Peter Hoekstra - Congressional Representative - 2nd District
Pete was born in The Netherlands in 1953 and immigrated to Holland, Michigan with his family in 1957. A graduate of Holland Christian Schools, Pete went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from Hope College and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He worked for 15 years at Herman Miller, Inc., an office furniture manufacturer based in Zeeland, Michigan, where he rose to the level of vice president in the company before deciding to run for Congress in 1992. As one of the few former Fortune 500 business executives in Congress, Congressman Hoekstra brings a unique blend of experience and perspective as he represents Michigan's Second Congressional District.
Since entering the House, Pete has been working to re-establish a "rational" federal government and balance the federal budget. He believes Washington should focus on doing the things it can do well for the American public while getting out of activities that the federal government is ill-prepared to perform. This process is based on Pete's conviction that Congress must keep the federal budget balanced to ensure growth and strength for America's future generations.
In the 110th Congress, Pete serves as Ranking Republican member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee. In 2004, House Speaker Dennis Hastert named Pete Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and served as Chairman through the 109th Congress. As Chairman, Pete worked to ensure that the U.S. Intelligence Community operated as effectively as possible.
Since joining Congress in 1993, Pete has served on the Education and Workforce Committee and chaired the committee's Subcommittee on Select Education during the 108th and 107th Congresses. During the 104th, 105th, and 106th Congresses Pete served as chairman of the panel's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. He authored a variety of studies and reports including The Education at a Crossroads report which looked at what works in education at the local level, and The American Worker at a Crossroads Report which evaluated outdated federal labor policies. 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 (AmericCorps).
As a member of the House Budget Committee in 1995, Pete was a key player in developing a federal budget surplus for the first time since 1969. Also, in the 106th Congress, he chaired the committee�s Task Force on Education, which investigated waste, fraud and abuse in federal education programs. Pete is committed to ensuring that the federal government lives within its means and decision-making is driven at the individual, local and state levels as much as possible.
Pete lives in Holland, Michigan with his wife, Diane, and their three children, Erin, Allison and Bryan.
