Thad McCotter /

Thaddeus George "Thad" McCotter (born August 22, 1965) is the U.S. Representative to Michigan's 11th congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. McCotter was born in Livonia, Michigan and graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School, Redford in 1983. His mother, Joan McCotter, was the City Clerk of Livonia, Michigan. He received a B.A. from the University of Detroit in 1987 and a J.D. from the same school in 1990. McCotter had a private law practice before being elected to the Wayne County Commission in 1992. While on the Commission, he helped change the county charter to require that new taxes win the approval of two-thirds of the Commission and 60% of voters in order to be passed. McCotter was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1998. As a State Senator, he helped apportion the U.S. Congressional district from which he was elected in 2002. Shortly before the midterm elections in November 2006, McCotter made a $250,000 contribution to the National Republican Congressional Committee. After the elections, when the Republicans had become the minority party in the House of Representatives, McCotter sought the Chairmanship of the House