George Whitesides
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-27| Age | 52 (b. 1974-03-03) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2025-01-03 (~1 yrs) |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Education | Newton North High School (1992); A.B. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (1996); MPhil from King's College, University of Cambridge in geographic information systems/remote sensing (2000); Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia. |
| Prior occupation | Aerospace/space industry executive: CEO of Virgin Galactic (~2010-2021), NASA Chief of Staff (2009-2010), executive director of the National Space Society (2004-2008), co-founder of Yuri's Night. |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Massachusetts, USA |
| Marital status | Married — Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Antelope Valley / Los Angeles County, California (CA-27) |
| Notable relatives | Father George M. Whitesides is a prominent Harvard chemist; great-grandfather James Henry Breasted was a famed Egyptologist. No relatives in elected politics. |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2024 |
| Committees | House Armed Services Committee (Subcommittees: Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation; Seapower and Projection Forces; Strategic Forces) · House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology — Vice Ranking Member (Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics) |
| Caucuses | New Democrat Coalition · Congressional Equality Caucus · Future Forum |
| Leadership | Vice Ranking Member, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology |
| Ideology | Member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition; widely characterized as a moderate/pragmatic Democrat. Won a swing district (CA-27) previously held by Republican Mike Garcia. No DW-NOMINATE score available yet (first term began 2025). |
| Signature legislation | Co-sponsored the bipartisan DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (with Rep. Nick Begich, R-AK), passed House March 2025 · Co-sponsored the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, passed House January 2025 |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $2,320,000–$5,420,000 (2025) · estimate
| Innoviva Inc. | stock · $250,001–$500,000 · 2025 |
| Netflix Inc. | stock · $100,001–$250,000 · 2025 |
| Linde plc | stock · $100,001–$250,000 · 2025 |
| Procter & Gamble Co. | stock · $100,001–$250,000 · 2025 |
| Union Pacific Corp. | stock · $50,001–$100,000 · 2025 |
| American Electric Power Co. | stock · $15,001–$50,000 · 2025 |
| Bank of America Corp. | stock · $15,001–$50,000 · 2025 |
| Lockheed Martin / RTX Corp. (defense contractors) | stock · $100,002–$200,000 · 2025 |
| Planet Labs (held by spouse) | stock · $50,001–$100,000 · 2025 |
Top donors: Google LLC / Alphabet (employees) ($46,480)
Scandals & crimes ledger
settled — Lavin v. Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. — Securities Class Action Settlement
Shareholders filed a federal securities class action against Virgin Galactic Holdings and several current/former executives, including George Whitesides (CEO/President May 2010–July 2020), alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants misled investors by overstating Virgin Galactic's readiness for commercial spaceflight and concealing material safety issues, while insiders sold shares with knowledge of non-public adverse information. The class period covers approximately July 2019 to October 2021. Defendants moved to dismiss in April 2022; the court granted the motion in part and denied it in part in November 2022, granting leave to amend. The parties executed a memorandum of understanding to settle all claims for $8.5 million on July 18, 2025, with final court approval hearing set for July 9, 2026. The settlement fund is to be paid by the company and/or its insurers; no personal monetary liability to Whitesides has been reported.