Trey Gowdy Bio
Harold Watson “Trey” Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news presenter, attorney, and former politician who represented South Carolina’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. A former federal prosecutor and solicitor, he became nationally known for chairing the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi and later the House Oversight Committee. After declining to seek reelection, Gowdy returned to private legal practice and joined Fox News as a contributor and host. He is widely recognized for his courtroom background, combative questioning style, and prominence as a conservative commentator on legal and political matters.
A Republican from South Carolina, Gowdy built his career on a foundation of prosecutorial experience and a strict reading of constitutional authority. His congressional tenure was defined by high-profile investigations, including the Benghazi inquiry and oversight of federal law enforcement agencies. He is a member of the Republican Party and resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States.
Early Life and Background
Harold Watson “Trey” Gowdy III was born on August 22, 1964, in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the son of Novalene (Evans) Gowdy and Harold Watson “Hal” Gowdy Jr., MD. He grew up in Spartanburg, where as a young man he delivered newspapers for the local daily and worked at the community market. These early jobs in his hometown helped shape his understanding of working communities in the Upstate region of South Carolina.
Gowdy graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1982. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Baylor University in 1986, where he was a member of Kappa Omega Tau. He later graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989. His education combined a broad liberal arts background with formal legal training, preparing him for a career in prosecution and public service.
Path to U.S. Politics
After law school, Gowdy served as a judicial law clerk for John P. Gardner on the South Carolina Court of Appeals and for federal judge G. Ross Anderson of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He then entered private practice at the law firm Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough in Greenville, South Carolina. In April 1994, he was appointed as an assistant United States Attorney, beginning a long career in public prosecution.
During his time as a federal prosecutor, Gowdy received the Postal Inspector’s Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen, one of “America’s Most Wanted” suspects. In February 2000, he left the United States Attorney’s Office to run for 7th Circuit solicitor, a position equivalent to district attorney. He defeated the incumbent in the Republican primary and ran unopposed in the general election, beginning a decade of leading prosecutorial work in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
Trey Gowdy Career
Early Career (1994-2010)
Gowdy’s early legal career was marked by high-profile prosecutions and steady advancement. As an assistant U.S. Attorney from 1994 to 2000, he built a reputation as a skilled courtroom lawyer and earned recognition for his work on major federal cases. His successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen brought him the Postal Inspector’s Award and national attention through the “America’s Most Wanted” program.
As solicitor for South Carolina’s Seventh Judicial Circuit from 2000 to 2010, Gowdy prosecuted seven death penalty cases and appeared in four episodes of the television program Forensic Files, as well as on Dateline NBC and SCETV. He was reelected in 2004 and 2008, both times unopposed, demonstrating broad local support before entering the national political stage.
Benghazi Committee Era (2014-2016)
Gowdy’s national profile rose sharply when he chaired the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi from 2014 to 2016. The committee investigated the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and spent over two-and-a-half years and $7.8 million on its inquiry. The investigation was partly responsible for uncovering the existence of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, a discovery that dominated news coverage during the 2016 presidential campaign.
During this period, Gowdy pressed for the prosecution of Hillary Clinton over her email practices. His sharp questioning and prosecutorial approach made him a familiar figure in televised congressional hearings. He earned the Defender of Economic Freedom award in 2012 from the Club for Growth, scoring 97 out of 100 on the organization’s metrics, recognizing his conservative fiscal record.
House Oversight Committee Era (2017-2018)
Beginning in June 2017, Gowdy chaired the House Oversight Committee, tackling a series of high-profile investigations. According to Politico, he was considered one of the GOP’s most versatile and skilled legal experts, owing to his background as a federal prosecutor. Democrats criticized him for conducting his investigations in a partisan fashion, while supporters praised his rigorous approach.
After Donald Trump became president, Gowdy defended the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a position that drew criticism from Trump supporters. In a June 2018 hearing, Gowdy urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to wrap up the special counsel investigation, but Rosenstein rejected the suggestion, saying the inquiry should finish appropriately. On January 31, 2018, Gowdy announced that he would not seek reelection in 2018, choosing to pursue a legal career instead of politics.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most significant moments of Gowdy’s congressional career came in July 2018, when he suggested there was impropriety on the part of FBI agent Peter Strzok, pressing him about a text message saying Strzok had written “we’ll stop Trump.” Strzok explained the message was written late at night and off-the-cuff shortly after controversial remarks made by Trump. Gowdy also chaired investigations related to Operation Fast and Furious and supported reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, while signing the Contract from America aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act and enacting broad conservative reforms.
Trey Gowdy Career Wins
Trey Gowdy’s career is distinguished by a series of electoral victories and legal accomplishments. As solicitor, he ran unopposed in multiple elections, and as a U.S. congressman, he consistently won reelection in a heavily Republican district before voluntarily retiring from political life.
Congressional Election Highlights
In the 2010 Republican primary, Gowdy ranked first with 39% of the vote against five challengers, including incumbent Bob Inglis, then won the run-off 70-30%. He defeated Democratic nominee Paul Corden 63-29% in the general election. In 2012, he won reelection against Deb Morrow 65-34%, and in 2014, he ran unopposed by major-party candidates and won 85% of the vote against Libertarian Curtis E. McLaughlin. In 2016, he defeated Democrat Chris Fedalei with 67% of the vote.
Other Wins & Achievements
Gowdy received the Postal Inspector’s Award for his successful federal prosecution of J. Mark Allen, and the Defender of Economic Freedom award from the Club for Growth in 2012. He chaired the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi and the House Oversight Committee, two of the most powerful investigative panels in Congress.
Trey Gowdy Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Gowdy is the son of Novalene (Evans) Gowdy and Harold Watson “Hal” Gowdy Jr., MD. He grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and has deep roots in the Upstate region. His upbringing and family background helped shape his conservative values and prosecutorial drive throughout his legal and political career.
Spouse and Children
Gowdy married Terri (née Dillard) in 1989. She is a former Miss Spartanburg and once a second runner-up for Miss South Carolina. As of January 2019, she is a first-grade teacher in the Spartanburg School District. The couple have two children, Watson and Abigail.