Though he was involved in political causes from a young age, Tea Party favorite Rand Paul didn’t become a politician himself until he was 47. Here are seven highlights from Paul’s life before he was a Kentucky senator and a contender for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination.
1. Paul was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Texas with his four siblings. His father, Ron Paul, was a physician. When Paul was 13, his father won a seat in Congress, opening the door for Paul’s early exposure to the world of politics.
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2. During high school, Paul studied the Austrian economists and works of Ayn Rand that his libertarian father adored. He was also a driven student athlete and spent his summer vacations interning in his father’s congressional office.
3. After high school, Paul enrolled at Baylor University. He was in the honors program and the Young Conservatives of Texas. However,
Paul never actually earned his bachelor’s degree, leaving Baylor after Duke University accepted him to its medical school.
4. Paul earned his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1988 — the same year his father first ran for president as the Libertarian Party nominee. Paul met and married wife Kelley as he completed his residency, which he finished at Duke in 1993.
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5. Paul worked as an eye doctor in a couple of local clinics before starting his own practice in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He practiced ophthalmology there for 17 years, specializing in LASIK, corneal transplants, and surgery for cataracts and glaucoma.
6. In 1995, Paul helped to found the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic, offering care for needy patients. He’s long been a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club, and he continues to
perform pro-bono eye surgeries through the nonprofit today.
7. Years before his 2010 Senate run, the father of three had become active in conservative politics. In 1993, Paul founded the now-defunct Kentucky Taxpayers United to advocate for lower taxes. He volunteered for his father’s first presidential campaign, ran his dad’s 1996 congressional campaign, and played an active role in Ron Paul’s 2008 bid for the presidency. Paul was also frequently asked to speak at conservative functions, building a reputation on his call to curtail government.
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