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up," they said. "It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback—it's his secret power. [Gus] is brilliant, hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, he’s an excellent son and brother to his sibling."

In October 2023, Gus got his driver's license, which Tim gushed as a "proud dad moment."

When Tim won the election to become governor of Minnesota, he recalled his favorite moment being his son Gus' joy at their getting a dog.

Tim and Gwen are parents (or "pawrents," as it were) to a rescued black lab mix named Scout. Scout once memorably locked himself in an upstairs bedroom, leading Tim to live-tweet the escape.

They also have a rescue cat named Honey.

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Where is Gwen Walz from?

Born Gwen Whipple in Glencoe, Minnesota, Tim Walz's wife was raised in Ivanhoe, Minnesota.

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Where does Gwen Walz teach?

Both Tim and Gwen Walz taught at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota. She and Tim previously taught in Alliance, Nebraska, which was where they met.

Gwen also was a coordinator and administrator for Mankato Area Public Schools.

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Where did Tim Walz honeymoon?

Gwen and Tim Walz honeymooned in China on an annual summer trip to the country that they established for their students. Tim Walz taught in Guangdong, China, in 1989, on a Harvard University volunteer program, BBC News reported. Gwen reportedly said that they chose their wedding date of June 4, 1994, because it was the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre: "He wanted to have a date he'll always remember."

According to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, there was an odd number of students on the trip, so Tim and Gwen didn't even share a room!

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What does Gwen Walz do?

In addition to working as a teacher and a public education coordinator and administrator, Walz also coached the Mankato High School cheerleading squad. She is also an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, gun control and prison reform, the latter of which includes her work with the Bard Prison Initiative, a project that focuses on education and recidivism prevention.

As first lady of Minnesota, she maintains an office down the hall from her husband. She told Minnesota Public Radio that Tim actually offered her a desk in his own office, but she declined because he "talks too much."

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