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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

Meet Curt

Press Releases

In Final Week of Fall Session, Clawson, GOP Deliver on Zika, CEPP, and Funding for Veterans

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Washington, September 28, 2016 | comments

WASHINGTON – The House tonight finally passed legislation allocating $1.1 billion toward the fight against the spread of Zika.  Earlier today, the House passed legislation to authorize The Water Resources Development Act in the 114th Congress, which authorizes $1.9 billion for CEPP projects (Central Everglades Planning Project).  Also this evening, the House passed the FY 2017 MilCon-VA Bill, which will spend over $80 billion for military construction and veterans’ programs.  Having already passed the Senate, today’s legislation will be sent to the President.

In February, Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19) first introduced a legislative package aimed at reducing the spread of the Zika virus in the United States, sounding the alarm on Zika to his colleagues in Congress. During the summer, Clawson pushed the Senate to approve House-passed legislation, and earlier this month Clawson introduced his own “clean” legislation to spend $1.1 billion to fight Zika.  

Clawson, a dengue fever survivor of an Aedes aegypti mosquito bite on a work trip overseas, made the following statement after the bills’ passage tonight:

“The explosive spread of this mosquito-borne virus, exacerbated by a lack of vaccines and reliable diagnostic tests, must be curbed utilizing every tool at our disposal in a coordinated international response.  I am relieved the House will send a funding bill to the President’s desk to bring long overdue resources to the fight against Zika.  Zika is threatening the unborn, pregnant women, and our way of life in Southwest Florida.  Today’s legislation is a big step in that fight, which has largely been fought with local resources.”

“As a longtime supporter of CEPP and what the Army Corps of Engineers is doing to restore our Everglades, I am elated that Congress has authorized another Water Resources Development Act. The projects outlined in CEPP will bring faster relief to Southwest Florida, but there is still work to do for a long term solution.  Additionally, the MilCon-VA legislation passed tonight will help our veterans get the treatment they need for PTSD, Hepatitis C, and other treatments that result from their amazing service to our nation.” 

Earlier this year, Clawson introduced H.R. 4667, a bipartisan bill to provide $800 million of emergency funding to expedite repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike that surrounds Lake Okeechobee, and requiring its completion by December 31, 2020 – five years ahead of the current schedule.   Clawson also introduced the Everglades Land Acquisition Act of 2016 (H.R. 4793) that would set aside $500 million for the Department of the Interior to purchase land south of Lake Okeechobee.  

 
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