Peter Houston Kostmayer is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 politician who served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Bucks County

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

Biography

Kostmayer was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, graduated from West Nottingham Academy

West Nottingham Academy

West Nottingham Academy was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later become President of Princeton College . Today, the independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12...

 in Colora

Cecil County, Maryland

Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley. It was named for Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper...

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, in 1965, and received a B.A. from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 in New York City in 1971.

Kostmayer worked as a reporter from 1971 to 1972. He served as press secretary to Pennsylvania Attorney General

Pennsylvania Attorney General

The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. Currently, the office is held by Linda Kelly.- Authority and Responsibilities :...

 J. Shane Cramer from 1972 to 1973 and deputy press secretary to Governor Milton Shapp

Milton Shapp

Milton Jerrold Shapp was the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1979 and was the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania.- Early life :...

 from 1973 to 1976.

Political career

After the retirement of Rep. Edward G. Biester, Jr.

Edward G. Biester, Jr.

Edward George Biester, Jr. is a retired Republican politician and judge who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, from 1967 to 1977....

 in 1976, Kostmayer ran against State Representative John S. Renninger

John Renninger

John S. Renninger is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.-References:...

 for the open seat. With Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 taking Pennsylvania in the 1976 election

United States presidential election, 1976

The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...

, Kostmayer won by a 1,300 vote margin. He won re-election in 1978 against G. Roger Bowers with 61% of the vote.

He lost in 1980 with Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 sweeping to victory. Republican James Coyne

James K. Coyne, III

James Kitchenman Coyne III was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:...

 narrowly defeated Kostmayer.

Kostmayer won back the seat in a 1982 rematch by 2,300 votes. Kostmayer won re-election in 1984 over David Christian

David Christian

David A. Christian , is a highly decorated American Vietnam War veteran, best known for his veteran's advocacy efforts. He is a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senator from Pennsylvania in the 2012 election, challenging incumbent Bob Casey Jr..-Early life and...

 by fewer than 4,000 votes. He then enjoyed victories in 1986, 1988 and 1990.

In 1992, Kostmayer faced State Senator James C. Greenwood

James C. Greenwood

James Charles "Jim" Greenwood is an American politician in the Republican Party. He represented Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District for six terms in the United States House of Representatives....

, who had been a legislative aide to Kostmayer's first opponent, John Renninger. Greenwood defeated Kostmayer with almost 52% of the vote.

Post-Congress

Kostmayer became the Administrator, Region III (Philadelphia) of the Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

 from 1994 to 1995. Later, he served as the President of Zero Population Growth

Zero population growth

Zero population growth, sometimes abbreviated ZPG , is a condition of demographic balance where the number of people in a specified population neither grows nor declines, considered as a social aim....

.

He entered the race for Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate

The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

 in 2002 against incumbent Senator Tommy Tomlinson

Tommy Tomlinson

Robert M. Tomlinson is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 6th District since 1995. He was previously a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 18th District from 1991 to 1994...

. Kostmayer was defeated, taking 47% in the general election.

Currently, he is the CEO of Citizens Committee for New York City.