John Doolittle
John Doolittle is an American politician and attorney from California who spent most of his career as a Republican congressman. He was born on October 30, 1950, in Glendale, California, and grew up in Cupertino. He attended Cupertino High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and earned a law degree from the McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific) in 1978. Before law school, he spent two years as a missionary in Argentina with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is married to Julie Harlow, and they have a son and a daughter.
Doolittle began his political career in California. He worked as an aide to state Senator H. L. Richardson and then ran for the California State Senate, winning a seat in 1980. After redistricting changed California’s political map, he faced a setback in 1982 but returned to win another term in 1984 and later served as the chairman of the state Senate Republican Caucus. He was reelected in 1988 and continued in the state senate until moving to national politics.
In 1990, Doolittle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served from January 1991 to January 2009, representing California’s 14th district (which became the 4th district after redistricting). He held a leadership role as the Deputy Whip for Republicans in the 109th Congress. He was known as a conservative voice, opposing gun control and abortion rights and supporting limited changes to Social Security that favored some private ownership. He also helped revive the House Republican Study Committee as the Conservative Action Team.
Doolittle was involved in several notable political efforts early in his House career, including supporting a push to open an impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton in 1998. He voted in favor of the impeachment inquiry and supported all four articles of impeachment brought against Clinton, although none of those measures ultimately led to removal from office.
One major policy project tied to Doolittle was the Auburn Dam in California. He supported the project for flood control and other potential benefits, despite environmental concerns and questions about seismic risk. Critics argued the dam would threaten wildlife and nearby communities, while supporters said it would protect Sacramento from floods.
From 2005 onward, Doolittle’s career was overwhelmed by ethics questions and investigations connected to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist who was found to have defrauded clients. Doolittle’s wife ran a small fundraising business that received commissions from Doolittle’s campaigns, and this arrangement drew scrutiny from ethics groups. In 2006, CREW listed him among the most corrupt members of Congress in its reports. In 2007, the FBI raided his Virginia home as part of the Abramoff investigation, and Doolittle resigned from the House Appropriations Committee in April 2007.
The investigation into Doolittle’s finances and ties to Abramoff did not lead to charges. In June 2010, the U.S. Attorney announced that the case had been closed without prosecution. Doolittle maintained that he did nothing illegal and expressed regret that the investigation affected many people’s lives and careers. He had announced in January 2008 that he would not seek another term, finishing his current term instead. He was succeeded in Congress by Tom McClintock after the 2008 elections, which also saw challengers such as Charlie Brown and Mike Holmes competing for the seat.
In summary, John Doolittle spent nearly two decades in federal and state government as a conservative Republican from California, played a role in early impeachment debates, supported infrastructure projects like the Auburn Dam, and faced a high-profile ethics investigation tied to Abramoff. The investigation concluded without charges, and Doolittle retired from Congress after 2008.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:16 (CET).