Joe Klein was born at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Milwaukee, the only child of John Philip Klein and Mary Katherine (née Reichmann) Klein. The first school he attended was Milwaukee Montessori School, which his parents helped found and where his mother was a school teacher. He later went to Holy Cross Middle School and graduated from the University Lake School. He has always had a passing interest in local politics, having done door-to-door canvassing for Warren D. Braun with his parents during Mr. Braun’s first aldermanic campaign, for which his father was treasurer. He also worked both in Milwaukee and Philadelphia as a campaign worker in Mo Udall’s 1976 bid for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

His parents’ interest in local politics allowed the young Joe Klein a unique view into Milwaukee politics during a turbulent era. He had peripheral exposure to many of the local leaders that influenced Milwaukee politics in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. As many of his parents’ generation where part of the white flight out of Milwaukee, his family tenuously held fast to Milwaukee. His suburban High School education made him aware of the dichotomy between Milwaukee and the Waukesha suburbs. That experience instilled within him a fierce loyalty for Milwaukee, both the City and the County.

After High School graduation and a spring of political activity, Joe Klein joined the Wisconsin National Guard. He took part of his initial training at Fort Belvoir, VA during the summer of 1976. It was the summer of the bicentennial and it instilled in Joe Klein lasting loyalty to our Constitutional form of government. It was also the summer he saw “All the President’s Men” in a Georgetown theater. He tempered the emotions of patriotism with an intellectual respect for vigilance against abuse of power.

While attending the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Joe Klein began a long technological detour away from his interest in the American political system. He became fascinated by the potential of computer technology. This was an era when young men like Steve Jobs and Steve Wazniak where dropping out of college and starting computer companies. In 1983 he worked with his friends to form Third Coast Technologies Incorporated, a Wisconsin Corporation funded with California venture capital, where he served as President and Chairman of the Board.

Joe became involved in the local Milwaukee Unix User’s Group (MUUG) and served on the board as treasurer and as president. Joe served on the Board of Directors of Alternative Publications Inc., during the formative years of the publisher of the Shepherd Express. Joe became involved in the nascent Internet and eventually worked in a network engineer capacity on three national internet backbones.

Joe was involved in peering negotiations between Internet providers and he is footnoted as a source in peering papers used in classes at major universities. Peering primarily involves negotiations between Internet providers regarding the exchange of traffic. Peering is a combination of statistical analysis, technical engineering and political negotiation all which Joe mastered. Joe has a reserved demeanor, but he has proven himself capable, determined, and persistent in achieving his goals when negotiating.

Joe’s life's work has made him well traveled, having been to Panama, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, Finland, Russia, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq. Joe has been to most of the major cities in both Canada and the United States. Joe reads foreign journals as well as multiple US newspapers. In addition to his native English, he knows a smattering of French and has had some formal training in Russian and German. Joe’s travels have given him a global prospective on local problems and issues.

In 2005 Joe rejoined the Wisconsin National Guard. He was activated to federal duty under Title 10 in 2006 and served honorably as an Army Sergeant First Class in Kuwait and Iraq. Joe returned to Milwaukee as a combat veteran in July of 2007. Joe lives near UWM with his wife Mary Jo, a teacher at Milwaukee Montessori School, where both his sons, Francis, age 13, and John, age 10 are students.

His service overseas has strengthened his commitment to government by the people and for the people. Joe Klein seeks to build a vital and engaged local political system, and a stronger Milwaukee economy. He has made it his personal commitment to champion open, honest and connected local government.