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Bill McCollum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 36thFlorida Attorney General | |
| In office January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011 | |
| Governor | Charlie Crist |
| Preceded by | Charlie Crist |
| Succeeded by | Pam Bondi |
| Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Leader | Bob Michel |
| Preceded by | Lynn Morley Martin |
| Succeeded by | Susan Molinari |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Ric Keller |
| Constituency | 5th district (1981–1993) 8th district (1993–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ira William McCollum Jr. (1944-07-12)July 12, 1944 (age 81) Brooksville, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ingrid Seebohm |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Florida (BA,JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1969–1992 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps United States Naval Reserve |
Ira William McCollum Jr. (born July 12, 1944) is an American lawyer andRepublican Party politician. He was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1981 to 2001, representingFlorida's 5th congressional district, which was later redistricted to the8th congressional district in 1993. As a member of the House, McCollum rose to becomeVice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fifth-highest ranking position in the House Republican leadership. He voted toimpeach President Bill Clinton and subsequently took a leadership role in managingClinton's trial in theSenate, which ended in acquittal.
McCollum was the Republican nominee for theUnited States Senate in2000, hoping to replace the retiring RepublicanConnie Mack III, losing toDemocratic nomineeBill Nelson. McCollum ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate againin 2004 but lost toMel Martínez. In2006 he was electedFlorida Attorney General and in2010 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination forGovernor of Florida, losing to businessmanRick Scott.[1]
Born and raised inBrooksville, Florida, McCollum graduated fromHernando High School and earned his bachelor's degree andJ.D. degree from theUniversity of Florida. While at theUniversity of Florida, he was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame, the most prestigious honor a student leader could receive, was a member of The Board,[clarification needed] and served as president ofFlorida Blue Key.
McCollum's professional career began in 1969 with theUnited States Navy'sJudge Advocate General Corps where he served on active duty until 1972. McCollum was an officer for more than 23 years before retiring from theUnited States Naval Reserve as aCommander (O-5) in the JAG Corps in 1992. In 1973, he entered private practice inOrlando and became involved in local politics, serving as Chairman of the Seminole County Republican Party from 1976 to 1980.
In 1980 McCollum was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives from a district includingWalt Disney World and most of Orlando. He defeated incumbent RepresentativeRichard Kelly in the Republican primary.
While in Congress, McCollum founded the House Republican Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, chairing it for six years. He also served three terms on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two of which as chairman of its Subcommittee on Human Intelligence, Analysis, and Counterintelligence. Additionally, McCollum served as vice chairman of the House Banking Committee and served on the Judiciary Committee, where he was chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime.
While serving the House, McCollum was also selected for a variety of Republican leadership positions, including three terms as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. McCollum gained national attention as one of 15 members selected to serve on the House Committee to Investigate the Iran-Contra Affair, and, in 1998–1999, as one of theHouse managers (prosecutors) inthe impeachment trial of PresidentBill Clinton.
Rather than seek reelection to the House in 2000, McCollum ran unsuccessfully for an open United States Senate seat, bringing to an end his 20-year Congressional career.
McCollum ran again in 2004, seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring SenatorBob Graham. He was defeated in the Republican primary byHUD SecretaryMel Martinez, who went on to win the seat.
McCollum served as a partner with the Baker & Hostetler LLP law firm, practicing in the federal policy area. In addition to his duties as the state'schief legal officer, he serves as president and chairman of the Healthy Florida Foundation, chartered in 2002 to find consensus on long-term solutions to the nation's health care system. He is a member of the North Florida Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also aboard member of theJames Madison Institute.
In2006, McCollum ran for Florida Attorney General, defeating State SenatorSkip Campbell in the general election.
McCollum led a group of Attorneys General in filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality ofObamacare. He also filed a brief in support ofArizona's immigration law.[2]
McCollum opposed the federalStimulus bill, as well as the $20 billion federal oil fund that limited his office's ability to pursue claims against BP, and requested additional authority from the federal government to address Medicaid fraud.[2]
While Attorney General, McCollum defended Florida's ban on adoptions by homosexuals from a lawsuit,In re: Gill, that challenged the ban. McCollum hired Dr.George Rekers, a controversial clinical psychologist, to testify during the trial that heterosexual parents provide a better environment for children. The trial resulted in the overturning of the ban. When an appellate court upheld the lower court ruling, McCollum declined to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.[3][4]
McCollum was also the Florida Chairman for theRudy Giuliani presidential campaign in 2008.
On May 18, 2009, McCollum announced his candidacy forGovernor of Florida. The election determined the successor ofCharlie Crist who later lost his bid for a seat in theU.S. Senate.[citation needed]McCollum opposedfederal health care mandates in Florida, decrying them as an unconstitutional "tax on living," and joined with 13 other state attorneys general in filing a federal lawsuit.[5] The majority of Florida voters opposed such a lawsuit according to polling in April 2010.[6] He has advocated a state constitutional amendment that would opt Florida out of Washington mandates on health care, although questions about whether such an amendment would be constitutional have been raised. On September 8, 2009 McCollum said he supported Medicare and Medicaid programs but opposed a government-run 'public option' for health insurance.[7]
In the Republican primary, McCollum faced businessmanRick Scott, who had never before held elective office. McCollum criticized Scott's tenure as CEO of healthcare company Columbia/HCA, during which the company became entangled in a federal Medicare fraud investigation. Scott countered that the FBI had never targeted him personally. TheMiami Herald noted that a 1998 congressional bill sponsored by McCollum would have made it more difficult to prosecute Medicare fraud cases, a fact that undermined McCollum’s criticisms of Scott.[8]
Scott defeated McCollum in the August primary with approximately 46.4% percent of the vote to McCollum's 43.4%.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Scott | 595,474 | 46.4% | |
| Republican | Bill McCollum | 557,427 | 43.4% | |
| Republican | Mike McCalister | 130,056 | 10.1% | |
| Total votes | 1,282,957 | 100.0% | ||
In 2014, McCollum was named to the board of directors of AML Superconductivity & Magnetics, a privately held company that develops magnet-based and superconducting applications, located in Melbourne, Florida.[10]
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McCollum is married to Ingrid Seebohm McCollum. They have three sons: Douglas, Justin, and Andrew.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 5th congressional district 1981–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 8th congressional district 1993–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference 1989–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromFlorida (Class 1) 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forFlorida Attorney General 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Florida 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
