Chris Pappas is a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District since 2019. Born and raised in Manchester, he is the first openly gay U.S. House member elected from New Hampshire and co-owns his family's iconic Puritan Backroom Restaurant. A Harvard graduate, he previously served on New Hampshire's Executive Council (2013-2019) and in the state House (2003-2007). He has positioned himself as a centrist, occasionally breaking with his party on high-profile votes. In 2024, he won reelection to the House with 54% of the vote.
Pappas was born June 4, 1980, in Manchester to Arthur and Dawn Pappas. His paternal great-grandfather immigrated from Greece in the early 20th century. He graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998 and earned a B.A. in government from Harvard College in 2002, where he wrote for The Harvard Crimson. After college, he returned to Manchester and was elected to the New Hampshire House (2003-2007), serving as Hillsborough County Treasurer (2007-2011), and New Hampshire Executive Council member (2013-2019). He co-owns the family's Puritan Backroom Restaurant, established in 1919, which his great-grandfather expanded into a restaurant and where his grandfather invented the chicken tender in 1974. Pappas married Vann Bentley in February 2023; they live in Manchester.