Jason Altmire

On the last day of his final class as a student at Florida State University, Jason Altmire (B.S. '90, political science) received a tip that would change his life.

As Altmire was walking out of the classroom with plans only to graduate and return home to Pittsburgh, he was pulled aside by political science Associate Professor Kathleen Kemp.

"Professor Kemp said, 'Hey Jason, there's a Democrat named Pete Peterson who's running against the Republican incumbent for Congress. A lot of people think Peterson doesn't have a chance to win, but I think it would be a good experience for you to work on his campaign,'" said Altmire. "So I was interviewed and got hired to work for the Peterson campaign, which lasted from April 1990 until the election. Peterson won, and he brought me up to (Washington) D.C. If all of this hadn't happened, my entire life would be different."

Altmire, who is a Democrat, was elected Nov. 7 to represent the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

Altmire's plans upon leaving FSU were quite different from the ones he began with. As a freshman in the fall of 1986, he was a walk-on wide receiver for the Seminoles and, like many freshmen, was unsure of which academic path to follow.

"I played football for a couple of years. It was a big part of my early time at FSU, but I had a knee injury that finished me off," he said. "Once the football side was gone, I focused on political science, which was something that I was always interested in."

After he graduated from FSU, Altmire would spend the next eight years working for Peterson and gaining valuable political experience, like being an active participant in the congressional debate on health care reform. In addition, he drafted and helped negotiate to the House floor the first constitutional amendment regarding congressional term limits ever to receive a vote in the House.

During that time, Altmire also met FSU alumna Kelly Fagen (B.S. '91, political science). She, like Altmire, had worked on the Peterson campaign and had joined his Washington staff when she graduated.

The Altmires were married in 1996 and today have two girls, 7-year-old Natalie and 5-year-old Grace.

After working for Peterson, Altmire worked for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, an 18-hospital system in which he rose to the position of acting vice president for government relations and community health services.

Now, after a hard-fought, 17-month political campaign, Altmire is returning to life in the political bustle of the nation's capital. This time, however, he will serve as the people's representative.

Leading up to his Jan. 3, 2007, swearing-in ceremony, Altmire is busy hiring staff members, organizing his Washington office and thanking the thousands of constituents who helped him get elected.

"Once we're sworn in, of course, the country is facing a unique situation where the Congress has switched," he said. "We now have a Democratic-controlled House and Senate, and President Bush is still there, so we have to all learn to work together and compromise. It's exciting to be a part of that whole process."

As he prepares to make history as a member of the 110th Congress, Altmire paused to praise FSU for pointing him in the right direction in life.

"I would not be here were it not for the experience I had at FSU," he said. "I really want the people in Tallahassee and, especially, the people at Florida State to consider me to be their second congressman. I really feel like I owe you because of what you've done for me."