Fred Upton was born April 23, 1953, in St. Joseph, Michigan. Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan in 1975. He served in the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985.

Fred Upton was elected to Congress in 1986 and served as the Chairman on the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2010 to 2016.  He and his wife, Amey, have two adult children.