Walz has been married for 30 years and has two children.
He's also one of four siblings — all grew up to be teachers.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota — who you may recognize from the many viral videos of him describing the Republican vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, as "weird" — officially accepted the nomination to be Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election on Wednesday.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Walz formally introduced himself to the country in a speech that heavily referenced his past career as a high school football coach.
But Americans also got some insight into Walz as a father and husband — and the love emanating from his family was clear to see.
Here's what you need to know about Walz's wife, Gwen, their two kids, Hope and Gus, and their rescue pets, Scout and Honey.
Tim Walz has been governor since 2019. He previously served in the House of Representatives and worked as a high-school teacher.Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have had a working relationship over the years.
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Before Walz ran for Congress, where he served from 2007 to 2019, he was a high-school geography teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School from 1996 to 2006. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he also served as the faculty advisor for his school's Gay-Straight Alliance.
Walz also served in the National Guard for 24 years. He enlisted in 1981 and retired as a master sergeant in 2005.
Walz is one of four siblings. His brother Craig died during a storm in 2016.Walz is one of four kids.
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Walz's brother Craig died in 2016 when, during a storm, a tree fell where he was camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area at Duncan Lake in Minnesota, as reported by WCCO and KARE11. Craig's son, Jacob, who was then 8 years old, was severely injured but recovered from his injuries.
Craig, like Walz's two other siblings, Jeff and Sandy, was a teacher.
"My mom raised four teachers, and three out of four of us married teachers. Working in the family business for 20+ years, I learned just how much hard work goes into the job," Tim Walz wrote on Facebook in May.
Walz met his wife, Gwen, when the two were teachers at the same school in Nebraska.Tim and Gwen Walz have been married for 30 years.
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After graduating from Chadron State College, Walz worked in China for a year with WorldTeach, a nonprofit organization that places volunteers around the world to teach English and other subjects.
Upon his return, he began teaching in Nebraska, his home state, where he met Gwen.
They married in 1994 and moved to Minnesota, Gwen's home state, two years later.This foursome will be spending a lot of time together on the campaign trail.
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According to her official bio, Gwen is a "lifelong Minnesotan." She attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and Minnesota State University in Mankato before she began teaching English in Nebraska, where she met her future husband.
Soon after they met, the two started hosting summer trips for students to travel to China, a project that continued until 2003.
In addition to education, Gwen is also passionate about prison reform and education inside prisons.
They have two children: Hope and Gus.Hope, Gus, and Gwen were at the Democratic National Convention to support Walz as he formally accepted the nomination.
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Walz frequently posts on social media about his kids, and now, so does his wife.
Gwen joined Instagram the same day her husband was announced as Harris' running mate. Since then, she's posted multiple photos of her husband, their kids, and the campaign trail.
Walz gave them a special shout-out during his acceptance speech at the DNC, calling them his "entire world."
The Walz family also has a rescue dog, Scout, and a rescue cat, Honey.
Walz has been open about how he and his wife used IVF to conceive their children after seven years of fertility treatments.That process was the inspiration for their daughter's name.
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In a March 2024 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Walz publicly shared his journey with in vitro fertilization after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos were considered people, which threatened access to fertility treatments in the state.
He said they went through seven years of fertility treatments at the Mayo Clinic before Gwen told her husband she was pregnant with their daughter, Hope.
"Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive healthcare like IVF. This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others," he wrote on Facebook.
Hope is 23 years old. She attended the University of Minnesota.They have a close relationship.
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"It's not by chance that we named our daughter Hope," Walz told the Star Tribune, referencing the yearslong fertility struggles he and his wife went through.
In September 2023, Walz posted on Instagram to celebrate National Daughter's Day. "I have the best daughter a dad could possibly ask for. Happy National Daughter's Day," he wrote.
Newsweek reported that Hope attended the University of Minnesota.
She was at the DNC in Chicago to support her father, alongside her mother and brother.
Gus, born in 2006, is 17 years old. At the DNC, he burst into tears as his dad accepted the nomination for vice president.Walz is also close with his son, Gus.
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Walz also posts about his son, who turns 18 in October. Last October, he posted in celebration of Gus passing his road test to get his driver's license.
"My son Gus just passed his (what do you call it? A drivers license exam?). Proud dad moment," he wrote.
In August, Walz and his wife spoke to People about what they call Gus' "secret power": He has ADHD and an anxiety disorder, as well as a non-verbal learning disorder, they said.
"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," said the Walzes.
"It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus' condition is not a setback — it's his secret power," they continued.
Gus stole the show at the DNC on Wednesday night. Clips of him jumping up to applaud during his dad's speech and proudly yelling, "That's my dad," went viral.
