Tim M. Babcock was born October 27, 1919, in Little Fork, Minnesota to Erwin H. and Olive Babcock, and he came to Montana with his parents when he was a few months old. They settled on a homestead in Dawson County west of Glendive. Tim Babcock attended grade school in Glendive and graduated from Dawson County High School in 1939. After graduating from high school, Babcock moved to California where he was employed by Douglas Aircraft Company for two years. While there he married Betty Lee on September 21, 1941, in Las Vegas. Betty, the daughter of Richard and Katherine Lee, met Babcock in high school. Their first daughter, Lorna Lee, was born in Santa Monica, California. During World War II Babcock served as a combat infantryman for three years. Serving with the 99th Infantry Division, he participated in some of the crucial battles of the European theatre. He received the Bronze Star for valor in the battle for the Remagen Bridge in France. During the war, Betty Babcock lived in Glendive and worked in a ration office. Upon returning to Montana in 1946, Babcock entered the transport business at Miles City. He and his father-in-law, R.E. Lee, started the trucking firm with two trucks. Although Mr. Lee died in 1949, Babcock continued to call the firm Babcock and Lee. The Babcocks lived in Miles City for nine years and their second daughter, Marla Kay, was born there. The family moved to Billings in the mid-1950s as the trucking business expanded. Tim Babcock first entered Montana politics in 1952, seeking election as the Republican candidate for the Montana House of Representatives from Custer County. He was elected and served through the 1953 and 1955 sessions. After moving to Billings, he was twice elected to the House from Yellowstone County, serving during both the 1957 and 1959 sessions. Babcock became close personal friends with Donald G. Nutter and in 1960 the two campaigned together for the offices of Lieutenant Governor and Governor respectively. They were elected and took office in January 1961. Lieutenant Governor Babcock became the governor on January 25, 1962, following an airplane crash that took the life of Governor Nutter. Babcock was sworn in on February 6. In 1964 he was elected to his first full term as Governor. Babcock served as Chairman of the Western States Governors' Conference, Vice Chairman of the National Republican Governors Association, and Chairman of the Board of the Montana Motor Transport Association. He has been a member of Rotary, the Elks, the Shriners, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Boy Scouts, and the Presbyterian Church.
From the guide to the Tim Babcock papers, 1961-1968, (Montana Historical Society Archives)
