Gregory Livingston Harper (born June 1, 1956) is a former
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
politician who served as the
U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2019. He is a member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
. The district includes the wealthier portions of the state capital,
Jackson, along with most of that city's suburbs. Other cities in the district include
Meridian,
Natchez,
Starkville, and
Brookhaven.
In January 2018, Harper announced he would retire from
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
and not run for re-election.
Early life, education and career
Harper was born in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...
. He spent eight years working as Chairman of the
Rankin County, Mississippi
Rankin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The western border of the county is formed by the Pearl River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 141,617, making it the fourth-most populous county in Mississippi. Th ...
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
, and served as a delegate to the
2000 Republican National Convention
The 2000 Republican National Convention convened at the First Union Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 31 to August 3, 2000. The 2000 delegates assembled at the convention nominated Texas Governor Geor ...
. He was appointed by the party as an observer during the controversial
2000 Florida presidential recount.
Harper graduated from
Mississippi College in 1978 with a degree in Chemistry and from the
University of Mississippi School of Law
The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law offers the only dedicated aerospace law curr ...
in 1981. He has worked as a private practice attorney since receiving this degree. He was the prosecuting attorney for the cities of
Brandon, Mississippi and
Richland, Mississippi
Richland is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 6,912 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Jackson, and is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Richland is located at (32.229844, ...
.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
*
Joint Committee of Congress on the Library (Chairman)
*
Committee on Energy and Commerce
**
Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection(Vice Chairman)
**
Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
*
Committee on Ethics
*
Committee on House Administration (Chairman)
**
Subcommittee on Elections
Caucus memberships
*
Republican Study Committee
*
Congressional Arts Caucus
*
Veterinary Medicine Caucus
The Congressional Veterinary Medicine Caucus is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress and is officially recognized by the Committee on House Administration.
Information and purpose
According to the Caucus's offici ...
*
U.S.-Japan Caucus
Tenure
Harper introduced the
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act (H.R. 2019; 113th Congress) into the House on May 16, 2013.
The bill, which passed in both the House and the Senate, would end taxpayer contributions to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and divert the money in that fund to pay for research into
pediatric cancer
Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases can be successfully treated thanks to modern medical treatments and optimal patient care. However, only about 10% of children diagnosed with cancer reside in high-income cou ...
through the
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...
.
The total funding for research would come to $126 million over 10 years.
As of 2014, the
national conventions got about 23% of their funding from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.
Harper was ranked as the 89th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the
114th United States Congress
The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from ...
(and the most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi) in the Bipartisan Index created by
The Lugar Center and the
McCourt School of Public Policy.
In December 2017, as chairman of the House Committee on Administration, Harper supported a review of overhauling the Congressional Accountability Act which makes it harder for victims of sexual harassment to come forward with allegations than victims in the private sector.
Harper said a review was "long overdue".
Elections
Gregg Harper won the Republican nomination in Mississippi's 3rd congressional district on April 1, 2008 with 57% of the vote. This was tantamount to election in this heavily Republican district. He defeated his Democratic opponent,
Joel Gill in the
November General Election winning 63% of the vote.
Personal life
He is a deacon of Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi, where he had also been a Sunday School teacher.
He has a 31-year old son with
Fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder characterized by mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. The average IQ in males with FXS is under 55, while about two thirds of affected females are intellectually disabled. Physical features ma ...
; as a Congressman, Harper started a congressional internship program for students with developmental disabilities through the Mason Life Program at George Mason University.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Gregg
1956 births
21st-century American politicians
American prosecutors
Baptists from Mississippi
Lawyers from Jackson, Mississippi
Living people
Mississippi College alumni
Politicians from Jackson, Mississippi
People from Pearl, Mississippi
Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi
University of Mississippi alumni