Allen Boyd
| Allen Boyd, Jr. | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 2nd district |
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In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Pete Peterson |
| Succeeded by | Steve Southerland |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
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In office 1989-1997 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 6, 1945 Valdosta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Stephanie "Cissy" Roush (separated) |
| Children | David Boyd, John, Suzanne, |
| Residence | Monticello, Florida |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Occupation | farmer |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Unit | Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Fred Allen Boyd Jr. (born June 6, 1945) is the former United States Representative for Florida's 2nd congressional district from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He currently works for a lobbying firm, the Twenty-First Century Group.
Boyd was born in Valdosta, Georgia to Margaret Elizabeth Finlayson and Fred Allen Boyd. He was educated at Florida State University, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After graduating in 1969, Boyd served as an infantry officer in Vietnam with the United States Army.
Boyd served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1989 to 1997.
Boyd is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
Boyd entered the 1996 Democratic primary for the 2nd in 1996, after three-term Democratic incumbent Pete Peterson announced his retirement. He led a three-way Democratic primary with 48 percent of the vote, a few thousand votes short of outright victory. He then won the runoff with 64 percent of the vote and easily won the election in November. He was reelected with no major-party opposition in 1998 and defeated an underfunded Republican in 2000.
In 2002, however, the Republican-controlled state legislature significantly altered Boyd's district. Part of heavily Democratic Tallahassee, which has anchored the district since its formation in 1963 (as the 9th District; it was renumbered the 2nd in 1967) was shifted to the Jacksonville-based 3rd District. In its place, heavily Republican Panama City was shifted from the Pensacola-based 1st District to the 2nd. On paper, this made the district considerably friendlier to Republicans; Al Gore narrowly won the old 2nd in 2000, but George W. Bush would have narrowly won the district under its current boundaries. However, Boyd was handily reelected with 66 percent of the vote in 2002 against another underfunded Republican. In 2004, Boyd faced his first serious test in the form of state representative Bev Kilmer, but Boyd turned back this challenge fairly easily, taking 62 percent of the vote even as George W. Bush carried the district with 54 percent of the vote. Boyd was unopposed for reelection in 2006 and defeated a nominal Republican challenger in 2008.
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