Editing Tim Wirth

{{Short description|American politician}}
{{redirect|Senator Wirth|the New Mexico Senate member|Peter Wirth (politician)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Tim Wirth
| image               = Tim Wirth 1986.jpg
| caption             = Wirth in 1986
| office              = [[Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs]]
| president           = [[Bill Clinton]]
| term_start          = May 12, 1994
| term_end            = December 23, 1997
| predecessor         = Position established
| successor           = [[Frank E. Loy]]
| office1             = 25th [[Counselor of the United States Department of State|Counselor of the Department of State]]
| president1          = [[Bill Clinton]]
| term_start1         = April 23, 1993
| term_end1           = April 30, 1994
| predecessor1        = [[Robert Zoellick]]
| successor1          = [[Wendy Sherman]] (1997)
| jr/sr2              = United States Senator
| state2              = [[Colorado]]
| term_start2         = January 3, 1987
| term_end2           = January 3, 1993
| predecessor2        = [[Gary Hart]]
| successor2          = [[Ben Nighthorse Campbell]]
| state3              = [[Colorado]]
| district3           = {{ushr|CO|2|2nd}}
| term_start3         = January 3, 1975
| term_end3           = January 3, 1987
| predecessor3        = [[Donald G. Brotzman|Donald Brotzman]]
| successor3          = [[David Skaggs]]
| birth_name          = Timothy Endicott Wirth
| birth_date          = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1939|9|22}}}}
| birth_place         = [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| relations           = [[John Wirth (historian)|John Wirth]] (brother)<br>[[Peter Wirth (politician)|Peter Wirth]] (nephew)
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = Wren Winslow
| children            = 2
| education           = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>[[Stanford University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| allegiance          = {{flag|United States}}
| branch              = {{army|United States}}
| serviceyears        = 1961–1967
| unit                = [[United States Army Reserve]]
}}

'''Timothy Endicott Wirth''' (born September 22, 1939) is an American politician from [[Colorado]] who served as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in both the [[United States Senator|United States Senate]] (1987–1993) and the [[United States House of Representatives]] (1975–1987). He also served in several appointed roles in government, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education during the [[Nixon Administration]] and [[Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs]] for the [[U.S. Department of State|U.S. State Department]] during the [[Clinton Administration]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unfoundation.org/who-we-are/board/timothy-e-wirth.html |title=United Nations Foundation– Timothy E. Wirth (U.S.A.) |website=Unfoundation.org |date=1992-08-09 |access-date=2017-06-05}}</ref> From 1998 to 2013, he served as the president of the [[United Nations Foundation]], and currently sits on the Foundation's board.

==Early life and education==
Wirth is a graduate of [[Graland]] Country Day School (1954) in [[Denver]], and [[Phillips Exeter Academy]]. He received his B.A. and graduate degree from [[Harvard University]] and was awarded a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] from [[Stanford University]] in 1973. He served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

Wirth served as a vice president of Great Western Cities Company, part of [[Great Western United]], in 1970–1971. The CEO of GWU was William M. White Jr., age 31, in 1971, when Wirth described White and Wirth reading ''[[Future Shock]]'' and passing copies to the "older generation" of company directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mountainscholar.org/handle/10217/203939|title=GWU Bridging Gaps With 'Future Shock'|date=27 October 1971|access-date=15 August 2020|work=Denver Post}}</ref><ref name="gwuletter">{{Cite web |title=Mr. Timothy Worth, Great Western United |work=mountainscholar.org |date=14 December 1970 |access-date=15 August 2020 |url= https://mountainscholar.org/bitstream/handle/10217/197589/AGWS3-0619_02.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref>

==Career==
Wirth began his political career as a [[White House Fellow]] under President [[Lyndon Johnson]] and was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education in the Nixon Administration. In 1970, Wirth returned to Colorado and ran successfully for the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1974, unseating incumbent Republican [[Donald G. Brotzman]] by a 52% to 48% margin. He represented Boulder and the Denver suburbs in Congress from 1975 to 1987. As a first term Congressman, Wirth organized the "Freshman Revolt" in 1975 unseating a handful of "old bull" committee chairmen, and encouraging others to be more inclusive. Wirth had a number of difficult reelections during his 12 years in Congress, and raised large sums of money to get reelected. With colleagues [[Norman Mineta]], [[Leon Panetta]] and [[Dick Gephardt]], he was part of "The Gang of Four" on the House Budget Committee challenging the budget process with bipartisan budget ideas, and developing a high technology and alternative budget in 1982. As Chair of the Telecommunications Subcommittee, he was the lead legislator in bringing competition to the video and telephone industries. Wirth also authored the Indian Peaks Wilderness Act of 1978.{{citation needed | date=August 2021}}

[[File:Senator Tim Wirth reading Roll Call.jpg|thumb|Senator Wirth reading an issue of [[Roll Call (newspaper)|''Roll Call'']] in 1991|left]]
In 1986, Wirth [[1986 United States Senate election in Colorado|ran]] for the [[U.S. Senate]] and won his party's nomination unopposed to replace Sen. Gary Hart. The general election was more difficult than expected, and he defeated fellow [[U.S. Representative]] [[Ken Kramer]] by a narrow margin. In the Senate, he focused on environmental issues, particularly global climate change, and organized the historic Hansen hearings on climate change in 1988. At the hearings, Hansen testified that the Earth is warmer than at any other time in recent history, and that this can be attributed to human activity with 99% certainty. The hearings are widely credited with first bringing climate change into the public discourse.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-06-22 |title=James Hansen's legacy: Scientists reflect on climate change in 1988, 2018, and 2048 |url=https://grist.org/article/james-hansens-legacy-scientists-reflect-on-climate-change-in-1988-2018-and-2048/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Grist |language=en-us}}</ref>  With his close friend, the late Senator [[John Heinz]] (R-PA), he authored "Project 88", outlining the groundbreaking "Cap and Trade" idea which became law in the [[Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990]]. He authored the far-reaching Colorado Wilderness Bill which became law in 1993, and with Senator [[Alan K. Simpson|Alan Simpson]] (R-WY) he authored major legislation focused on population stabilization. Wirth also organized the Senate Task Force on the Expansion of Major League Baseball, which became a major factor in the awarding of a new expansion franchise to Denver. He chose not to run for re-election in [[1992 United States Senate election in Colorado|1992]], citing in a front page cover story in the Sunday New York Times Magazine (August 9, 1992), frustration with the ever-increasing role of money in politics to the exclusion of focus on public policy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/09/magazine/diary-of-a-dropout.html |title=Diary of a Dropout |work=The New York Times |date=9 August 1992 |access-date=2023-12-26 |last1=Wirth |first1=Senator Tim }}</ref>

===After Congressional service===
[[File:Moderator Timothy E. Wirth - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2011.jpg|thumb|175px|Wirth during the [[World Economic Forum|WEF]] 2011]]
Following two decades of elected politics, Wirth was national co-chair of the Clinton–Gore campaign, and served in the U.S. Department of State as the first [[Undersecretary for Global Affairs]] from 1993 to 1997. He led U.S. foreign policy in the areas of refugees, population, environment, science, human rights and narcotics. He chaired the United States Delegation at the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development, and was the lead U.S. negotiator for the [[Kyoto]] Climate Conference until he resigned from the Administration in late 1997 to accept Ted Turner's invitation to be President of the newly created [[United Nations Foundation]].
As President of the UN Foundation (UNF) from 1998 to 2013, Wirth organized and led the formulation of the Foundation's mission and program priorities, which include the environment, women and population, children's health, and peace, security and human rights. The Foundation also engages in extensive public advocacy, fundraising, and institutional strengthening efforts on behalf of the United Nations. By mobilizing these diverse resources, the UN Foundation works with many public and private partners and manages a variety of campaigns to help solve major problems facing the UN and the world community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unfoundation.org/who-we-are/board/timothy-e-wirth.html|title=Timothy E. Wirth (U.S.A.)|website=United Nations Foundation|access-date=2017-06-05}}</ref>

===Work with the United Nations Foundation===
*Mobilizing resources in support of the eradication of polio with [[Rotary International]], the [[Gates Foundation]], and the [[World Bank]];
*Initiating a global campaign to diminish the impact of measles with the [[American Red Cross]], the [[Centers for Disease Control]] and UN Agencies;
*Stimulating a nationwide grassroots program for the purchase of anti-malaria bed nets ("[[Nothing But Nets]]") with many partners (including the [[World Health Organization]] and the [[National Basketball Association]]);
*Organizing support for the special needs of adolescent girls within the UN and many private sector partners with [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] and lead UN Agencies;
*Supporting the [[United Nations Population Fund]], and working with Congress to increase U.S. funding and bring greater focus to AIDS prevention;
*Developing standards for better managing tourism's impact on the environment and contribution to climate change in close partnership with [[UNESCO]] and with [[Expedia]] and other industry leaders;
*Leading work to develop the UN framework for the post-Kyoto climate negotiations through a close partnership with the UN's leadership and retired heads of State throughout the world ([[The Club of Madrid]]);
*Managing a public-private effort with major segments of the agriculture community and UN agencies for better understanding of the promise, challenge and economics of bioenergy; and
*Advancing aggressive standards for energy efficiency in the U.S. and abroad with the U.S.-centered Energy Future Coalition.

The [[University of Colorado at Denver]] has an endowed Tim Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy. The current holder of the chair is the man Wirth replaced in the Senate, [[Gary Hart]].

Wirth is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of [[Issue One]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.issueone.org/reformers/ |title=ReFormers Caucus |publisher=Issue One |access-date=2017-06-05}}</ref>

In his retirement, Wirth has been supportive of the youth [[climate justice]] movement. He has been active in efforts to convince his alma mater, [[Harvard University]], to divest from fossil fuels,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bolotnikova |first=Marina N. |date=2019-04-23 |title=Divest Harvard Makes Case for Dropping Fossil Fuels |url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2019/04/divest-harvard-makes-case-for-fossil-fuel-divestment |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Harvard Magazine |language=en}}</ref> and in March 2021 joined Harvard students, faculty, and alumni to file an official legal complaint charging that the university's fossil fuel investments were illegal under Massachusetts law.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divestment Activists Allege Harvard's Fossil Fuel Investments Violate State Law in Complaint to State AG  |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/3/15/divestment-activists-file-complaint/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Complaint against the Harvard Corporation |url=https://climatedefenseproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FFDH-Complaint.pdf |website=Climate Defense Project}}</ref> In response to the legal complaint and other efforts, Harvard committed to divestment from fossil fuels in the fall of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Sabrina Shankman |date=September 10, 2021 |title=After nearly a decade of resistance, Harvard divests from fossil fuels |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/10/science/after-nearly-decade-resistance-harvard-divests-fossil-fuels/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=The Boston Globe |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Wirth is married to Wren Winslow Wirth, the president of the Winslow Foundation. They have two children, Chris and Kelsey Wirth. Their daughter, Kelsey Wirth, is the co-founder of the orthodontic production company [[Align Technology]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kelsey Wirth Biography|url=http://www.activistcash.com/biography.cfm/bid/2828|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310012913/http://www.activistcash.com/biography.cfm/bid/2828|archive-date=2005-03-10|access-date=2005-07-14}}</ref> Their son, Chris Wirth, is the founder of [[Liberty Puzzles]], the largest American laser-cut jigsaw puzzle company, based in [[Boulder, Colorado]]. His nephew, [[Peter Wirth (politician)|Peter Wirth]], was elected to the [[New Mexico Legislature]] in 2004. His brother, the late [[John Wirth (historian)|John Wirth]], was the Gildred Professor of [[Latin American Studies]] at [[Stanford University]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Wirth, professor of Latin American studies, dead at 66 : 06/02|url=https://news.stanford.edu/news/2002/july10/obitwirth-710.html|access-date=2020-12-14|website=news.stanford.edu|date=28 March 2016 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Atari Democrat]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050215151813/http://www.npg.org/newsltr/winter97_lo.htm#Tim%20Wirth Wirth Leaves State Department for Foundation]
* [http://www.unfoundation.org United Nations Foundation]
*{{C-SPAN|2216}}

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{{USSenCO}}
{{ColoradoUSRepresentatives}}
{{Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirth, Tim}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Clinton administration personnel]]
[[Category:Harvard Institute of Politics]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado]]
[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Colorado]]
[[Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford University alumni]]
[[Category:United States Army reservists]]
[[Category:United States under secretaries of state]]
[[Category:White House Fellows]]
[[Category:United Nations Foundation]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists]]
[[Category:20th-century Colorado politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]