Birth Name: Harold Watson Gowdy III
Place of Birth: Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 22, 1964
Ethnicity: English, some German and Swiss-German, likely some Welsh
Trey Gowdy is an American attorney, politician, and federal prosecutor. A Republican, he has been a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, since January 3, 2011, and Chair of the House Oversight Committee, since June 13, 2017. He was previously Chair of the House Benghazi Committee, from May 8, 2014 to July 8, 2016.
Trey is the son of Novalene (Evans) and Harold Watson “Hal” Gowdy, Jr. He is married to Terri Dillard, with whom he has two children.
Trey’s paternal grandfather was Harold Watson Gowdy (the son of Simon Watson Gowdy and Cora Rickenbaker). Harold was born in South Carolina. Simon was the son of Benjamin Lawrence Gowdy and Adeline James. Cora was the daughter of Fuller Thompson Rickenbaker and Pauline E. Able.
Trey’s paternal grandmother was Edred Truesdale (the daughter of Charles Hill Truesdale and Bessie Florence Crouch). Charles was the son of Benjamin Trantham Truesdale and Laura Horton. Bessie was the daughter of The Rev. John Calhoun Crouch and Cornelia Elizabeth Jane Sandifer.
Sources: Genealogy of Trey Gowdy (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Genealogies of Trey’s paternal grandparents, Harold Watson Gowdy and Edred Truesdale – https://old.findagrave.com
History of Trey’s Swiss Rickenbaker ancestors – https://ogsgs.org