United States Congressman

curt clawson

Congressman Curt Clawson has been coming to Southwest Florida since his family settled in Bonita Springs in 1993. After a successful career as a business leader and former college basketball player, Clawson moved to Southwest Florida in 2011. He soon became involved in local water issues.

Urged by local leaders and motivated by his family’s generations of service to their country, Clawson decided in 2014 to run in a special election to fill the vacated seat in Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Clawson won the election on messages of constitutional conservatism, growing the economy and unifying the Republican Party of Southwest Florida.

Clawson was sworn into office by House Speaker John Boehner on June 25, 2014, one day after winning the special election by nearly forty percentage points.

Born in Tacoma, Washington, Clawson attended Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana – a hotbed of Indiana high school basketball. As a senior in high school, Clawson led the state of Indiana in scoring and was recruited by Purdue Head Basketball Coach Gene Keady, where he later helped his team win the 1984 Big Ten Championship. As a senior captain on that 1984 Team, Clawson is known for making the first 3-point basket in Purdue history and making two clutch free throws to clinch the Big Ten Championship.

After graduating from Purdue, Clawson served a year-long Ambassadorial Scholarship for Rotary International, enrolled in graduate MBA studies in Monterrey, Mexico, and took some time to play for the local university basketball team. Clawson began his working career in manufacturing in 1986, as a supervisor on a muffler production line in Columbus, Indiana for Arvin Industries – the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive exhaust systems.

In 1990, Clawson graduated from Harvard Business School with a Masters of Business Administration degree, sponsored by Arvin. He returned to Arvin and held a variety of senior management level positions.

In 1995, Clawson joined AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) as President of the Filters and Spark Plugs Group, which manufactured Autolite® spark plugs and FRAM® filters. In 1999, he became President and Chief Operating Officer of American National Can – the world's largest manufacturer of beverage cans.

In 2001, Clawson joined Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., a global leader in wheel rim manufacturing. He served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company from September 2001 until his retirement in February 2012. During his time at Hayes, Clawson successfully led the company out of the financial distress he inherited – without taking one penny of taxpayer money – saving thousands of jobs.

While at Hayes, Clawson established, and still principally funds, a shelter for homeless teen mothers on the east side of Detroit. He also stays active advising and mentoring young athletes in Southwest Florida.

Clawson’s parents, Jack and Cherie, are residents of Bonita Springs. When not in Washington, Curt enjoys spending time with them during the autumn of their lives. Together, they enjoy walking the beach, swimming in the Gulf, and watching beautiful sunsets. Read More

Press Releases

Clawson Will Not Seek Reelection in 2016

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Washington, May 19, 2016 | David James (202-225-2536) | comments

BONITA SPRINGS – Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19) announced today that he would not seek reelection in 2016 in order to spend more time in Southwest Florida with his father and family. Clawson will finish his current term in office that ends in January 2017.

Regarding his decision, Clawson stated this evening, “Since my mother’s passing last year, our family has gone through significant change and transition. I believe that now is a good time to pass the baton and spend more time close to home."

Clawson also reiterated his belief in the value of citizen legislators in an era of career politicians, adding, "Our political system is well served when qualified folks from other fields take a temporary turn participating in the governing bodies of our great country.”

Clawson continued, "I am proud of our work while in office in defending conservative values, supporting our constituents, especially our vets, standing against business as usual in Washington, and changing the conversation about our water resources in South Florida. Moreover, I will always be grateful for passing H.R. 890 into law, protecting over 17,000 acres of pristine coastal property in Collier County."

Clawson concluded, "I have been deeply humbled and honored to represent the people of Florida 19. I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement throughout my time in public service.”

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