Bill McCollum
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| Bill McCollum | |
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| In office 1981 – 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Kelly |
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| Constituency | Florida's 5th Congressional district |
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State Attorney General
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| In office 2006 – Incumbent |
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| Constituency | Florida |
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| Born | July 12, 1944 Brooksville, Florida  United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ingrid Seebohm McCollum |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Florida |
Ira William "Bill" McCollum, Jr. (born July 12, 1944 in Brooksville, Florida) is the current Florida Attorney General and a former Republican Congressman from Florida.
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[edit] Early life
Born and raised in Brooksville, Florida, McCollum graduated from Hernando High School and earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Florida, where he was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame (the most prestigious honor a student leader could receive at UF), and served as president of Florida Blue Key. McCollum began his professional career on active duty with the United States Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps from 1969 to 1972. (In 1992, he retired from the Naval Reserve as a Commander, having served 23 years). In 1973 McCollum entered private practice in Orlando, and immediately became involved in local politics, serving as Chairman of the Seminole County Republican Party from 1976-1980.
[edit] Congressional career
In 1980 McCollum was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from a district including Walt Disney World and most of Orlando.
While in Congress, McCollum founded the House Republican Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, chairing it for six years. He also served three terms on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two of which as Chairman of its Subcommittee on Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence. Additionally, McCollum served as Vice Chairman of the House Banking Committee and served on the Judiciary Committee, where he was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime. While serving the House, McCollum was selected for a variety of Republican leadership positions, including three terms as Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference. McCollum gained national attention as one of fifteen members selected to serve on the House Committee to Investigate the Iran-Contra Affair, and, in 1998-1999, as one of the House Managers of President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. He retired from the House in 2000 after serving 20 years.
[edit] Bids for U.S. Senate
McCollum later launched an unsuccessful bid for the seat of retiring Republican Senator Connie Mack, narrowly losing to former Congressman Bill Nelson.
McCollum made his second run for the Senate in the U.S. Senate election, 2004. During the early months of 2004, he competed with former Bush administration official Mel Martinez for the position of Republican front-runner: by mid-summer, businessman Doug Gallagher began approaching McCollum and Martinez in support as well. McCollum stressed his own experience on homeland security issues, and contrasted his position on tort reform against Martinez's background as a plaintiff's lawyer. Inexplicably, McCollum, who was considered one of the most conservative members of Congress for many years, was lambasted by Martinez as "the darling of homosexual extremists" due to his vote in favor of gay hate crimes legislation. Connie Mack appeared with McCollum at a press conference to denounce Martinez's comments. Martinez went on to win the primary on August 31 by a wide margin, defeating McCollum in most parts of Florida with the exception of the Tampa Bay area. Shortly thereafter, McCollum endorsed Martinez for the general election.
[edit] Florida Attorney General
In 2006, McCollum ran for the office of Attorney General of the State of Florida, defeating State Senator Skip Campbell in the general election. McCollum ran on the message of "making Florida a safer place to live, work, and raise a family."
Prior to his election as Florida Attorney General, McCollum served as a partner with the Baker & Hostetler LLP law firm, practicing in the federal policy area. In addition to his duties as the state’s chief legal officer, he serves as President and Chairman of the Healthy Florida Foundation, chartered in 2002 to find consensus on long-term solutions to the nation’s health care system.
McCollum is married to Ingrid Seebohm McCollum. They have three sons: Douglas, Justin and Andrew.
[edit] External links
Bill McCollum, official profile, Office of the Attorney General of Florida
