TopVet: Rodney Frelinghuysen, Congressman

Four-term Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where he serves on a trio of subcommittees: Defense; Veterans, Housing, Environment and Independent Agencies; and Energy and Water Development.

Among his legislative accomplishments have been the passage of legislation to expand the Morristown National Historic Park; raise the FHA loan limit to increase opportunities for home ownership; protect the privacy of consumers from telemarketers; and advance federal research at the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the VA.

Prior to his election to Congress in 1994, Congressman Frelinghuysen, who was born in 1946, served in the New Jersey Assembly for 11 years and was a three-term member of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

His accolades include the "Watchdog of the Treasury" award, the "Tax Fighter" award, the "Friends of Housing for the Disabled" award, and the "Spirit of Enterprise" award, from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the "Guardian of Small Business" award; and the "Legislator of the Year" award from the New Jersey VFW.

After graduating from college in 1969, he served in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 93rd Engineer Battalion stationed in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. He was honorably discharged in 1971. He is a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and is a patron member of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States. He and his wife, Virginia, are the parents of two children.