

With tears in his eyes, House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio celebrates the GOP's victory that changes the balance of power in Congress and will likely elevate him to speaker of the House, during an election night gathering hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington. Cliff Owen/AP Photo
House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio (second from r.) flanked by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (l.) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona (r.) and accompanied by Republican House and Senate members, speaks during a news conference on the budget, April 1, 2009, on the East steps in Washington. Susan Walsh/AP/File
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) of Ohio heads to the House Floor to vote on one of the health-care reform amendments November 7, 2009. Bill Clark/Getty Images
Newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi celebrates from the podium as Minority Leader John Boehner looks on in the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 4, 2007. Susan Walsh/AP/File
A young John Boehner (c.) with two of his siblings in Reading, Ohio in 1951. Courtesy of Michael Steel
Young John (l.) and Bob Boehner in the early 1950s. Courtesy of Michael Steel
President Bush signs into law a sweeping federal education bill that will require new reading and math tests, seek to close the education gap between rich and poor students and raise teacher standards on Jan. 8, 2002, at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio. From left to right standing are Rep. George Miller (D) of Calif., Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Mass., Education Secretary Rod Paige, Sen. Judd Gregg (R) of N.H., Rep. John Boehner (R) of Ohio, woman at right unidentified. Children with Bush are Tez Taylor (l.) and Cecilia Pallcio (r.). Ron Edmonds/AP Photo
John Boehner after receiving his college diploma from Xavier University in Cincinnati, in 1977. Courtesy of Michael Steel
Lynda Meineke, sister of Representative John Boehner, in Andy's Bar in Carthage, Ohio, founded by her grandfather where she still works. Toby Harnden
John Boehner (l.) with his mom and dad and brother Bob on Election Night, in Middletown, Ohio, in 1990. Courtesy of Michael Steel
In this Oct. 29, 2009 file photo House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio stands behind a copy of the Democrat's version of the health care bill during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican Party was in shambles, and Barack Obama's throngs of emboldened Democrats filled the November air with chants of 'Yes we can!' 'Change has come to America,' Obama declared in Chicago on Election Night 2008, certain that with large Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, he could deliver. Harry Hamburg/AP/File