Garamendi, John Raymond, 1945-

John Raymond Garamendi (born January 24, 1945) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented California's 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2009. The district was numbered the 10th district from 2009 to 2013. Garamendi was the California Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995 and 2003 to 2007, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998, and the 46th lieutenant governor of California from 2007 until his election to Congress in late 2009.

Born in Camp Blanding, Florida and raised in Mokelumne Hill, California, Garamendi earned a B.A. from University of California at Berkeley, served in the United States Peace Corps in Ethiopia, and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Elected to the state legislature in 1974, Garamendi authored the first solar, wind and energy conservation tax credit in the nation. He also authored the Rural Health Act of California to ensure that underserved residents in rural communities had access to quality health care. As a state senator, he established a work-oriented welfare program, developed a state agenda for economic competitiveness and scientific advancement, and authored legislation to fund the construction of research facilities across the UC system. Garamendi served as California's first Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995.

After Garamendi's tenure as Insurance Commissioner, President Bill Clinton appointed him Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the second-highest post in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He resigned in 1998 and worked with the Peace Corps. He then spent time in the private sector before running for Insurance Commissioner a second time, serving from 2003 to 2007. In 2006, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of California. In 2009, he was elected to succeed Ellen Tauscher after her resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Garamendi is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness where has enacted legislation to direct the military to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, to prepare all bases to withstand the effects of climate change, improve military family housing, and remove toxic substances from drinking water in and around military installations. On the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Garamendi has helped author a much-needed five-year bill to improve highways, a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild American infrastructure, and four water resource development bills. As the former Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Garamendi became a leader in shaping America's maritime and port policy to grow the America domestic fleet and improve ports to reduce air and water pollution and to accommodate larger ships.