John H. Rutherford
RepublicanU.S. Representative, FL-5| Age | 73 (b. 1952-09-02) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2017-01-03 (~9 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (member of Assumption Catholic Church, Jacksonville) |
| Education | A.S. in Criminology, Florida Junior College at Jacksonville (1972); B.S. in Criminology, Florida State University (1974) |
| Prior occupation | Law enforcement officer; Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for 41 years (1974-2015), rising to captain and Director of Corrections; elected Sheriff of Duval County (2003-2015) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Marital status | Married — Patricia Rutherford (Pat) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Jacksonville, Florida |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2016 |
| Previous offices | Sheriff of Duval County, Florida (2003-2015) |
| Committees | House Committee on Appropriations · Subcommittee on Homeland Security · Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies · Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies |
| Caucuses | Republican Main Street Partnership / Main Street Caucus · Republican Governance Group · House Law Enforcement Caucus · Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus · Congressional Coalition on Adoption · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Ideology | Conservative Republican; voted with President Trump approximately 96.6% of the time during the 115th Congress (Wikipedia/FiveThirtyEight tracking). |
| Signature legislation | STOP School Violence Act of 2018 |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $721,111–$2,840,000 (2017) · estimate
| John & Pat Rutherford Properties | real_estate · $250,001–$500,000 · 2018 |
| New York Life Universal | other · $250,001–$500,000 · 2018 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — OCE Referral and House Ethics Committee Investigation: Late STOCK Act Periodic Transaction Reports
Between January 2017 and December 2021, Rep. Rutherford filed 157 late Periodic Transaction Reports (PTRs) covering stock transactions valued between $652,000 and $3.5 million, as required under the STOCK Act and House rules. On February 28, 2022, the OCE transmitted a referral to the House Ethics Committee finding 'substantial reason to believe' Rutherford had violated disclosure requirements. The Committee announced an inquiry on May 31, 2022. Rutherford's attorney characterized the pattern as an inadvertent oversight stemming from a misunderstanding of reporting requirements, and noted that Rutherford had paid fines for seven overdue reports (~$1,400 at $200 per report) and implemented corrective systems. On August 24, 2022, the Committee unanimously dismissed the referral, concluding there was no clear evidence the errors were knowing or willful and that Rutherford had taken remedial steps.