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George T. Whitesides

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For his father, a chemist, see George M. Whitesides.
George Whitesides
Official House portrait of Whitesides smiling in front of the U.S. flag, wearing a black suit, light blue shirt, and striped dark red and blue tie.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 27th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2025
Preceded byMike Garcia
Personal details
Born
George Thomas Whitesides

(1974-03-03) March 3, 1974 (age 51)
Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLoretta Hidalgo
Children2
Relatives
Education
AwardsNASA Distinguished Service Medal (2010)
WebsiteHouse website

George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974)[1] is an American politician and businessman who serves as the U.S. representative for California's 27th congressional district since 2025. He previously held leadership roles in the space industry and government, including as chief of staff at NASA and CEO of Virgin Galactic. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

For over a decade, Whitesides led Virgin Galactic,[2] overseeing the development of commercial spaceflight vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves on the company's advisory board.[3] Earlier in his career, he was chief of staff at NASA under Administrator Charles Bolden,[4] following his role on the agency's transition team for the Obama administration.[5]

Whitesides' district covers northern Los Angeles County, including Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, and parts of the northwestern San Fernando Valley.

Early life and education

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Whitesides was born on March 3, 1974 in Massachusetts.[6] He was raised in Newton with his brother.[7][1] His parents Barbara and George M. Whitesides were university professors.[8] His great grandfather, James Breasted, was an egyptologist who coined the term "fertile crescent".[9][10] While growing up, Whitesides played ice hockey[7] and attended Newton North High School, where he graduated in 1992.[11]

Whitesides went on to attend Princeton University, where he studied at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, earning his bachelor's degree in 1996.[12][13] After graduating, he served for four years on Princeton's Board of Trustees.[14] He later earned an MPhil in Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing from King's College, Cambridge,[15] and was a Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia.[12][16]

Space career

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Whitesides speaking at the World Economic Forum, 2017

Whitesides began his career in the space sector, where he served as executive director of the National Space Society from 2004 to 2008.[17] He also co-founded Yuri's Night, an annual celebration of human spaceflight, alongside his wife Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides.[18][12] During this period, he was named senior advisor to Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism company.[19]

Whitesides worked on the 2008 presidential transition of Barack Obama.[20] After Obama took office, he was appointed chief of staff of NASA,[12] where he served until 2010 under Administrator Charles Bolden.[5][4] Upon his departure, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the agency's highest award.[21][22]

After leaving NASA, Whitesides became Virgin Galactic's first CEO and led the company for a decade.[12] He oversaw the development of commercial spaceflight vehicles and managed operations at the Mojave Air and Space Port.[2] During this time, he also chaired the Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group for COMSTAC, the advisory committee for the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Division.[12] Additionally, he served as a board member for Astronomers Without Borders and the Space Generation Foundation.[5][4] He announced in 2021 his departure from Virgin Galactic to pursue public service, while remaining in an advisory role with the company.[23]

Whitesides has also worked as a coach for Zero Gravity Corporation's parabolic flight service. In July 2021, as co-founder and project lead of the SciAccess Initiative's Mission: AstroAccess, he opened applications for people with disabilities to participate in a ZERO-G parabolic flight. In December 2022, the program's first formal research parabolic flight took place, with 14 disability ambassadors from five countries in the mission.[24]

U.S. House of Representatives

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2024 election

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See also: 2024 California's 27th congressional district election

On February 22, 2023, Whitesides announced he was running for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Republican congressman Mike Garcia.[25] As a first-time candidate without a legislative voting record, Republican opposition focused on the progressive groups and candidates that contributed to his campaign, including Equality California, which co-sponsored the controversial 2020 California Senate Bill 145 regarding judicial discretion in sex offender registration.[26]

Whitesides defeated Garcia in the general election on November 5, 2024, by around 8,000 votes.[27]

Committee assignments

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Whitesides at a Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing, 2025

Whitesides's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:[28]

Caucus memberships

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Whitesides's caucus memberships include:[1]

Personal life

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Whitesides is married to Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, and they have two children.[1][4] He is Episcopalian.[29]

Electoral history

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California's 27th congressional district, 2024[30][31]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Garcia (incumbent) 74,245 54.9
Democratic George Whitesides 44,391 32.8
Democratic Steve Hill 16,525 12.2
Total votes 135,161 100.0
General election
Democratic George Whitesides 154,040 51.3
Republican Mike Garcia (incumbent) 146,050 48.7
Total votes 300,090 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Rep. George Whitesides - D California, 27th, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Virgin Galactic Snags NASA Chief of Staff as CEO". socalTECH.com. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  3. ^ "Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic". Spacenews. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). "Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic". Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "George T. Whitesides, NASA's Chief of Staff". NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Whitesides, George". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Arnaud, Celia Henry (March 26, 2007). "Always On The Move". Chemical & Engineering News. 85 (13): 18–25. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "About the author: Barbara B. Whitesides". Amazon books.
  9. ^ Whitesides, Barbara B. (2009). Sugar Comes from Arabic: A Beginner's Guide to Arabic Letters and Words. Interlink Books. ISBN 978-1-56656-757-2.
  10. ^ Abt, Jeffrey (2011). American Egyptologist: the life of James Henry Breasted and the creation of his Oriental Institute. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 193–194, 436. ISBN 978-0-226-00110-4.
  11. ^ Abrams, Meredith (March 25, 2011). "Virgin Galactic CEO presents information on space tourism". The Newtonite. pp. 6–7. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via Issuu.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Walz, Kent (May 18, 2019). "Face to Face with George T. Whitesides: Reaching for the stars". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  13. ^ Daugherty, Elisabeth H. (July 20, 2021). "July 20: George Whitesides '96 Brings People With Disabilities Into Space". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University Press. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ^ "George T. Whitesides, NASA's Chief of Staff". NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). "Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic". Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Kane, Frank (December 27, 2018). "INTERVIEW: 'I have always dreamed of going into space' — George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic". Arab News. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ "George Whitesides". National Space Society. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  18. ^ Hidalgo-Whitesides, Loretta; Whitesides, G. "About : what is yuri's night?". Yuri's Night. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  19. ^ Galactic, Virgin (June 21, 2007). "Virgin Galactic Appoints George Whitesides as Senior Advisor". NASASpaceflight. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  20. ^ "George Whitesides". Space For Humanity. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  21. ^ Kane, Frank (December 27, 2018). "INTERVIEW: 'I have always dreamed of going into space' — George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic". Arab News. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  22. ^ "Historical Awards Recipient List" (PDF). NASA. c. 2015. p. 233. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Foust, Jeff (March 5, 2021). "Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic". Space News. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (December 20, 2022). "Zero-G flight for disability ambassadors shows space is accessible for all". Space.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "Former Virgin Galactic CEO enters US House race north of LA". Associated Press News. February 22, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (October 23, 2024). "A theme in GOP attack ads in California House races: Linking Democrats to pedophiles over support for LGBTQ group". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  27. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 11, 2024). "Whitesides captures L.A. County congressional seat in a major victory for Democrats". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  28. ^ "Whitesides announces committee assignments". he Santa Clarita Valley Signal. February 6, 2025.
  29. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of the 119th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  30. ^ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2024. p. 85. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  31. ^ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2024. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 30, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 27th congressional district
2025–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
431st 		Succeeded by
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