Thomas Evert Petri (born May 28, 1940) is an American politician who was the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for from 1979 to 2015; he is a member of the
Republican Party.
Early life
Petri was born in
Marinette, Wisconsin
Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephenson Island, part of th ...
. When he was a toddler, his father, a Navy flyer and lieutenant during World War II, was lost during a mission over the Atlantic. Petri, his infant brother, and his widowed mother moved to
Fond du Lac, where Petri's mother taught in the Fond du Lac public schools. He represented his high school as a delegate to the youth government and leadership program
Badger Boys State in 1957.
He graduated from
Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac. Petri then attended
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. After graduating from law school he served as a
law clerk to federal district judge
James Doyle.
He was one of the founders of the
Ripon Society
The Ripon Society is an American centrist Republican public policy organization and think tank based in Washington, D.C. It publishes ''The Ripon Forum'', the U.S.'s longest running Republican thought and opinion journal, as well as ''The Ripon A ...
, a public policy organization aligned with the Republican Party.
He served as a volunteer with the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
in Somalia from 1966-1967. From 1969 to 1970 he served as a White House aide during the
Presidency of Richard Nixon.
Early political career
Wisconsin Senate
Petri served in the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
from 1973 to 1979.
1974 U.S. Senate election
Petri ran for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 1974. He won the Republican primary with 85% of the vote. During the campaign, Petri walked across the state of Wisconsin as part of his grassroots strategy. In the general election, incumbent
Democratic U.S. Senator
Gaylord Nelson
Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launch ...
defeated Petri 62%–36%. Petri took five of 72 counties in the state.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In 1979, he won a special election to finish the term of the late U.S. Congressman
William A. Steiger, who had died shortly after being re-elected in 1978. He defeated fellow state senator
Gary Goyke
Gary R. Goyke (born May 9, 1947) is a former member of the Wisconsin State Senate and a lobbyist. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Background
Goyke was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Minnesota and graduated ...
by only 1,200 voters. He won the seat in his own right in 1980, taking 57 percent of the vote in a rematch with Goyke.
Petri was reelected 16 times. The only time he faced a race anywhere near as close as his 1979 contest came in 1992. That year, he defeated State Representative
Peg Lautenschlager
Peggy Ann Lautenschlager (November 22, 1955 – March 31, 2018) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who was the first chair of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission from 2016 to 2017, the 42nd Attorney General of Wisconsin from 2003 to ...
53% to 47%. It would be the only reelection contest in which he won less than 65 percent of the vote. He won ten of the district's thirteen counties. He lost
Manitowoc,
Brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
, and
Outagamie counties. He ran unopposed in 1990, 1994, 2002, and 2006. He faced no major-party opposition in 1986 and 1998. In April 2014, Petri announced he would not seek re-election in November 2014.
Tenure
Petri was a member of The
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019.
Hist ...
and supports
stem-cell research
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of ...
, although he generally opposes
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
. He called for a moratorium on the
death penalty, but voted against other restrictions on it.
Petri was a member of the moderate Republican conference,
The Tuesday Group, and received a $10,000 contribution from the group in 2008 and $5,000 in 2012.
Petri was the author and sponsor of three surface transportation laws. He supported the laws that eliminated the 55-miles-per-hour speed limit and eliminated the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Petri's three largest contributors in the 2012 campaign cycle were labor unions.
[Top 20 Contributors – Representative Tom Petri 2011 – 2012](_blank)
OpenSecrets.org. Accessed January 17, 2012 He voted for
Project Labor Agreement A Project Labor Agreement (PLA), also known as a Community Workforce Agreement, is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor unions that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. ...
s (PLAs) and twice voted to allow the use of PLAs in government contracts. Petri also voted to permit the use of taxpayer funds to comply with the
Davis-Bacon Act, voted to use federal funds for collective bargaining by the
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within, and connecting to the United States. It was created ...
, and voted in favor of $233 million in taxpayer funding for the
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Na ...
.
In 1994, Petri introduced H.R. 4469, "The Multicare Act of 1994". This bill would have established federally funded government-run health insurance programs, and would have authorized states to require an individual to purchase insurance from one of these government-run insurance plans. Petri continued to push for the passage of Multicare until 2004.
In 2005, Petri voted to fund the "
Gravina Island Bridge
The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, with Gravina Island, an island that contains the Ketchikan ...
", and voted to prevent the
drilling for oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2005, Petri introduced the Direct Loan Reward Act, and in 2006 introduced the Student Aid Reward (STAR) Act.
On November 2, 2005, Petri voted against the Online Freedom of Speech Act.
On January 18, 2007 Petri voted in favor of HR 6, which made it more difficult to obtain a lease to drill for oil domestically.
Petri endorsed
Mitt Romney in the 2008 GOP presidential primary. He subsequently endorsed
John McCain in the
2008 presidential election.
In 2011, Petri sponsored an amendment to allow Michigan-based
Badger Ferry to continue operating on Lake Michigan dumping more than 500 tons of coal ash a year into the lake. He had received $14,751 in campaign donations from executives of Lake Michigan Carferry, the owner of Badger Ferry. The
Environmental Protection Agency and Badger Ferry came to agreement in 2013 to modifying coal-dumping procedures within two years. Badger Ferry, the oldest continuously operating coal ferry in the United States, announced in 2015 that is would continue operating without dumping coal in Lake Michigan.
On August 1, 2011, Petri voted for the
Budget Control Act of 2011
The Budget Control Act of 2011 () is a federal statute enacted by the 112th United States Congress and signed into law by US President Barack Obama on August 2, 2011. The Act brought conclusion to the 2011 US debt-ceiling crisis.
The law inv ...
, which raised the nation's
debt limit
A debt limit or debt ceiling is a legislative mechanism restricting the total amount that a country can borrow or how much debt it can be permitted to take on. Several countries have debt limitation restrictions.
Description
A debt limit is a l ...
and created the
.
Petri headed the Congressional British-American Parliamentary Exchange Group, which coordinated annual meetings between members of Congress and Parliament.
In the 112th Congress and the 113th Congress, Petri introduced the ExCEL Act, which would have created a universal income-contingent student loan repayment process, where students repaid loans based on their after college earnings. Petri's bill received bipartisan and bicameral support.
In 2012, Petri introduced H.R. 4148, the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway National Heritage Area Act of 2012, which would place 1,444 square miles of land in Wisconsin under the control of the federal government.
In 2014, Petri was investigated for advocating for a constituent company,
Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation, formerly Oshkosh Truck, is an American industrial company that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus, and access equipment. The corporation also owns Pierce Manufac ...
, in which he held stock. He was also under scrutiny in regard to another Wisconsin-based business,
The Manitowoc Company, in which he had a financial interest. Although the
Office of Congressional Ethics
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), established by the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2008, is a nonpartisan, independent entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against members of the House of Representatives and the ...
found reason to believe Petri violated House rules and standards, the
House Ethics Committee
The Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the 112th Congress it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
The House Et ...
disagreed, voting not to impose sanctions on him.
Committee assignments (2013–2015)
*
Committee on Education and Labor
**
Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
**
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
*
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.
History
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...
**
Subcommittee on Aviation
**
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit (Chairman)
;Caucus memberships
* Congressional Arts Caucus
Electoral history
, + : Results 1980–2012
! Year
! Republican
! Votes
! %
! Democratic
! Votes
! %
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
, -
, 1979
, , Tom Petri
, , 71,715
, , 50%
, ,
Gary R. Goyke
, , 70,492
, , 50%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1980
, , Tom Petri
, , 129,574
, , 57%
, , Gary R. Goyke
, , 98,628
, , 43%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1982
, , Tom Petri
, , 111,348
, , 65%
, , Gordon Loeher
, , 59,922
, , 35%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 170,271
, , 76%
, , David Iaquinta
, , 54,266
, , 24%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 124,328
, , 97%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
, , John Daggett
, ,
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, , 4,268
, , 3%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 165,923
, , 74%
, , Joseph Garrett
, , 57,552
, , 26%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 111,036
, , 100%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1992
, , Tom Petri
, , 143,875
, , 53%
, ,
Peggy Lautenschlager
, , 128,232
, , 47%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 119,384
, , 99%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
, , Scattering
, ,
, , 603
, , 1%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
1996
, , Tom Petri
, , 169,213
, , 73%
, , Floyd Brenholt
, , 55,377
, , 24%
, , James Dean
, ,
Libertarian
, , 4,494
, , 2%
, , Timothy Farness
, ,
U.S. Taxpayers
, , 2,532
, , 1%
, , Scattering
, ,
, , 103
, , 0%
, -
,
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 144,144
, , 93%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
, , Timothy Farness
, ,
U.S. Taxpayers
, , 11,267
, , 7%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 179,205
, , 65%
, , Dan Flaherty
, , 96,125
, , 35%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2002
, , Tom Petri
, , 169,834
, , 99%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
, , Scattering
, ,
, , 1,327
, , 1%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2004
, , Tom Petri
, , 238,620
, , 67%
, , Jef Hall
, , 107,209
, , 30%
, , Carol Rittenhouse
, ,
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
, , 10,018
, , 3%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2006
, , Tom Petri
, , 201,367
, , 99%
, , ''No candidate''
, ,
, ,
, , Scattering
, ,
, , 2,190
, , 1%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 221,875
, , 64%
, , Roger Kittelson
, , 126,090
, , 36%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2010
, , Tom Petri
, , 183,271
, , 71%
, , Joe Kallas
, , 75,926
, , 29%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, -
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, , Tom Petri
, , 223,460
, , 62%
, , Joe Kallas
, , 135,921
, , 38%
, , Scattering
, ,
, , 364
, , 0%
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Honors
Petri was honored by
U.S. English, Inc. in May 2008 for his votes and co-sponsorships of official English legislation in the 110th Congress. Petri had previously sponsored legislation declaring English an official language in 1999.
In 2014, Petri received the
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Japan's second highest civilian honor, for his work to improve relations between the United States and Japan.
In 2015, Petri was made an honorary officer in the
Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work on trans-Atlantic issues.
Personal life
Petri and his wife, nonprofit executive
Anne D. Neal, are the parents of ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' humor columnist
Alexandra Petri
Alexandra Attkisson Petri (, born March 15, 1988) is an American humorist and newspaper columnist. In 2010, she became the youngest person to have a column in ''The Washington Post''. Petri runs the ComPost blog on the paper's website, on which ...
.
After leaving office, he became involved in political reform efforts, including joining nine other former members of Congress to co-author a 2021 opinion editorial advocating reforms of Congress.
References
External links
*
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petri, Tom
1940 births
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
American Lutherans
American people of German descent
American people of Norwegian descent
Candidates in the 1974 United States elections
Harvard Law School alumni
Living people
Peace Corps volunteers
Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
People from Marinette, Wisconsin
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawyers
Republican Party Wisconsin state senators