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Chet Culver was born in 1966 in suburban Washington D.C. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia Tech, where he played football.

Culver is the youngest of four children of former Iowa Senator John Culver and Ann Cooper Culver. Culver served Iowa in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 to 1974 and in the United States Senate from 1974 to 1980.

Culver began his career as an environmental and consumer advocate in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. After receiving his Master of Arts in Teaching at Drake University in 1994, he taught high school government and history, and also coached both football and basketball.

In 1998, Culver was elected as Iowa’s 29th Secretary of State and the youngest Secretary of State in the nation and was re-elected to the position in 2002. He was elected Governor in November 2006.

Throughout his first legislative session as Iowa’s Chief Executive, Culver began laying the foundation for Iowa to become a leader in the world for renewable energy by launching the $100 million Iowa Power Fund and creating the Office of Energy Independence. In addition, he focused on promoting health and wellness and taking steps to improve education.

Governor Culver and his wife, Mari, have two young children, Clare and John.