Jon Tester Biography: Raymond Jon Tester born August 21, 1956 is an American politician and farmer who was elected as the senior United States Senator from Montana in 2006. Tester, a Democrat, is the dean of Montana’s congressional delegation and the state’s only Democrat to hold statewide or congressional office. From 1999 until 2007, he served in the Montana Senate, where he was president for the final two years. Tester was first elected to the United States Senate in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in one of the year’s most closely contested elections. He was narrowly reelected in 2012 against U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, and in 2018 against Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale. He is standing for re-election in 2025.
Jon Tester Biography 2025
Raymond Jon Tester is an American politician and farmer serving as the senior United States senator from Montana, elected in 2006. A member of the Democratic Party, Tester is the dean of Montana’s congressional delegation and the only Democrat who holds statewide and/or congressional office in Montana.
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Born: 21 August 1956 (age 68 years), Havre, Montana, United States
Spouse: Sharla Tester (m. 1978)
Office: Senator (D-MT) since 2007
Education: University of Providence (1978)
Children: Shon Tester, Christine Tester
Books: Grounded: A Senator’s Lessons on Winning Back Rural America
Candidate for: 2025 United States Senate elections
Tester was born in Havre, Montana, as one of three boys of Helen Marie (née Pearson), a North Dakota native, and David O. Tester, a Utah native. He is descended from Mormon pioneers on his father’s side. His father was of English lineage, while his mother was of Swedish ancestry. Tester grew born in Chouteau County, Montana, in the hamlet of Big Sandy, on land his grandparents homesteaded in 1912. When he was nine years old, he lost the middle three fingers of his left hand in a meat-grinding accident. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Providence (formerly known as the College of Great Falls) in 1978.
After two years of teaching music in the Big Sandy School District, Tester returned to his family’s farm and custom butcher shop. He and his wife continue to run the farm; in the 1980s, they shifted from conventional to organic farming. Tester chaired the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees for five years and served on the Big Sandy Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and Chouteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) Committees.
Jon Tester Net Worth in 2025
Jon Tester, the United States Senator from Montana, has a net worth of $14 million.