Tom Graves (politician)
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "Tom" Graves, Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since a special election in 2010. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is located in the northern part of the state, including much of the north Georgia mountains
. It runs along the border with Tennessee
from Dade
to Union
counties, and extends southward to the fringes of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The 9th is a heavily Republican district; according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index
, it is the third most Republican district in the nation and the most Republican district in the Eastern Time Zone.
Graves served in the Georgia House of Representatives
.
on February 3, 1970. He graduated from Cass High School
of Cartersville, Georgia
, and earned a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia
. Graves was a business owner prior to being elected to public office. He lives in Ranger, Georgia
, southeast of Dalton
.
resigned from Congress to run for governor, and proceeded to a run-off which was held on June 8, 2010. He won the runoff against former State Senator Lee Hawkins
.
Graves faced Hawkins again in the July 20, 2010 Republican primary for the November general election. He came in first but fell short of the requisite 50% plus one majority in order to avoid a runoff and would once again face Hawkins in the primary runoff. This was the fourth time Graves faced Hawkins as an opponent in both the special and general primaries along with their respective runoffs. The 9th district is so heavily Republican that whoever won the runoff was all but assured of winning a full term. Graves won the primary runoff on August 10, 2010. He won the November 2, 2010 general election unopposed.
.
In 2011, Graves and a business partner (state Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers
) were accused of defaulting on a $2.2 million bank loan for a real estate investment. Attorneys for Graves argued that the bank had been at fault for loaning him money that they knew he couldn't repay, making the signed personal guarantees invalid. Graves and his partner were no longer involved with the company used to take out the loan after transferring ownership to another party in 2009. The new owner (the hotel's former manager) agreed to purchase the company and its real estate and debt from Graves and Rogers for $10,000 but says they never actually required him to pay them anything. The default on Graves' loan contributed significantly to the collapse of the Bartow County Bank (the small community bank which loaned the $2.2 million to Graves). The bank's collapse and liquidation cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
$69.5 million. According to Morgan Akin (the former bank chairman), he only approved the loan to Graves and Rodgers because, "They were well-respected members of the community, and we took that into account," and he never imagined such prominent political figures would default. Furthermore, although Graves and Rogers claimed the new owner of the company only defaulted on the loan because the bank reneged on a promise to refinance, the bank countered that the loan was in default before the sale of their company and they invalidated their refinancing deal because they sold the company without informing the bank. In August 2011, the bank's dispute with Graves was settled out of court and no details of the settlement were disclosed. The property which was purchased with the bank loan, was stripped of anything valuable by its new owner and is now abandoned and become an eyesore. Due to unpaid property taxes going back to 2009, the city may have to seize the property and spend over $100,000 to secure and eventually demolish it.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since a special election in 2010. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is located in the northern part of the state, including much of the north Georgia mountains
North Georgia mountains
The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia...
. It runs along the border with Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from Dade
Dade County, Georgia
Dade County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 15,154. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 16,098...
to Union
Union County, Georgia
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 17,289. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,968. The county seat is Blairsville.Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001....
counties, and extends southward to the fringes of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The 9th is a heavily Republican district; according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
, it is the third most Republican district in the nation and the most Republican district in the Eastern Time Zone.
Graves served in the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
.
Early life, education, and business career
Graves was born in St. Petersburg, FloridaSt. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
on February 3, 1970. He graduated from Cass High School
Cass High School
Cass High School is a four-year public high school located in Cartersville, Georgia, United States. They educate students grades 9-12. The current principal is Michael Nelson, a Cass High School graduate...
of Cartersville, Georgia
Cartersville, Georgia
Cartersville is a town in Bartow County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 19,7314. The city is the county seat of Bartow County.-Geography:Cartersville was named for Colonel Farish Carter....
, and earned a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. Graves was a business owner prior to being elected to public office. He lives in Ranger, Georgia
Ranger, Georgia
Ranger is a town in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 85 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ranger is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, southeast of Dalton
Dalton, Georgia
Dalton is a city in Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is the county seat of Whitfield County and the principal city of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of both Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 33,128...
.
State House
Graves served as State Representative for Georgia's 12th district from 2003 to 2010. As State Representative Graves served on the Transportation, Ways and Means and Health and Human Services committee, and as Vice Chairman of the Motor Vehicles committee.2010 elections
Graves finished first in the special election held on May 11, 2010 after Nathan DealNathan Deal
John Nathan Deal is a United States politician, the 82nd and current Governor of Georgia. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1992 but switched to the Republican Party in 1995...
resigned from Congress to run for governor, and proceeded to a run-off which was held on June 8, 2010. He won the runoff against former State Senator Lee Hawkins
Lee Hawkins
Lee Hawkins was an American State Senator from Gainesville, Georgia. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2006 and 2008. After his first term, he was chosen to serve as Chairman of State and Local Government Operations...
.
Graves faced Hawkins again in the July 20, 2010 Republican primary for the November general election. He came in first but fell short of the requisite 50% plus one majority in order to avoid a runoff and would once again face Hawkins in the primary runoff. This was the fourth time Graves faced Hawkins as an opponent in both the special and general primaries along with their respective runoffs. The 9th district is so heavily Republican that whoever won the runoff was all but assured of winning a full term. Graves won the primary runoff on August 10, 2010. He won the November 2, 2010 general election unopposed.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesThe United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies is a standing committee of the U.S. House subcommittees and is within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentU.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government is a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. It was created in 2007 align the operations of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees...
- Republican Study CommitteeRepublican Study CommitteeThe Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
- Tea Party CaucusTea Party CaucusThe Tea Party Caucus is a caucus of the United States House of Representatives and Senate launched and chaired by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on July 16, 2010. The caucus is dedicated to promoting what it considers fiscal responsibility, adherence to the movement's interpretation of...
Personal life
Graves and his wife Julie have three children and are active members of Belmont Baptist Church in Calhoun, GeorgiaCalhoun, Georgia
Calhoun is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,650. The city is the county seat of Gordon County.-Geography:Calhoun is located at , along the Oostanaula River....
.
In 2011, Graves and a business partner (state Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers
Chip Rogers
Chip Rogers, born May 3, 1968, is an American politician in the state of Georgia. He is a Republican and was first elected in 2002 to the Georgia General Assembly to the Georgia House of Representatives, in 2004 he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. Rogers was unanimously chosen as the...
) were accused of defaulting on a $2.2 million bank loan for a real estate investment. Attorneys for Graves argued that the bank had been at fault for loaning him money that they knew he couldn't repay, making the signed personal guarantees invalid. Graves and his partner were no longer involved with the company used to take out the loan after transferring ownership to another party in 2009. The new owner (the hotel's former manager) agreed to purchase the company and its real estate and debt from Graves and Rogers for $10,000 but says they never actually required him to pay them anything. The default on Graves' loan contributed significantly to the collapse of the Bartow County Bank (the small community bank which loaned the $2.2 million to Graves). The bank's collapse and liquidation cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at...
$69.5 million. According to Morgan Akin (the former bank chairman), he only approved the loan to Graves and Rodgers because, "They were well-respected members of the community, and we took that into account," and he never imagined such prominent political figures would default. Furthermore, although Graves and Rogers claimed the new owner of the company only defaulted on the loan because the bank reneged on a promise to refinance, the bank countered that the loan was in default before the sale of their company and they invalidated their refinancing deal because they sold the company without informing the bank. In August 2011, the bank's dispute with Graves was settled out of court and no details of the settlement were disclosed. The property which was purchased with the bank loan, was stripped of anything valuable by its new owner and is now abandoned and become an eyesore. Due to unpaid property taxes going back to 2009, the city may have to seize the property and spend over $100,000 to secure and eventually demolish it.
External links
- Congressman Tom Graves official U.S. House site
- Tom Graves for Congress official campaign site