Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative
for South Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2011.
He is a member of the Republican Party.
The district includes much of the Upstate region, including Greenville and Spartanburg.
Before his election to Congress, Gowdy was the solicitor for the state's Seventh Judicial
Circuit, comprising Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
From 1994 to 2000, he was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney for the District of
South Carolina.
In 2014, Gowdy became chairman of a House Select Committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi
attack.
Early life, education, and family Gowdy was born in Greenville, but grew up
in Spartanburg and currently calls Spartanburg home.
He is the son of Novalene and Dr. Harold Watson "Hal" Gowdy, Jr.
Trey graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1982.
He earned a B.A. in history from Baylor University in 1986.
He was a member of Kappa Omega Tau, a service/social Fraternity while at Baylor University.
He earned a J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989.
In law school, he was a member of the scholastic honor society "Wig and Robe."
Gowdy and his wife Terri have two children: Watson and Abigail.
Watson is a senior at Clemson University studying Philosophy, Political Science, and Law, as
well as a lifelong avid golf enthusiast.
Abigail is a 12th grader.
His cousin Joey Paul Gowdy is an actor and producer in the entertainment business who
is related to sportcaster Curt Gowdy and actress Karen Morris Gowdy.
Terri Dillard Gowdy is a teacher's aide in Spartanburg School District.
Legal career Following law school, he clerked for John
P. Gardner on the South Carolina Court of Appeals and United States District Court Judge
Ross Anderson.
He then went into private practice before becoming a federal prosecutor in April 1994.
He was awarded the Postal Inspector’s Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark
Allen, one of “America’s Most Wanted” suspects.
In February 2000, he left the United States Attorney’s Office to run for 7th Circuit
Solicitor.
He defeated incumbent Solicitor Holman Gossett in the Republican primary.
No other party even put up a candidate, ensuring his election in November.
He was reelected in 2004 and 2008, both times unopposed.
During his tenure, he appeared on “Forensic Files” twice, as well as Dateline NBC and
SCETV.
He prosecuted the full gamut of criminal cases including 7 death penalty cases.
When the state faced a budget crunch that forced many employees to go on unpaid furloughs,
Gowdy funneled part of his campaign account into the solicitor's budget so his staff could
keep working.
Congressional elections In the summer of 2009, Gowdy announced that
he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis in the Republican primary
for South Carolina's 4th congressional district.
Inglis, who got a 93% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, angered the
conservative wing of the Republican Party by taking stances that were perceived to be
more moderate than those he'd taken when he'd first represented the district from 1993 to
1999.
For instance, he'd angered conservatives in his district when he supported cap and trade
as a result of his belief that global warming is man made.
He drew five Republican challengers, and Gowdy was one of them.
Like most of the challengers, Gowdy ran well to Inglis' right.
In the June 2010 primary, Gowdy ranked first with 39% of the vote, short of the 50% majority
threshold to win outright and avoid a run-off.
Inglis received 27% of the vote.
Jim Lee got 14%, State Senator David L. Thomas got 13%, and former Historian of the United
States House of Representatives Christina Jeffrey was last with 7% of the vote.
In the run-off election, Gowdy defeated Inglis 70%-30%.
The 4th is so heavily Republican that it was widely presumed Gowdy had assured himself
of a seat in Congress.
Gowdy defeated Democratic nominee Paul Corden 63%-29%.
Gowdy ran for re-election to a second term against Democrat Deb Morrow.
The original remap of the district cut part of Gowdy's home county, Spartanburg County,
out of the district while leaving all of Greenville County in the district.
Gowdy was initially "disappointed" with this version, even though it would have left the
4th as reliably Republican as its predecessor.
However, the final map moved part of Greenville County to the 3rd and left all of Spartanburg
County in the 4th.
Gowdy was pleased with this version, since Greenville and Spartanburg counties remained
together.
Roll Call rated his district as Safe Republican in 2012.
Gowdy won re-election to a second term, defeating Morrow 65%-34%.
Congressional tenure Gowdy's voting record is very conservative,
even by South Carolina Republican standards.
In August 2011 during the 2011 United States debt ceiling crisis, Gowdy opposed Speaker
John Boehner’s debt limit bill, and he voted against the final debt ceiling agreement.
He also opposed the 2011 defense authorization bill, citing concerns about the prospect of
Americans being detained without trial on national security grounds.
In December 2010, he told Congressional Quarterly that he would support a measure only if its
sponsor could demonstrate that the Constitution gave the government the power to act in a
particular realm.
Gowdy worked on the Committee on Judiciary, the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Gowdy frequently speaks on the floor of the House on issues ranging from Fast and Furious
to his support for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
In 2012, he received the Defender of Economic Freedom award from the fiscally conservative
501(c)4 organization Club for Growth.
The award is given to the members of Congress who have the year's highest ranking, according
to the Club for Growth's metrics.
Gowdy scored 97 out of 100, and was one of 34 congressmen given the award.
An ardent social conservative, Gowdy considers himself "pro-life plus."
He not only believes "in the sanctity of life," but argues that "the strategy should be broader
than waiting for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade."
Trey Gowdy signed the Contract From America, which aims to "Defund, repeal and replace
the recently passed government-run health care".
Legislation On March 4, 2014, Gowdy introduced the ENFORCE
the Law Act of 2014 into the House.
The bill would give the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate
both the standing to sue the President of the United States in a federal district court
to clarify a federal law in the event that the executive branch is not enforcing the
law.
House Republicans argued that the bill was necessary because the Obama Administration
refused to enforce the laws.
Committee assignments Committee on Education and the Workforce
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative
Law Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland
Security Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia,
Census and the National Archives Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and
Bailouts of Public and Private Programs
Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi
Electoral history References
External links Congressman Trey Gowdy official U.S. House
site Trey Gowdy for Congress
Trey Gowdy at DMOZ Biography at the Biographical Directory of
the United States Congress Profile at Project Vote Smart
Financial information at the Federal Election Commission
Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress Profile at Spartanburg County Government site