Tom Feeney
| Tom Feeney | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 24th district |
|
|
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | District created after the 2000 Census |
| Succeeded by | Suzanne Kosmas |
| Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
|
In office 2000–2002 |
|
| Preceded by | John E. Thrasher |
| Succeeded by | Johnnie Byrd |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1990–1994 1996–2002 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Charles Feeney, III May 21, 1958 Abington, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ellen Stewart Feeney |
| Residence | Oviedo, Florida |
| Alma mater | Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Thomas Charles Feeney, III, known as Tom Feeney (born May 21, 1958), is an American politician from the state of Florida. He represented Florida's 24th congressional district. He was defeated in the 2008 election by Democrat Suzanne Kosmas.
He was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He graduated from Penn State University in 1980, obtaining a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1983. Soon afterwards, he moved to Oviedo, Florida, a suburb of Orlando where he still lives, and opened a private practice.
In 1990, Feeney was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as a Republican from Seminole County. He served two terms there before running for lieutenant governor of Florida as Jeb Bush's running mate in 1994. After the pair narrowly lost, Feeney joined the James Madison Institute, a conservative think tank, as a director. He returned to the Florida House in 1996 and was elected as Speaker of that body in 2000.
Feeney first came to national prominence in 2000, shortly after his election as Speaker, when he led efforts to certify the state's Republican presidential electors even though it was still unclear whether George W. Bush or Al Gore had won the state's electoral votes. Feeney and his colleagues claimed that Florida's electoral votes were in imminent danger of being removed from consideration if the results of the popular vote in the state could not be determined with legal certainty. While Article 2 of the United States Constitution places this power in the legislature, many Democrats insisted that recounts needed to be completed, and that by doing so, a clear legal victor would emerge.
...
Wikipedia