Rep. Ron Kind's photostream

A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, I was born and raised in western Wisconsin. I attended Harvard University, where I played quarterback and graduated with honors in 1985. During the summers while I was attending college, I worked for former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire in Washington. There I helped investigate wasteful spending of taxpayer money, which provided the basis for some of the Senator's famous "Golden Fleece" awards. After getting my undergraduate degree, I went on to receive my Master's Degree from the London School of Economics and law degree from the University of Minnesota.

After practicing law for two years at the law firm of Quarles and Brady in Milwaukee, I returned home to La Crosse to take a spot in the La Crosse County prosecutor's office and as a Special Prosecutor throughout western Wisconsin. I was first elected to Congress in 1996.I currently sit on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee and am vice-chair of the New Democrat Coalition.

My wife Tawni and I live in La Crosse with our two sons, Johnny and Matthew. We have remained active in the La Crosse community and are members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church. I'm also a member of the La Crosse Optimists Club, and a leader in the Boys' and Girls' Club and the La Crosse YMCA.

I'm an avid outdoor recreation enthusiast, hunter and fisherman. I enjoy hiking, camping, and spending every chance I get to be on the Mississippi River with my family. We also have a family farm in western Jackson County.