Rodney Frelinghuysen - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Rodney P. Frelinghuysen is the U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

Early life, education and career

Frelinghuysen is a member of a family long prominent in New Jersey politics. He is the son of Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen II, great-great-grandson of Frederick T. Frelinghuysen

Frederick T. Frelinghuysen

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen was a member of the United States Senate representing New Jersey and a United States Secretary of State.-Early life and education:...

, and great-great-great-nephew of Theodore Frelinghuysen

Theodore Frelinghuysen

Theodore Frelinghuysen was an American politician, serving as New Jersey Attorney General, United States Senator, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President with Henry Clay on the Whig ticket in the election of 1844...

, who each represented New Jersey in the Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. After graduating from Hobart College

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...

in 1969, where he had been president of the Kappa Alpha Society

Kappa Alpha Society

The Kappa Alpha Society , founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad...

, Frelinghuysen enrolled at Trinity College for graduate work. Frelinghuysen, however, enlisted in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

before he could graduate from Trinity. Following basic training at Fort Dix

Fort Dix, New Jersey

JB MDL Dix , better known as Fort Dix, is a United States Army base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Dix is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Reserve Command...

, he served with the 93rd Engineer Battalion in the Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...

of Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

.

After his military service, Frelinghuysen worked for the Morris County

Morris County, New Jersey

Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....

Board of Chosen Freeholders

In New Jersey, the Boards of Chosen Freeholders are the county legislatures in each of that state's 21 counties.- Origin :New Jersey's system of naming county legislators "freeholders" is unique in the United States...

until he was elected to serve as a Freeholder in 1974.

Early political career

In 1983, Frelinghuysen was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly

New Jersey General Assembly

The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...

, representing the 25th legislative district. He ran in 1990 for New Jersey's 12th congressional district, but finished third to Dick Zimmer

Dick Zimmer (New Jersey politician)

Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008...

and Phil McConkey

Phil McConkey

Philip Joseph McConkey attended Canisius High School where he played wide receiver for the varsity football team and graduated in the class of 1975, is a former American football wide receiver who played for the New York Giants , Green Bay Packers , Phoenix Cardinals , and San Diego Chargers of...

Committee assignments

Committee on Appropriations
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Defense
  United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
  The House Subcommittee on Defense is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  The House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
  
  (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  The House Subcommittee on Homeland Security is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...

Like other Republicans from New Jersey, Frelinghuysen has a moderate voting record. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership

Republican Main Street Partnership

The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...

, the Republican Majority For Choice

Republican Majority for Choice

The Republican Majority for Choice is a Republican organization in the United States dedicated to preserving legal access to abortion. The group also supports federal funding for all kinds of stem cell research, including Embryonic stem cell research.....

, Republicans for Choice

Republicans for Choice

Republicans for Choice, an organization based in the Washington, D.C. area is a political action committee composed of members of the United States Republican Party who support legalized abortion.-History of Republicans for Choice:Republicans for Choice was founded in 1989 by Ann Stone...

and Republicans For Environmental Protection. The Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight Foundation

The Sunlight Foundation is a 501 educational organization founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States government....

pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Frelinghuysen has the third-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.

Frelinghuysen has a mixed record on abortion, receiving a 50% from the NRLC

National Right to Life Committee

The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...

and a 30% from NARAL in 2003. When he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, he made a small financial contribution to the activist/civil disobedience group ACT UP

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...

.

In the 2000 elections, left-wing activist Michael Moore

Michael Moore

Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...

attempted to have a ficus

Ficus

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...

challenge Frelinghuysen's unopposed re-election, to make a point about how rarely congressmen are held accountable for their terms in office. "Most run unopposed in their primaries and 95% are re-elected every time in the general election", as stated in the press release for the plant's candidacy, written by Moore, which also remarked, "We think it's time to point out to the Frelinghuysen family that we live in a democracy, not a dynasty." (Since 1793, New Jersey has sent six Frelinghuysens to Congress — four to the U.S. Senate and two to the House of Representatives.)
On May 24, 2007, Frelinghuysen chased down a pickpocket who had stolen his wallet near his home in the Georgetown neighborhood

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...

of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

Two Washington police officers

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

The Metropolitan Police Department, also known as the DC Police, DCPD, MPD, and MPDC is the municipal police force in Washington, D.C...

saw the chase and arrested the 18-year-old suspect who had been caught by the 61-year-old congressman.

In 2009, Frelinghuysen was the chief sponsor of 16 bills, 11 of which had no co-sponsors. He co-sponsored 90 other bills, occasionally with Democrats on non-controversial issues.

Political campaigns

Midway through his sixth term, Congressman Dean Gallo

Dean Gallo

Dean Anderson Gallo was an American Republican party politician, who was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing for nearly ten years....

abandoned his reelection bid after discovering he had incurable prostate cancer

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

(he died two days before the election). Frelinghuysen was chosen to replace Gallo as the Republican candidate in the 11th District. As this district is one of the most reliably Republican districts in the Northeast, this all but assured him of election in November. He has been reelected seven times against only nominal Democratic opposition.

Electoral history

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ : Results 1994–2010
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|1994
|
| |Frank Herbert
| align="right" |50,211
| |28%
|
| |
| align="right" |127,868
| |71%
|
| |Mary Frueholz
| |LaRouche Was Right
| align="right" |1,065
| align="right" |1%
|
|
|
|
|
| |*
|-
|1996
|
| |Chris Evangel
| align="right" |78,742
| |31%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |169,091
| |66%
|
| |Ed DeMott
| |Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

Independent (politician)

| align="right" |2,618
| align="right" |1%
| |*
|-
|1998
|
| |
| align="right" |44,160
| |30%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |100,910
| |68%
|
| |Austin S. Lett
| |Independent

Independent (politician)

Independent (politician)

| align="right" |1,409
| align="right" |1%
| |*
|-
|2000
|
| |John P. Scollo
| align="right" |80,958
| |30%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |186,140
| |68%
|
| |John Pickarski
| |Independent

Independent (politician)

Independent (politician)

| align="right" |1,541
| align="right" |1%
|
|-
|2002
|
| |Vij Pawar
| align="right" |48,477
| |26%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |132,938
| |72%
|
| |Richard S. Roth
| |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

| align="right" |2,263
| align="right" |1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2004
|
| |
| align="right" |91,811
| |31%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |200,915
| |68%
|
| |John Mele
| |Immigration
Moratorium Now
| align="right" |1,746
| align="right" |1%
|
| |Austin S. Lett
| |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

| align="right" |1,530
| align="right" |1%
|
|-
|2006
|
| |Tom Wyka
| align="right" |74,414
| |37%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |126,085
| |62%
|
| |Richard S. Roth
| |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

Constitution Party (United States)

The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...

| align="right" |842
| align="right" |<1%
|
|-
|2008
|
| |Tom Wyka
| align="right" |105,095
| |37%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |177,059
| |62%
|
| |Chandler Tedholm
| |For the People
| align="right" |3,526
| align="right" |1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2010
|
| |Douglas Herbert
| align="right" |55,472
| |31%
|
| |Rodney Frelinghuysen
| align="right" |122,149
| |67%
|
| |Jim Gawron
| |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

| align="right" |4,179
| align="right" |2%
|
|
|
|
|
|

External links

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen official U.S. House site
Profile at SourceWatch
SourceWatch
SourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.