Matt Gaetz
Matthew Louis Gaetz II[2] (/ˈɡeɪts/ GAYTS; born May 7, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district since 2017. A Republican, he became one of the foremost congressional allies of President Donald Trump.[3]
From 2010 to 2016, Gaetz represented Florida’s 4th House district in the Florida House of Representatives, which includes most of Okaloosa County. He was elected to the U.S. House in 2016, representing Florida’s 1st District. He was reelected by large margins in 2018 and 2020. His district covers a large portion of the western Florida Panhandle, including Pensacola, Destin, Navarre and his hometown, Fort Walton Beach.
Matthew L. Gaetz II was born on May 7, 1982,[4] in Hollywood, Florida,[5] to Victoria Quertermous and Don Gaetz, who later became a prominent local politician. Gaetz grew up near Fort Walton Beach, and graduated from Niceville High School in 2000.[6][7] He graduated from Florida State University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary sciences and then earned a Juris Doctor from the William & Mary Law School in 2007.[8][9] Gaetz was admitted to the Florida Bar on February 6, 2008.[10]
Gaetz’s father represented parts of Northwest Florida as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and was Senate president from 2012 to 2014. Gaetz’s grandfather, Stanley Jerome (Jerry) Gaetz, was the mayor of Rugby, North Dakota, and a candidate for lieutenant governor of North Dakota at the 1964 North Dakota Republican Party state convention, where he died of a heart attack.[11] Gaetz is named for his great-grandfather Matthias Louis Gaetz, and is a descendant of Phillip Goetz, who arrived from Germany to Minnesota after 1838.[12]
After graduating from William & Mary Law School,[13] Gaetz worked at the law firm Keefe, Anchors & Gordon (now AnchorsGordon)[14] in Fort Walton Beach.[15]
In March 2010, following Republican state representative Ray Sansom’s resignation on corruption charges in February 2010,[16] Gaetz ran in the special election to succeed Sansom in the 4th district, which included southern Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County.[17] In a crowded Republican primary that included Craig Barker, Kabe Woods, Jerry G. Melvin, and Bill Garvie, Gaetz won with 43% of the vote.[17] In the special general election, Gaetz defeated Democratic nominee Jan Fernald with 66% of the vote.[18] During his campaign, Gaetz received almost $480,000 in contributions, about five times more than anyone else in the field, and almost 50 times more than Fernald, including $100,000 of his own money.[15]
Gaetz was unopposed for a full term in 2010.[19] In 2012, following the reconfiguration of Florida House of Representatives districts, Gaetz’s district no longer contained any of Santa Rosa County. He was reelected unopposed in 2012[20] and 2014.[21]
While serving in the state house, Gaetz and State Senator Joe Negron proposed legislation that would hasten the execution of many inmates on Florida’s death row by requiring the governor to sign a death warrant for those who had exhausted their appeals.[22] He also joined State Senator Greg Evers in proposing legislation to eliminate the federal ethanol content mandate that 10% of gasoline sold in Florida contain ethanol;[23][24] Governor Rick Scott signed the legislation in May 2013.[25]
