Peter Fitzgerald
Encyclopedia
Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald (born October 20, 1960) is a former United States Senator
from Illinois
and was in office from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party
(GOP). He previously served in the Illinois State Senate from 1992 to 1998, where he was a member of the 'Fab Five
' group of conservatives who often challenged the leadership of the Illinois GOP. The group also included Steve Rauschenberger
, Dave Syverson
, Patrick O'Malley, and Chris Lauzen
.
Born in Illinois, Fitzgerald graduated from Portsmouth Abbey School
, a Catholic
boarding school
on the shores of Rhode Island
, in 1978 and from Dartmouth College
in 1982. He completed his post-graduate studies as a Rotary Scholar at Aristotelian University in Greece
, and earned his law degree
from the University of Michigan
in 1986.
Fitzgerald's family has been continuously involved in commercial banking since the mid-1940s. His father, Gerald, built Suburban Bancorp, a chain of suburban banks, by aggressively founding and buying banks around the Chicago suburbs, which he sold in 1994 to a subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal
for $246 million.
victory against Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson
, in which the latter had the support of most national and state-level Republican leaders, Fitzgerald defeated first-term Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun
in 1998, and served for one term in the U.S. Senate. He was the first Republican in Illinois to win a U.S. Senate race in 20 years, and the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator in the 1998 election cycle. Even though Moseley Braun was dogged by negative publicity of corruption
charges, Fitzgerald only defeated her by 2.9%.
Fitzgerald is a staunch conservative on some issues, such as being opposed to abortion
(except to save the life of the mother), gun control
, gay marriage and taxes, but on some issues, particularly environmental issues — he opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
throughout his tenure in the US Senate — he broke with conservative colleagues. He was also notably one of the only GOP Senators to support the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform
legislation.
, Patrick Fitzgerald
(who is unrelated), to investigate corruption in the Illinois state government. Illinois later had several indictments, including that of former Republican Governor
George Ryan
, who has since been convicted of several criminal abuses of authority, and Democratic Governor
Rod Blagojevich
, who is accused of attempting to sell the Senate
seat vacated by Barack Obama
. Fitzgerald declined to run for reelection largely because many Republican insiders who had failed to support him in his first run in 1998 had made it clear he would not have their support again, in what he knew would be a much tougher race.
ed a massive federal spending bill because it included funds for the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. He did it to bring to light the Republican-controlled Illinois state government's failure to promise competitive bidding for the project.
His second major moment was following the September 11, 2001 attacks
, when Congress quickly passed a massive bailout measure for most of the major airlines, which were in trouble financially. Standing alone out of all members of the U.S. Senate, Fitzgerald delivered a speech entitled "Who will bail out the American taxpayer," arguing that the airlines would simply go through the money and remain financially unstable. The bill passed 99 to 1.
Citing problems dealing with the state party leadership and family issues, Fitzgerald retired from the Senate at the end of his first and only term. He was succeeded by Barack Obama
, who went on to be elected President of the United States
.
in Philadelphia, which is a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and was in office from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(GOP). He previously served in the Illinois State Senate from 1992 to 1998, where he was a member of the 'Fab Five
Fab Five
Fab Five may refer to:* Fab Five , the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball freshman recruiting class* The Fab Five, a 2011 documentary on the above group.* Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, a 2008 movie...
' group of conservatives who often challenged the leadership of the Illinois GOP. The group also included Steve Rauschenberger
Steve Rauschenberger
Steve Rauschenberger served as a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate from 1993 to 2007. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1992...
, Dave Syverson
Dave Syverson
Dave Syverson is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate representing the 34th district since 1993.-Early life, education and career:He was born June 29, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Rockford in his early childhood...
, Patrick O'Malley, and Chris Lauzen
Chris Lauzen
Christopher J. Lauzen is a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate. Lauzen was first elected in 1992, has been re-elected to the State Senate in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2010, and ran for Illinois Comptroller in 1998 and Congress in 2008...
.
Born in Illinois, Fitzgerald graduated from Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Founded by the Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in 1926 as Portsmouth Priory School, the school offered a classical education to boys...
, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
on the shores of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, in 1978 and from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1982. He completed his post-graduate studies as a Rotary Scholar at Aristotelian University in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and earned his law degree
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1986.
Fitzgerald's family has been continuously involved in commercial banking since the mid-1940s. His father, Gerald, built Suburban Bancorp, a chain of suburban banks, by aggressively founding and buying banks around the Chicago suburbs, which he sold in 1994 to a subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
for $246 million.
Political career
After a hard-fought primaryPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
victory against Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson
Loleta Didrickson
Loleta A. Didrickson is the former Illinois Comptroller, and the highest ranking female Republican elected official in that state's history.Didrickson was elected Comptroller in 1994, succeeding Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch, who was the Democratic nominee for Governor. Her Democratic opponent was...
, in which the latter had the support of most national and state-level Republican leaders, Fitzgerald defeated first-term Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun
Carol Moseley Braun
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun is an American feminist politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She was the first and to date only African-American woman elected to the United States Senate, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an...
in 1998, and served for one term in the U.S. Senate. He was the first Republican in Illinois to win a U.S. Senate race in 20 years, and the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator in the 1998 election cycle. Even though Moseley Braun was dogged by negative publicity of corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
charges, Fitzgerald only defeated her by 2.9%.
Fitzgerald is a staunch conservative on some issues, such as being opposed to abortion
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
(except to save the life of the mother), gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
, gay marriage and taxes, but on some issues, particularly environmental issues — he opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
throughout his tenure in the US Senate — he broke with conservative colleagues. He was also notably one of the only GOP Senators to support the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns....
legislation.
Political maverick
Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Fitzgerald battled with the state Republican Party leadership. He insisted on the appointment of an out-of-state US attorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
, Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
(who is unrelated), to investigate corruption in the Illinois state government. Illinois later had several indictments, including that of former Republican Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
George Ryan
George Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
, who has since been convicted of several criminal abuses of authority, and Democratic Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, who is accused of attempting to sell the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat vacated by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Fitzgerald declined to run for reelection largely because many Republican insiders who had failed to support him in his first run in 1998 had made it clear he would not have their support again, in what he knew would be a much tougher race.
Controversial opposition to 9-11 airline bailout
Fitzgerald had two major moments in the spotlight in the Senate, the first in 2000 when he filibusterFilibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
ed a massive federal spending bill because it included funds for the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. He did it to bring to light the Republican-controlled Illinois state government's failure to promise competitive bidding for the project.
His second major moment was following the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, when Congress quickly passed a massive bailout measure for most of the major airlines, which were in trouble financially. Standing alone out of all members of the U.S. Senate, Fitzgerald delivered a speech entitled "Who will bail out the American taxpayer," arguing that the airlines would simply go through the money and remain financially unstable. The bill passed 99 to 1.
Citing problems dealing with the state party leadership and family issues, Fitzgerald retired from the Senate at the end of his first and only term. He was succeeded by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, who went on to be elected President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Post-political career
Fitzgerald is Chairman of Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. in McLean, Virginia., a $230 million Beltway depository. http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_55/One-Bank-Business-Built-on-GOP-Cash-210101-1.html?pos=opolh . He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution CenterNational Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is an organization that seeks to expand awareness and understanding of the United States Constitution and operates a museum to advance those purposes....
in Philadelphia, which is a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
Electoral history
- 1998 Republican Primary - U.S. Senate
- Peter Fitzgerald (R), 51.83%
- Loleta DidricksonLoleta DidricksonLoleta A. Didrickson is the former Illinois Comptroller, and the highest ranking female Republican elected official in that state's history.Didrickson was elected Comptroller in 1994, succeeding Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch, who was the Democratic nominee for Governor. Her Democratic opponent was...
(R), 48.17%
- 1998 General Election - U.S. Senate
- Peter Fitzgerald (R), 50.35%
- Carol Moseley BraunCarol Moseley BraunCarol Elizabeth Moseley Braun is an American feminist politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She was the first and to date only African-American woman elected to the United States Senate, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an...
(D) (inc.), 47.44%
External links
- Federal Election Commission — Peter G Fitzgerald campaign finance reports and data
- New York Times — Topics: Peter G. Fitzgerald collected news and commentary
- On the Issues — Peter Fitzgerald issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Peter G. Fitzgerald campaign contributions