Douglas Brian "Pete" Peterson (born June 26, 1935) is an American politician and diplomat. He served as a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

pilot during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and spent over six years as a prisoner of the

North Vietnamese army The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

after his plane was shot down. He served three terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1991 to 1996 and returned to

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

when he became the first United States Ambassador to Vietnam in 1997. He was an ambassador until July 2001, after which he devoted himself to philanthropic work.

Early life and education

Peterson grew up in Milton, Iowa, and attended college at the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UTampa, UT or Tampa U) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UTampa offers more than 200 programs of study, including 19 master's degrees and a br ...

. He joined the

and served in the Vietnam War, where his

F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

fighter was shot down on September 10, 1966. He spent six years in prison, a period he described as "hours and hours of boredom, spliced with moments of stark terror." He was released on March 4, 1973.

Career

After the Vietnam War, Peterson remained in the Air Force and retired in 1981 as a colonel with 26 years of service. After retirement he established a general contracting firm in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

and later a small computer company in

Marianna, Florida Marianna is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Florida, United States, and it is home to Chipola College, part of the state's public system. The official nickname of Marianna is "The City of Southern Charm". The population was 6,24 ...

called CRT Computers. He served for 5 years on the faculty of

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

Congress

In 1990, Peterson ran as a Democrat for a seat in the

in Florida's 2nd congressional district. He defeated Bill Grant, the incumbent congressman who had grown unpopular after switching from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the middle of his second term. Peterson won and served three terms from 1991 to 1996. Jason Altmire, who later became a three-term congressman himself, was a staffer during Peterson’s first campaign and time in Congress.

Ambassador to Vietnam

Peterson declined to run for a fourth term (he was succeeded by Allen Boyd) and was asked by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

to become the United States's first post-war ambassador to Vietnam. He was confirmed by the Senate and began his tenure in 1997. His primary goals were securing an account of those still listed as missing in action from the war and helping to resolve the

Vietnam War POW/MIA issue The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue concerns the fate of United States servicemen who were reported as missing in action (MIA) during the Vietnam War and associated theaters of operation in Southeast Asia. Following the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, 59 ...

Presidential Citizens Medal

On November 17, 2000, he was presented with the

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

by President Clinton.

Philanthropy and business

Since retiring as ambassador, Peterson founded

The Alliance for Safe Children The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) is a non-profit organization formed in 2002 to address the issue of child injury in the developing world.

, TASC, which aims to lower preventable injuries to children worldwide, and focuses specifically on such issues as drowning in Asia. With his wife he started a company whose aim it is to promote American business in Southeast Asia. Peterson later was a senior advisor for

Albright Stonebridge Group Albright Stonebridge Group, part of DGA Group, is a global business strategy firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It was created in 2009 through the merger of international consulting firms The Albright Group, founded in 2001 by former ...

, an international strategic consulting firm.

Personal life

Peterson's first wife died in 1995. Two weeks after his installation in

, he met Vi Le, Australia's senior trade commissioner, born in Vietnam, whom he married. In 2002, he moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia, so they could be closer to her family. In 2009, Peterson acquired Australian citizenship.

References

External links

All POW-MIA InterNetwork
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Pete 1935 births Living people Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska People from Van Buren County, Iowa Military personnel from Iowa University of Tampa alumni Central Michigan University alumni Florida State University faculty United States Air Force colonels United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American prisoners of war in the Vietnam War Shot-down aviators Ambassadors of the United States to Vietnam American expatriates in Australia Presidential Citizens Medal recipients Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Diplomats from Florida Diplomats from Iowa Diplomats from Nebraska