Gary Doer was born to a middle class family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His background is German and Welsh. He graduated from St. Paul's High School and went on to study political science and sociology at the University of Manitoba for one year where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, but left to become a corrections officer at the Vaughan Street Detention Centre. He later rose to become deputy superintendent of the Manitoba Youth Centre. Doer's work environment was not always safe: he once had to deal with a hostage taking situation, and was attacked with a baseball bat on another occasion.