Scott Perry brings a distinct background of hard work, small business and military leadership, and community involvement to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Perry earned the privilege of serving as the Congressman from Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District (York, Adams & part Cumberland Counties) from 2013-2017. He earned re-election to the newly-redistricted 10th District (Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York Counties) in 2018, and presently serves on the U.S. House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs. Perry was an early Member - and is now the Chairman - of the House Freedom Caucus, whose mission is "to give a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans."
Perry served three terms in the Pennsylvania State House (2006-2012), where he established a record for protecting Taxpayers' rights and interests, and served on the Committees on Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Labor Relations, Veterans Affairs, Emergency Preparedness, and Rules.
Perry knows the importance of hard work and dedication. He's the grandson of Colombian immigrants, and the son of a single mom who fled abuse, and worked several jobs to survive and support her children - with whom she finally landed in Central Pennsylvania in their first home in Harrisburg on Berryhill Street, then to Dillsburg. Scott and his family were on public assistance for several years during his youth. He was raised in a spartan home (for several years with no electricity and plumbing), bathed in a steel tub on the porch, pumped water from a well, and cut firewood with his older brother to keep the family warm in winter.
At age 13, Perry began working as a fruit picker at Ashcombe's Farm in Mechanicsburg. Since then, he's worked as a mechanic, dock worker, draftsman, and licensed insurance agent, amongst myriad other jobs. He's a 1980 graduate of Northern High School and the Cumberland-Perry Vo-Tech School. He put himself through college while working a full-time job, and graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration Management.
In 1993, Perry and his mom started (initially in their garage) their own mechanical contracting firm. The Dillsburg-based business provided contract construction and maintenance services to municipal and investor-owned utilities from North Carolina to New York, and specialized in large meter calibration.
Perry began his military service when he enlisted in the Army in 1980. He attended basic training at Fort Dix NJ, and graduated Advanced Individual Training at Fort Belvoir VA, as a technical drafting specialist. He graduated as the president of his Officer Candidate School class, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch. He soon branch-transferred to Army Aviation. Over the course of his career, he earned qualifications in almost every aircraft in the Army's rotary wing inventory (Huey, Cayuse, Kiowa, Cobra, Chinook, Apache, and Blackhawk), as well as the rating of Instructor Pilot. He's commanded at the company, battalion and brigade levels; notably, then-Lieutenant Colonel Perry commanded the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, which deployed to Iraq from 2009-2010, and during which he flew 44 combat missions. In 2011, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, became Commander of the Fort Indiantown Gap National Training Site, and was selected to attend the coveted United States Army War College - from which he earned a Master's Degree in Strategic Studies. Perry was selected for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in 2014, and served as the Assistant Division Commander of the 28th Infantry Division - the Army's oldest, actively serving Division. After serving in his final position as Assistant Adjutant General, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Brigadier General Perry retired on 1 March 2019, upon nearly 40 years of military service.
Perry's service to our communities also has included serving as the chairman of the Carroll Township Planning Commission, and as a member of the Township Source Water Protection Committee. He was chairman of the Dillsburg Area Wellhead Protection Advisory Committee, and served on the Dillsburg Revitalization Committee. He remains a member of the Jaycees and held the office of regional director for the state organization. He's a member of Dillsburg Legion Post #26, Dillsburg VFW Post #6771, and is a Lions Club International Member.
Scott and his wife, Christy, are the proud parents of two children, and reside in Northern York County. |