John Henry Rutherford (; born September 2, 1952) is an American politician. Since 2017, he has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, elected from Florida's 4th congressional district, which encompasses most of Jacksonville and most of its suburbs in Nassau and St. Johns counties, including St. Augustine from 2017 to 2023. He was redistricted to the 5th congressional district in 2023. Rutherford was an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office before serving as the Duval County sheriff from 2003 to 2015. Early life and education John Rutherford was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1952. His father was in the U.S. Navy and was serving in Korea at the time of his son's birth. In the 1950s, Rutherford's family moved to Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from Nathan Bedford Forest High School in 1970. He surfed in his free time. In 1972, he earned his Associate of Science in criminology from Florida State College at Jacksonville, formerly Florida Junior College, followed by his Bachelor of Science in criminology from Florida State University in 1974. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Rutherford spent 41 years at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, first as a sheriff's deputy and for the final 12 years as the elected sheriff. He joined the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 1974 as a patrolman. He was promoted to sergeant in 1980 and ultimately rose to the rank of captain. At various points, he commanded the Arson and Burglary divisions, led the Police Academy, and led patrol units on the Southside. He was also Chief of Services, Traffic and Special Operations, and Chief of Patrol. He was appointed director of corrections in 1995 by then-Sheriff Nat Glover. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing the jail. Rutherford ran for Jacksonville Sheriff in 2003. A candidate for the Jacksonville City Council filed a complaint against Rutherford in February, alleging violations of the Federal Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits employees working for federally funded agencies from running for office in partisan elections. Rutherford said that a lawyer had told him there was no conflict, but he retired in March 2003 anyway, in order to remove any doubt, with 28 years of service. The Florida Times-Union reported in 2015, "Supporters and even those who criticize him say Rutherford has been steadfast and unwavering in his faith and his convictions as a lawman, a trait some say has brought success while others