Levin was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He went to college at Swarthmore College, and he got his law degree from Harvard University. He then moved back to Michigan and was a lawyer and a teacher. In 1964 he became an assistant attorney general for Michigan. In 1969 he became a member of the Detroit city council. In 1979 he became a United States Senator. He was chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.