.Born: July 21, 1944

Family: Married Sheila Ison in 1963, with whom he has had three children, David, Marcia and Mark

Education: B.A. and Ph.D. in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hobbies: Was a champion wrestler while at Chapel Hill, earning many accolades and honors

Career: He first taught political science as a graduate student at North Carolina. Wellstone became a political science professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., in 1969 and continued teaching there for 21 years. In 1990 he ran as a Democrat underdog for the United States Senate seat and defeated the incumbent Sen. Rudy Boschwitz. A fiery and liberal Senator, Wellstone was campaigning for his third term when he died.