BIOGRAPHY OF CONGRESSMAN ADAM PUTNAM (FL-12)

A fifth generation Floridian, Congressman Adam Putnam represents the 12th District of Florida. On September 28, 2004, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert appointed him to the powerful House Rules Committee, filling the vacancy created by former Representative Porter Goss, who was sworn in as Director of the Central Intelligence Committee.

The Rules Committee, an arm of the House Leadership, is the “legislative gatekeeper” that assists the Speaker and Majority Leader in scheduling bills for Floor action. Its majority members are selected personally by the Speaker. Every piece of legislation considered by the House must first go through the Rules Committee.

Before being appointed to the Rules Committee, Congressman Putnam served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census. In that position, he led the drive to secure our Nation’s infrastructure against acts of cyber terrorism. His ascension to the Chairmanship made Congressman Putnam the youngest Subcommittee Chairman in the 108th Congress and one of the youngest in the history of the United States Congress.

Elected to Congress on November 7, 2000, Mr. Putnam is a native of Bartow, Florida and is a graduate of the University of Florida (BS, Food and Resource Economics). Prior to his election to Congress, he worked in his family's citrus and cattle business and served in the Florida House of Representatives. Putnam represented the 63rd District in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000, serving as chairman of the Florida House's Agriculture Committee during the 1998-2000 term. Adam and his wife reside in Bartow with their three children.   

Congressman Putnam was named by National Journal in 2003 as a "Republican to Watch" and this year was named as one National Journal's Homeland Security 100 - the top 100 key government officials and outside experts. Mr. Putnam was named by Washington Technology as Congress' leader on cybersecurity and received the 2004 Federal 100 award from Federal Computer Week as one of the most influential leaders on federal technology policy. Mr. Putnam also received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award, the 60 Plus Association Guardian of Seniors Rights Award and the Americans for Tax Reform Hero of Taxpayer Award.  In addition, Mr. Putnam won the Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award for Further Government IT Management for 2004 from The Association for Federal Information Resource Management (AFFIRM).

On January 3, 2001 Congressman Adam Putnam was sworn in, at age 26, as the youngest Member of the 107th Congress. Now in his second term, Mr. Putnam remains the youngest Member of Congress. 

Updated September 29, 2004