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Jerry Gaetz was 16 days from his 50th birthday when he addressed the 1964 Republican convention.
Jerry wasn’t a big shot – he was the former mayor of a 2,800-person North Dakota town – so it was a big day. His son, Don, was so excited for him to speak that he skipped school to watch the speech live.
The speech went well and Jerry endorsed the conservative Republican Barry Goldwater. As it ended, Jerry was seen walking off stage and shaking hands on national TV. Then – on the live broadcast – he collapsed.
Jerry Gaetz was dead of a heart attack. But his politico ethos – "Unbought! Unbossed! Unbowed!" – would live on through generations of the Gaetz family.
Jerry’s son Don had watched his father’s demise live on TV, but that didn’t dissuade him from entering politics.
Don moved to Florida and in 1982 had a son, Matt. A year later, Don founded a hospice organization; soon after that, he got into local politics and ran to be the school superintendent in his deeply conservative area of Florida. Matt, then a senior in high school, campaigned for his father, wearing a “Gaetz for Superintendent” t-shirt almost daily until Don won the election.
In 2003, the elder Gaetz sold his business – then the country’s largest hospice provider – for nearly $500M, enabling him to invest more time and money in politics. He was elected to Florida’s Senate in 2006, beginning a ten-year run during which he’d spend two years as Florida Senate president.
Don earned a reputation as a traditional Republican who was well-liked across both parties. In this regard, the apple would fall far from the tree.
Matt Gaetz attended a Florida public high school, Florida State University, and William and Mary Law School. While at the latter, he worked as an aide to the Florida House speaker, a friend of his father’s. After graduating, he spent two years working for a law firm near his hometown. At age 27, he won a seat in the Florida House, beginning his political career.
Matt Gaetz speaking in 2023
Through his ties to his father, Gaetz became known as “Baby Gaetz.” He also earned himself a reputation for being a partier, including when he was 26 and an officer arrested him for driving while apparently drunk. Gaetz wasn’t charged but knowledge of the event contributed to his reputation that spread through their area of Florida.
When Gaetz ran for office a year later, he disclosed a net worth of $1,062,519 and put $100,000 of his own money into his primary campaign – more than the total fundraised by any other candidate. In 2013, The Tampa Bay Times – Gaetz’s local newspaper – called him an “entitled ne'er-do-well.”
Yet while some faulted Gaetz for his alleged antics or nepotism, others found him to be an extremely hard worker with intense conservative principles.
"When I first met him, I thought he was a kid resting on the laurels of his father," one Florida House Rep who roomed with Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times in 2013. "Nothing could be further from the truth. He brought more work home than anyone. When I got up to go to the gym in the morning, he'd be going into the office."
Gaetz first made a name for himself nationally when Florida’s legislature debated modifying its controversial “Stand Your Ground” law after Trayvon Martin was killed. Gaetz led the fight against any modifications, vowing not to "[change] one damn comma."
Gaetz had enough vision to conduct that fight on social media
By 2013, he had built up 4,000 Twitter followers – a relatively large number at the time – by tweeting about welfare, abortion, and other issues. He was quoted that year as saying, "The old format with just having dialogue within the walls of the Capitol has been deconstructed by Twitter…The modern approach to legislating is evolving. It forces legislators to engage with real people."
And “when you’re genuine,” Gaetz added, “people forgive you.”
Would they forgive him when he was accused of sex trafficking?
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Editor’s Note
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. We know it was a long one but Gaetz is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing people in American politics. To give a full, non-partisan take requires a few more words than a typical story.
We’ll be back soon with similar deep dives into Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. In the meantime, enjoy your weekends.
–Max and Max
RocaNews co-founders
