Born on January 15, 1923, Li was raised in a small farming village near the city of Tamshui. His family was well respected; his grandfather was one of the village leaders and his father was the manager of the local irrigation cooperative.
李登輝從一個農家子弟步入政壇，先任行政院政務委員，然後當台北市長、台灣省主席，如今又被執政黨提名為第七任副總統候選人，可謂仕途坦順。