Last updated on November 1st, 2018 at 03:48 am
Mark Foley is an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2006. Foley’s resignation was foreshadowed by a well-publicized scandal about his alleged pedophilia.
The Early Life of Mark Foley
Mark Foley was born on September 8, 1954, in Newton, Massachusetts. Foley’s father was a teacher and a civic activist. Mark attended the Palm Beach State College for his undergraduate studies.
The Career of Mark Foley
Mark Foley began his political career by serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 1990-1992. Foley then served in Florida State Senate beginning from 1993. Following his exit from the State Senate in 1994, Foley launched his campaign to secure a seat at the U.S. House of Representatives. The campaign was successful as Foley won big against Democrat John Comerford with 58% of the vote. Mark Foley won the re-elections for the House of Representatives the following five terms.
He won the re-elections for the House of Representatives the following five terms. Mark Foley was a major ally of George W. Bush during the Presidential election recount controversy in Florida in late 2000. Foley was also considered a major frontrunner for Bob Graham’s Senate Seat and had even raised $3 million for his campaign. However,
rumors started circulating about Foley being gay or bisexual at the same time his campaign was planned to kick off. The rumors began when a local gay newspaper reported that Foley had been living with his homosexual domestic partner for a long time. The story was soon picked up by The New York Times and caused a media frenzy. Mark never denied the allegations but stated that his sexual orientation should not be a factor to determine his political potentialities. Foley eventually decided not to run for Senate, citing his father’s cancer diagnosis as the main reason.
Foley was a major opponent of Child Pornography in the Congress. Mark had been instrumental in drafting the “Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002”, a bill that outlawed websites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children. The bill was not passed for it would have prohibited any kind of commercial photography of children which would have seriously impacted the entertainment industry. Mark’s stance on such cases of child pornography was quickly contested after his 2006 scandal. Personal correspondence of Foley with teenage boys via his AOL account was leaked on the internet. The correspondence showed Foley engaging in sexually charged conversations with teenage pages for his office. The scandal prompted Foley to resign from the House of Representatives.
Relationship with Donald Trump
After several years of seclusion from public appearances, Mark Foley came out in support of 2016 Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Foley was seen behind the future president in one of his rallies.
In the Personal Life & Net Worth of Mark Foley
Foley came out publicly after leaving the Congress. Although never married, he was in a relationship with Layne Nisenbaum from 1984 till Nisnebaum’s eventual death in 2012. Foley has an estimated net worth of over $500,000.
Interesting Facts about Mark Foley
- Foley’s middle name is Adam.
- Mark Foley was the first public figure to imply that Al Gore claimed to have invented the Internet.
