This is an accepted version of this page Rodney Procter Frelinghuysen /ˈfreɪlɪŋˌhaɪsən/[2] (born April 29, 1946) is an American former politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 11th congressional district from 1995 to 2019.

[12][13] Frelinghuysen was criticized for using a fundraising letter to "[out] a member of an activist group opposing him to her employer" which resulted in a complaint by the Campaign for Accountability made with the Office of Congressional Ethics.

[22] Rejected by Princeton,[23] the alma mater of his father and grandfather, Frelinghuysen instead matriculated at Hobart College in New York.

There, he served as president of the Kappa Alpha Society and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history in 1969.

Following basic training at Fort Dix, he was assigned as a clerk to the commanding officer of the 93rd Engineer Battalion, which was primarily responsible for building roads and water supply systems in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

Tom Kean, served as a preemptive tactic against opponents' attempts to characterize Frelinghuysen as "an irrelevant debutante".

As Gallo had already defeated three opponents in a hard-fought primary the previous June, his withdrawal triggered a convention of Republican committee members from the district's municipalities.

In 2000, progressive activist filmmaker Michael Moore attempted to have a ficus challenge Frelinghuysen's unopposed re-election to make the point that most Members of Congress "run unopposed in their primaries and 95% are re-elected every time in the general election", adding "we think it's time to point out to the Frelinghuysen family that we live in a democracy, not a dynasty.

"[34] The top sectors supporting Frelinghuysen's campaigns have been the aerospace, defense, pharmaceutical and health care industries.

[42][43] During the 2012 election season, Frelinghuysen rejected claims from Planned Parenthood leaders and progressive activists that he "toes the line of Republican leadership" and had aligned himself with the Tea Party movement.

"[44] In a tele-townhall on March 20, 2017, he stated that was "not sold" on attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and had not seen any evidence to support claims that President Trump was wiretapped during the campaign.

In 2017, he voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have implemented a national ban on abortions performed after 20 weeks of gestation.

[47][failed verification] He and fellow New Jersey Republican Leonard Lance were singled out by NARAL President Nancy Keenan over their support of H.R.

[citation needed] In October 2017, Frelinghuysen was the only representative from New Jersey to vote in favor of a Republican budget resolution that would increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion.

[53] As of May 2014 Frelinghuysen was one of eight Republican members of Congress who "accept the prevailing scientific conclusion that global warming is both real and man-made," according to PolitiFact.

[9] The Sunlight Foundation pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Frelinghuysen has the third-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.

[9][11] In March 2017, when the Republican leadership was seeking support for the "repeal-and-replace" bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), he announced that he would oppose it on the grounds that it "would place significant new costs and barriers to care on my constituents in New Jersey" and would result in a "loss of Medicaid coverage for so many people in my Medicaid-dependent state.

It also would allow states to request waivers from federal requirements that all insurers cover specific benefits such as hospitalization, mental health treatment and maternity care.

[59] He blocked a vote on an amendment that would have given banks the ability to lend to legal, state-regulated marijuana businesses without having to worry about subsequent punishment by federal financial regulators.

[60] He was one of the 24 Republicans (and 227 Democrats) to vote "yes" on the 2008 effort to impeach President George W. Bush for misleading the United States into going to war in Iraq.

[61][62] Frelinghuysen, who has not appeared at a public town hall since 2013, prefers small events at schools, community groups, and veteran organizations, according to The New York Times.

[8] Since the 2016 election, a grassroots activist group called NJ 11th for Change has organized demonstrations and town halls in an effort to get a face-to-face between Frelinghuysen and his constituents.

While Frelinghuysen did not name NJ 11th for Change, a progressive lobbying group, he included a handwritten postscript warning "One of the ringleaders works in your bank!

The individual subsequently resigned from her position as assistant general counsel and senior vice president at that bank, citing pressure over her political involvement as one of the reasons.

"[15] Richard W. Painter, a professor of law at the University of Minnesota and former chief White House ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush, described Frelinghuysen's actions as "not illegal but an awful thing to do.

[74] A Roll Call report on Frelinghuysen's wealth in 2010 indicated that about a third stemmed from personal and family trust investments in Procter & Gamble stock.