Tom Latham

Thomas Paul Latham (born July 14, 1948) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Iowa from 1995 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. On December 17, 2013, Latham announced he would not seek reelection next term, becoming the third member of the U.S. House to announce his retirement on the same day (along with Frank Wolf from Virginia and Jim Matheson from Utah).

Early life and education Latham was born in Hampton, Iowa to Evelyn R. (née Johansen) and Willard Chester Latham. His father was of English and Danish descent and his mother was of Danish ancestry. He was raised on a farm in nearby Alexander. He attended Wartburg College and Iowa State University, but did not graduate.

Early career Before entering the House, he was part-owner of Latham Seeds, a family-owned seed company founded by his father. Latham sold his interest before running for Congress.

The reconfigured district retained Latham's district number, the 4th. It was also geographically more Latham's district than King's; he retained 55 percent of his former territory. Indeed, it closely resembled the territory that Latham had represented from 1995 to 2003. Nevertheless, he opted to run in the reconfigured 3rd District, which stretches from Des Moines to Council Bluffs. He sold his home in Ames and bought a home in Clive, a suburb of Des Moines. He defeated Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell in the 2012 election.

On February 27, 2013, Latham announced that he would not seek the open Senate seat of Tom Harkin in 2014. Latham requested to have his salary withheld during the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.