Pete Hoekstra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pete Hoekstra
United States Ambassador to Canada Nominee
Assuming office TBD
President	Donald Trump
Succeeding	David L. Cohen
Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2024
Preceded by	Malinda Pego (acting)
United States Ambassador to the Netherlands
In office January 10, 2018 – January 17, 2021
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Shawn Crowley (Acting)
Succeeded by	Marja Verloop (Chargé d’Affaires)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Guy Vander Jagt (redistricting)
Succeeded by	Bill Huizenga
Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Jane Harman
Succeeded by	Dutch Ruppersberger
Chair of the House Intelligence Committee
In office September 23, 2004 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Porter Goss
Succeeded by	Silver Reyes
Personal details
Born	Cornelis Pieter Hoekstra (1953-10-30) October 30, 1953 (age 71) Groningen, Netherlands
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Diane Johnson
Children	3
Education	Hope College (BA) University of Michigan (MBA)

Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (born October 30, 1953) is a politician from the United States. He was born in the Netherlands. He served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2018 to 2021.

Mr. Hoekstra is a member of the Republican Party. He was a U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011. In 2024, President-Elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Mr. Hoekstra to be the next U.S. ambassador to Canada.

He moved to the United States when he was a child. In 1992, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won against the person who had held the seat for a long time, Guy Vander Jagt. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Hoekstra was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

In 2017, President Donald Trump chose Mr. Hoekstra to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands. The U.S. Senate approved this choice. He started his job as ambassador in January 2018. He left this role in January 2021. In January 2024, Mr. Hoekstra was chosen to lead the Michigan Republican Party.

Early Life and School

Pete Hoekstra was born Cornelis Piet Hoekstra in Groningen, Netherlands. When he was three years old, he moved to the U.S. with his parents. He changed his name to Peter Hoekstra.

He finished high school at Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, in 1971. He earned a degree in political science from Hope College in 1975. He also got an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in 1977. After school, he worked for 15 years at Herman Miller, a company that makes office furniture. He became the vice president of marketing there.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

How He Was Elected

In 1992, Mr. Hoekstra first ran for public office. He ran in the 2nd District of Michigan. This district had been represented for 26 years by Guy Vander Jagt. Mr. Vander Jagt was the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Mr. Hoekstra rode his bicycle all over the district. He said that Mr. Vander Jagt had been in Congress for too long. Mr. Vander Jagt had won his first election in 1966, when Mr. Hoekstra was 13. Mr. Hoekstra won the election by a big surprise. He won by almost six percent.

His win in the primary election was almost like winning the main election. This district is known as Michigan's most Republican district. The Republican Party has held this seat for almost all years since 1873. Mr. Hoekstra later won the general election with 63% of the votes. He continued to ride his bicycle across the district every summer. He also biked across the state for his campaign for governor.

When he was first elected, Mr. Hoekstra promised to serve no more than six terms (12 years). But in 2004, he decided to run for a seventh term. He won his seventh term without much trouble. Soon after, he became the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He took over from Porter Goss.

2006 Election

Mr. Hoekstra did not have anyone running against him in the Republican primary. In November, he ran against Kimon Kotos, a Democratic candidate. Mr. Kotos was also his opponent in 2004. Mr. Hoekstra won the election with 183,518 votes to 87,361 votes.

2008 Election

Mr. Hoekstra ran for re-election in 2008. He ran against Fred Johnson, a history professor at Hope College. Mr. Hoekstra won against Mr. Johnson with 215,471 votes to 119,959 votes.

His Time in Office

Mr. Hoekstra had a conservative voting record. This fit well with the conservative nature of the 2nd congressional district.

Gun Laws

Mr. Hoekstra always opposed gun control during his time in office. He received a high rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund. In 2005, he voted to stop lawsuits against gun makers. In 1994, he voted against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

Documents from Iraq

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, many documents were found by the U.S. military. In March 2006, the U.S. government made these documents available online. They asked Arabic speakers around the world to help translate them.

On April 18, 2006, Mr. Hoekstra, who was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the site would help people understand things like Saddam's links to terrorism. He said it would let many people examine the information. In November 2006, all the documents were removed from the website.

Tea Party Caucus

Mr. Hoekstra was a founding member of the Congressional House Tea Party Caucus in 2010.

Committees He Served On

• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • As a top member of this committee, Mr. Hoekstra could also serve on all subcommittees.
• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Groups He Joined

• Founding chairman of the Education Freedom Caucus
• Founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands

2010 Election for Governor

In December 2008, Mr. Hoekstra said he would not run for his U.S. House seat again in 2010. Instead, he would try to become Michigan's governor. He was one of several Republican candidates. In the primary election on August 3, 2010, Mr. Hoekstra came in second place to Rick Snyder.

2012 U.S. Senate Election

Mr. Hoekstra was thought to be a possible challenger for the Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow. This was for the 2012 Senate election. He first said he would not run. Later, Mr. Hoekstra changed his mind and decided to run against Senator Stabenow.

On August 29, 2011, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder supported Mr. Hoekstra. On September 23, 2011, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann also supported him. Mr. Hoekstra ran against Senator Stabenow and four other candidates. On November 6, 2012, Mr. Hoekstra lost to Senator Stabenow. He received 38% of the votes.

After His Political Career

In February 2011, Mr. Hoekstra joined a government relations group and law firm. He was also named a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation. This is a conservative think tank. He focused on improving education. In 2014, Mr. Hoekstra joined another law firm, Greenberg Traurig.

Mr. Hoekstra joined the Investigative Project on Terrorism in 2014. He worked as a senior fellow. He focused on national security, international relations, and cyber security. In October 2015, he published his first book. It was called Architects of Disaster: The Destruction of Libya.

U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands

On July 24, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Hoekstra to be the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. The Senate approved him on November 9. He was sworn in on December 11, 2017. He officially started his job on January 10, 2018. He left this position on January 17, 2021.

Chair of the Michigan Republican Party

On January 20, 2024, Mr. Hoekstra was elected to lead the Michigan Republican Party. He is also listed as a "contributor" to Project 2025.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada

On November 20, 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Mr. Hoekstra to be the United States ambassador to Canada.

See also

• WMD conjecture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq