John Peterson (Pennsylvania politician)
John Peterson | |
|---|---|
Robert Kusse | |
| Succeeded by | Curt Bowley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1938 Titusville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sandy Peterson |
| Education | Pennsylvania State University |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1957–1963 |
| Rank | Specialist (second class) |
John E. Peterson (born December 25, 1938) is an American Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2009, he represented the state's mainly rural and largely Republican 5th Congressional district in the U.S. House.
Biography
John Peterson was born in
Peterson's first public office was on his local borough council, where he served for eight years. He was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on November 8, 1977[2] In 1984, Peterson was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate where he served for 12 years, chairing both the Public Health and Welfare Committee and the Republican Policy Committee. While in the legislature, Peterson authored the Welfare Reform, Living Will, and AIDS Confidentiality legislation. He also created five Higher Education Councils in his district which enable students from rural areas to earn university degrees right in their own community.
In 1996, Peterson was elected to serve Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a freshman Member of the Education and Workforce Committee, Peterson served on conference committees that made higher education more accessible to all Americans and improved the delivery system for technical education.
Peterson was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee in 1998, where he was a member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, the Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment as well as the Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
Peterson also served as co-chair of the Congressional Rural Caucus, a bipartisan coalition of more than 140 Members of Congress committed to strengthening and revitalizing rural communities across America. As the representative of Pennsylvania's largest, most rural district, Peterson was committed to strengthening job creation and economic development strategies; improving access to quality, affordable health care; expanding the availability of new technologies and technical education in rural areas; and enhancing the quality of life for his constituents.
In recognition of his support for rural economic development, Peterson was presented with the Congressional Partnership Award by the National Association of Development Organizations. Peterson was also named Policymaker of the Year by the Association for Career and Technical Education, and was honored by the National Rural Health Association as their 2002 Legislator of the Year for his efforts to improve Medicare funding for rural hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers.
Peterson has been recognized by numerous other organizations including the National Association of Community Health Centers, the Pennsylvania Association of Home Health Agencies, the Seniors Coalition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Americans for Tax Reform, the Association of Consulting Foresters, and the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society.
Peterson has been married to his wife, Saundra, for more than 30 years. They have a son and two granddaughters. Peterson is a Methodist.
Environmental record
Peterson received the lowest possible environmental rating from the
Energy record
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (November 2020) |
Peterson was among the most outspoken members of the U.S. House on increasing production of domestic energy, specifically
On July 31, 2008, Peterson and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) introduced the first bipartisan energy production bill in the 110th Congress. The National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act, H.R. 6709, would transform the environment, and according to its supporters, put America on the road to energy independence. While locking up the first 25 miles of coastline and giving states the option to lock up an additional 25 miles, this legislation would remove the congressional moratorium on offshore energy production and use the royalties gained from that production to develop next generation alternative and renewable energy sources.
Retirement
In January 2008, Peterson announced he would be retiring from Congress at the end of his sixth term.[6] Glenn Thompson, a Republican, won Peterson's seat in the 2008 elections.[7]
References
- ^ "Congressman John Peterson - About Me". House of Representatives Web Page. United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ Cox, Harold (November 3, 2004). "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1977–1978" (PDF). Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ LCV 2006 Scorecard Archived 2006-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Republicans for Environmental Protection 2006 Scorecard Archived 2007-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) LCV 2005 Scorecard - ^ “Peterson To Retire,” CBS News, January 3, 2008
- ^ “Republicans maintain seat,” Collegian Online, November 5, 2008 Archived November 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- United States Congress. "John Peterson (id: p000263)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Federal Election Commission – John Peterson campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues – John Peterson issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org – John E. Peterson campaign contributions
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Washington Post – Congress Votes Database: John E. Peterson voting record
- The Political Graveyard
- Appearances on C-SPAN
