Porter Goss

Who is Porter Goss?

Porter Johnston Goss is an American politician who was the first Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the last Director of Central Intelligence following the passage of the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which abolished the DCI position. A CIA officer and veteran of Operation 40, he served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 until he took up his post at the agency.

Goss represented the Florida's 14th congressional district, which includes Lee County, Fort Myers, Naples, and part of Port Charlotte. He served for a time as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Goss was a co-sponsor of the USA PATRIOT Act and was a co-chair of the Joint 9/11 Intelligence Inquiry.

Goss resigned as Director of the CIA on May 5, 2006 in a sit-down press conference with President George W. Bush from the Oval Office. On May 8, Bush nominated U.S. Air Force General Michael Hayden to be Goss's successor.

Goss is an avid organic farmer. He has a farm in Virginia and spends his summers on Fishers Island in Long Island Sound.