Jason Altmire

Jason Altmire (born March 7, 1968) is the former U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, serving from 2007 until 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education, and early political career

Altmire was born in western Pennsylvania, where he was raised an only child in a single parent home, by his mother, Arlene L. Altmire. His mother was of German, Irish, and Scottish descent on one side, and of Polish descent on the other. A record-breaking high-school athlete, he set a school record in track and field and was recognized as an all-star wide receiver in football before a serious knee injury kept him off the athletic field as a senior. In 1986, he matriculated at Florida State University, in Tallahassee. Following a lengthy rehabilitation of his knee injury, he tried out for and made the Seminole football team as a walk on. He graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Political Science and worked in the Tallahassee campaign office of Douglas "Pete" Peterson, then a candidate for Congress in Florida's Second Congressional District. He later earned a Master's in Health Administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC.