Peter Rudy Wallace
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Peter Rudy Wallace (born April 13, 1954) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as
Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...
of the
Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
from 1994 to 1996.


Early life and education

Peter Rudy Wallace was born on April 13, 1954, to Martha Rudy and John Powell Wallace. He has four brothers, two younger and two older. His father was also a Democrat and an executive in the egg and poultry industry who founded the Wallace Hatchery and Wallace Chicks and was the first Chairman of the
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. His mother was a Republican who served on the
Pinellas County School Board Pinellas County Schools is the public school district serving Pinellas County, Florida. The district is based in Largo. With over 104,000 students served in more than 140 schools and centers, the district is the 7th-largest in Florida and 26th- ...
from 1972 to 1980. His great-uncle
Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...
was the 33rd
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, his great-grandfather
Henry Cantwell Wallace Henry Cantwell Wallace (May 11, 1866 – October 25, 1924) was an American farmer, journalist, and political activist who served as the secretary of agriculture from 1921 to 1924 under Republican presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolid ...
was the 7th
United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...
, his grandfather Merle F. Rudy founded the
Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...
Republican Party, and his aunt, Sally C. Wallace, served on the
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City Council from 1976 to 1985. Wallace graduated from
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
with an A.B. in 1976 and with a J.D. in 1979. After graduating, he clerked for Judge
Paul Hitch Roney Paul Hitch Roney (September 5, 1921 – September 16, 2006) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Education and career Born ...
on the
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from 1979 to 1980.


Political career

Wallace was first elected to the
Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
in 1982. He ran in the 56th district to succeed the retiring Republican Betty Easley. He faced Republican
George F. Hieber II George F. Hieber II (December 28, 1942 – November 23, 1996) was an American politician. He served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member for the 58th district of the Florida House of Representatives. Life and career Hieber ...
, the incumbent from the 58th district, and defeated him by 53% to 47%. He comfortably defeated Richard B. Badgley in 1984 by 58% to 42% and was then re-elected unopposed in 1986, 1988 and 1990. In 1992, he moved to the 52nd district and easily defeated R.J. Lonergan Jr. by 63% to 37%. He was re-elected unopposed in 1994 and was also elected to serve as
Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...
of the House that year, a race he had lost in 1989. He was the last in an unbroken line of Democrats to serve as Speaker that stretched back to 1885. As of 2022, he is the most recent Democrat to serve as Speaker: the House has been controlled by the Republicans ever since. Wallace did not run for re-election in 1996. In 1998, he ran for
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. He finished second in the Democratic primary with 180,855 votes (33.46%). Former Republican
Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...
Commissioner Ron Howard came first with 213,366 votes (39.48%) and State Representative J. Keith Arnold came third with 146,271 votes (27.06%). In the runoff, Wallace defeated Howard by 119,842 votes (56.25%) to 93,216 votes (43.75%). In the general election, Wallace lost to former Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal
Tom Gallagher C. Thomas Gallagher III (born February 3, 1944) is an American politician, financier, and insurance agent from the state of Florida and a member of the Republican Party. Gallagher holds the distinction of having served more years as an elected ...
by 2,185,027 votes (56.54%) to 1,679,893 votes (43.47%).


Later career

Wallace subsequently retired from politics and resumed the practice of law. Since 2000 he has been a partner in the St. Petersburg-based Skelton, Willis & Wallace. He has resisted overtures to return to politics. In 2009, he turned down the opportunity to run for the 16th district of the
Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
. In 2013, he declined to run for
Florida's 13th congressional district Florida's 13th congressional district is an List of United States congressional districts, electoral district for the United States Congress, U.S. Congress on Florida's Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast, assigned to Pinellas County, F ...
after the Republican incumbent
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announced his retirement.


Personal life

Wallace is married to Helen Wallace (née Pruitt), daughter of Frances Miller McSwain and John Crayton Pruitt Sr., a cardio-vascular surgeon. She is a professor of creative writing at
Eckerd College Eckerd College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront (area), waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega ...
and they have two children, Daniel McSwain Wallace and Hannah Rudy Wallace.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Peter Rudy 1954 births Living people Politicians from St. Petersburg, Florida Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Harvard Law School alumni Harvard College alumni Candidates in the 1998 United States elections 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature