Andy Ogles Bio
William Andrew Ogles IV (born June 18, 1971) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Tennessee’s 5th congressional district since 2023. A Republican, he previously served as mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, from 2018 to 2022. Ogles is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and is recognized for his strongly conservative positions, his vocal support for former President Donald Trump, and his involvement in high-profile controversies over campaign finance, public statements, and the accuracy of claims about his education and career.
His tenure in Congress has included efforts to repeal recent federal legislation and proposals reflecting his hardline conservative agenda. Ogles has drawn national attention for his provocative statements and for filing articles of impeachment against federal judges who ruled against the Trump administration.
Early Life and Background
William Andrew Ogles IV was born on June 18, 1971, in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Middle Tennessee. He graduated from Franklin High School before attending Western Kentucky University and Columbia State Community College from 1990 to 1993. He later enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where he experienced academic setbacks in the mid-1990s before returning in 2007 and completing a Bachelor of Science in liberal studies with a 2.4 grade point average.
Ogles has publicly attributed his earlier academic struggles to an interfamilial matter that required him to financially support his family during a difficult time. He has also stated that he eventually completed his studies through online coursework.
Path to US Politics
Ogles’s involvement in politics began when he became the first director of the Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group. He later became involved with the Laffer Center, a conservative think tank, and has also been a Club for Growth Foundation fellow.
He made two unsuccessful bids for elected office, running for Tennessee’s 4th congressional district in 2002 and the Tennessee Senate in 2006, losing in the Republican primary both times. In September 2017, Ogles announced a primary challenge against U.S. Senator Bob Corker, but withdrew after Corker retired and several well-funded candidates entered the race.
Andy Ogles Career
Early Career (2002-2018)
Ogles spent roughly five years as an anti-tax lobbyist with Americans for Prosperity before serving for about a year as executive director of the Laffer Center. He also worked in 2011 as a chief operating officer for Abolition International, a non-profit organization, in a part-time position that paid him $4,000 in total.
He also served as a volunteer reserve deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office from 2009 to 2011, though his position was revoked for failing to meet minimum standards, failing to progress in field training, and failing to attend required meetings. His first notable electoral success came when he was elected mayor of Maury County on August 2, 2018, defeating incumbent Charlie Norman.
Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District (2023-Present)
During his mayoralty, Ogles criticized Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for not restricting local school boards’ ability to implement mask mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He supported a sales tax increase that passed in 2020. He initially filed to run for a second term as county mayor but withdrew to enter the race for the redrawn U.S. House of Representatives seat in Tennessee’s 5th congressional district in 2022.
On January 3, 2023, his first day in office, Ogles joined far-right House Republicans in voting against Kevin McCarthy on the first three ballots for Speaker of the House. This was the first time since 1923 that a speaker was not elected on the first ballot. On January 6, after days of negotiations, Ogles voted for McCarthy on the 12th ballot. Shortly after being sworn in, Ogles was appointed to the House Financial Services Committee.
The first bill Ogles introduced would repeal the previous year’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was mentioned in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech. Ogles has also introduced legislation responding to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, including the Antisemitism Community Service Act and the Study Abroad Act.
Notable Events and Milestones
On January 23, 2025, three days into Trump’s second administration, Ogles filed a resolution to change the 22nd Amendment to allow Trump to serve a third term. In February 2025, after Judge John D. Bates ruled against the Trump administration, Ogles introduced an article of impeachment against the judge, and a month later filed a similar article against Judge Theodore Chuang.
Andy Ogles Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Ogles lives on a farm in Culleoka, Tennessee, with his wife, Monica, whom he married in 1994, and their three children. His cousin Brandon Ogles is a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Ogles has faced criticism regarding nearly $25,000 in donations received via GoFundMe to finance a child burial garden in his stillborn child’s memory.