Rodney Frelinghuysen

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Rodney Frelinghuysen

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 1995–
Preceded by	Dean Gallo
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	April 29, 1946 (age 60) New York City, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Virginia Robinson
Religion	Episcopalian

Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (born April 29, 1946 in New York City) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District (map) since 1995.

Frelinghuysen is a member of a family long prominent in New Jersey politics. He is the son of Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr., great-great grandson of Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, and great-great-great nephew of Theodore Frelinghuysen, who each represented New Jersey in Congress. However, his congressional district does not currently include Frelinghuysen Township, New Jersey, named for a family ancestor. After graduating from Hobart College in 1969, Frelinghuysen enlisted in the United States Army. Following basic training at Fort Dix, he served with the 93rd Engineer Battalion in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

After his military service, Frelinghuysen worked for the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders until he was elected to serve as a Freeholder in 1974.

In 1983, Frelinghuysen was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly (the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature) from the 26th legislative district, a position he would hold until elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.

Like most Republicans from New Jersey, Frelinghuysen has a moderate voting record. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, the Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Choice and Republicans For Environmental Protection. He is the only New Jersey Republican who is pro-choice on abortion. 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.

Frelinghuysen received an "F" on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues^[1].

In the 2000 elections, satirist Michael Moore attempted to have a ficus 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."^[2]. Since 1793, New Jersey has sent six Frelinghuysens to Congress — four to the U.S. Senate and two to the House of Representatives. In a press release announcing the plant's candidacy, Moore wrote, "We think it's time to point out to the Frelinghuysen family that we live in a democracy, not a dynasty."^[2] Before the write-in votes were refused to be counted by the election committee, the Ficus was shown to have a 4-1 lead.^[3]