George Nethercutt was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1994 when he unseated then Speaker of the House Thomas Foley. It was the first time a sitting Speaker had been defeated since 1860. Nethercutt served for ten years on the prestigious House Committee on Appropriations. He also served as a member of the House Science Committee and the Energy and Space & Aeronautics subcommittees.

Among Nethercutt's legislative accomplishments are historic legislation to open trade with foreign countries, appropriations to bring high technology capability to the U.S. Defense Department, and modern improvements to American agriculture. He has been nationally recognized for his accomplishments relating to efforts to cure diabetes. He left Congress in January 2005.

Born in Spokane, Washington, Nethercutt was educated at Washington State University, receiving a BA in English in 1967, and his Juris Doctorate degree from Gonzaga University in 1971. In 1971, he served as Law Clerk to a federal judge in the U.S. District Court, Anchorage, Alaska, and from 1972-77 worked as chief of staff for a U.S. Senator in Washington, DC where he focused on issues of oil and gas, natural resources, mining and commerce. From 1977-1994, Nethercutt practiced law with offices in Spokane, Seattle and Almira, Washington, focusing on corporate, estate and probate, and adoption law. During his years in private practice, he devoted himself to numerous community service organizations, including the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery for the prevention of child abuse (Co-Founder), the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Spokane Chapter (President), the Spokane Central Lions Club, and several Masonic organizations. He holds honorary degrees from Gonzaga University and Waynesburg University. In April 2005, President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as U.S. Chairman, Permanent Joint Board on Defense-U.S./Canada. He also served as a member of a congressionally-mandated defense advisory board reviewing the readiness of the United States to withstand a WMD attack.

Nethercutt is Chairman of Nethercutt Consulting LLC, a legislative consulting firm in Washington, DC. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Hecla Mining Company, The Washington Policy Center, ARCADIS NV, I P Street, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (2005-2011). He is the founder and Chairman of The George Nethercutt Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the civics and leadership education of college students. He also serves Of Counsel to Lee & Hayes, an international intellectual property law firm, and Bluewater Strategies LLC in Washington, DC.

He is the author of a 2010 book, In Tune with America: Our History in Song, and lectures and writes on the subject of civics education in America and other topics. He produces and appears on television segments entitled "US History by the Minute."

Nethercutt has been married to Mary Beth S. Nethercutt since 1977, and they have two children, Meredith and Elliott.