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As one of the few former Fortune 500 business executives in Congress, Congressman Pete Hoekstra brings a unique blend of experience and perspective as he represents Michigan’s Second Congressional District in Washington.
Pete was originally sworn in to the 103rd Congress in 1993. He then served a key role in the development of the Contract with America, which was instrumental in gaining a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.
In August, 2004, Pete was named Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He has served on the Committee since Speaker J. Dennis Hastert first appointed him in 2001. In this role, he leads Congressional oversight on issues relating to the U.S. Intelligence Community as the United States defends itself in a global war on terror.
Countries listed on Pete’s passport include Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, Syria, Israel, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Ukraine, Kuwait, Turkey, Jordan and Libya.
Pete served as chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the 104th, 105th and 106th sessions of Congress, and authored a variety of studies and reports, including Education at a Crossroads, Crossroads 2000 and the American Worker Project. The subcommittee also performed many investigations, including looks into the financial failures at the Department of Education, the corrupted 1996 Teamsters election, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for National Service (AmeriCorps).
Pete is a member of several task forces and caucuses, including the Historically Black College and Universities Task Force, Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, the Bipartisan Congressional Bike Caucus, the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus, and he is the founding chairman of the Education Freedom Caucus.
Pete has been featured in a variety of media, including appearances on CNN's Paula Zahn Now, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CBS's Evening News, NBC’s Dateline, PBS’s News Hour, ABC’s Nightline, Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor, Fox & Friends and Hannity & Colmes and John McLaughlin’s nationally syndicated One-on-One, as well as NPR’s Talk of the Nation and the Michael Reagan Show on radio. He also has written pieces published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, among others.
For his work in Congress, Pete has received numerous awards, including the 2004 U.S. Chamber of Commerce "Spirit of Enterprise" award, the 2004 "Hero of the Taxpayer" award from Americans for Tax Reform, the 2003 "Taxpayer Superhero" Award from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, "Public Official of the Year" Award for 2000 from Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, and the "Faith, Family and Freedom" and "True Blue" awards from the Family Research Council. He has also been recognized by the National Association of Manufacturers.
Pete is a graduate of Holland Christian Schools, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hope College in Holland and holds a master’s of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Prior to his election to Congress, he worked for 15 years at Zeeland, Mich.-based office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller Inc., where he held the title of Vice President of Marketing.
Pete lives in Holland, Michigan, with his wife, Diane, and their three children, Erin, Allison and Bryan. He was born on Oct. 30, 1953, in Groningen, the Netherlands, and immigrated to Michigan with his family at the age of 3, making him one of the few members of Congress who were not born in the United States.
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