Pete Hoekstra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Hoekstra
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Official portrait, 2025
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| 33rd United States Ambassador to Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office April 29, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | David L. Cohen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chair of the Michigan Republican Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 20, 2024 – February 22, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Kristina Karamo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jim Runestad | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Ambassador to the Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 10, 2018 – January 17, 2021 |
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| 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 |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Guy Vander Jagt (redistricting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bill Huizenga | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Cornelis Pieter Hoekstra
October 30, 1953 Groningen, Netherlands |
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| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Diane Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Hope College (BA) University of Michigan (MBA) |
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Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (born October 30, 1953) is a politician and diplomat from the Netherlands and the United States. Since April 29, 2025, he has been serving as the 33rd U.S. ambassador to Canada. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Before this, he was the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2018 to 2021. He also served as a U.S. representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011.
Hoekstra was born in the Netherlands and moved to the United States when he was a child. In 1992, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won. He was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2004 to 2007.
He also ran for governor of Michigan in 2010 and for the U.S. Senate in 2012, but he did not win those elections. In 2017, President Donald Trump nominated him to be the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. He took office in January 2018 and left in January 2021. In January 2024, Hoekstra was chosen to lead the Michigan Republican Party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hoekstra was born Cornelis Piet Hoekstra in Groningen, Netherlands. He moved to the U.S. with his parents when he was three years old. He later changed his name to Peter Hoekstra.
He finished high school in Holland, Michigan, in 1971. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Hope College in 1975. In 1977, he received an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. After college, he worked for 15 years at Herman Miller, a company that makes office furniture. He eventually became the vice president of marketing there.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Becoming a Representative
In 1992, Hoekstra first ran for public office in Michigan's 2nd District. This district had been represented for 26 years by Guy Vander Jagt. Hoekstra rode his bicycle across the district during his campaign. He argued that Vander Jagt had served in Congress for too long. Hoekstra won the election, which was a big surprise. He later won the general election with 63% of the votes. Hoekstra continued to ride his bicycle across the district every summer.
When he was first elected, Hoekstra promised to serve no more than 12 years in the House. However, in 2004, he decided to run for a seventh term, breaking his earlier promise. He won his seventh term without much opposition. Soon after, he became the chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
2006 and 2008 Elections
In 2006, Hoekstra ran against Kimon Kotos, who was also his opponent in 2004. Hoekstra won with 183,518 votes compared to Kotos's 87,361 votes.
In 2008, Hoekstra ran for re-election against Fred Johnson. He won this election with 215,471 votes, while Johnson received 119,959 votes.
His Time in Office
Hoekstra generally voted in a conservative way, which matched the views of his district. He voted against expanding health care benefits for children. He also voted against paid parental leave for federal employees. However, he did vote against changing the Constitution to stop flag desecration.
Gun Laws
Hoekstra consistently opposed gun control laws 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 manufacturers. In 1994, he voted against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
Claims About Weapons in Iraq
Hoekstra believed that the Saddam Hussein government in Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). He continued to believe this even after no WMDs were found after the Iraq invasion. In 2006, Hoekstra announced that 500 chemical weapons had been found in Iraq. However, these weapons were old, unused munitions from before 1991. Other reports and officials later disagreed with Hoekstra's claims about WMDs.
In November 2006, The New York Times reported that a website created at Hoekstra's request contained detailed information that could be helpful to those trying to make nuclear weapons. The website was shut down after questions from The New York Times.
Documents from Operation Iraqi Freedom
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, about 48,000 boxes of documents, audiotapes, and videotapes were found by the U.S. military. In March 2006, the U.S. government made these available online. Hoekstra, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said this would help people understand things like Saddam's links to terrorism. In November 2006, all these documents were removed from the website due to security concerns.
Tea Party Caucus
Hoekstra was a founding member of the congressional House Tea Party Caucus in 2010. This group was part of the Tea Party movement, which focused on reducing government spending.
Committee Work
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Ranking Member)
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
- Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Other Groups He Joined
- Founding chairman of the Education Freedom Caucus
- Founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands
2010 Michigan Governor Election
In December 2008, Hoekstra announced he would not run for his U.S. House seat again in 2010. Instead, he decided to campaign to become Michigan's governor. In the primary election held on August 3, 2010, Hoekstra finished second to Rick Snyder.
2012 U.S. Senate Election
Hoekstra decided to challenge Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow in the 2012 Senate election. He was endorsed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.
On November 6, 2012, Hoekstra was defeated by Stabenow. He received 38% of the votes.
Campaign Ad Controversy
During his Senate campaign, Hoekstra released a television ad that caused a lot of discussion. The ad showed a Chinese woman speaking in broken English and sarcastically thanking Senator Stabenow. The ad suggested that Stabenow's policies made the U.S. economy weak, which benefited China.
The ad was criticized by many groups, including Asian-American organizations, who called it "very disturbing." Some of Hoekstra's fellow Republican opponents also questioned the ad. James Fallows of The Atlantic called it the "most revolting ad." The NAACP said the ad was an "unnecessary race card."
The ad seemed to hurt Hoekstra's campaign, as polls showed him losing support. Hoekstra initially defended the ad. However, on February 10, 2012, he shut down his controversial website related to the ad and started using a new TV commercial.
On February 16, the actress in the ad, Lisa Chan, apologized for her involvement. She stated that the role was "not in any way representative of who I am" and "absolutely a mistake on my part." Despite the controversy, Hoekstra won the Republican primary but lost to Stabenow in the general election.
After His Political Career
In February 2011, Hoekstra joined a government relations group and a law firm in Washington, D.C. He also became a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, where he focused on education reform. In 2014, Hoekstra joined another law firm, Greenberg Traurig.
He also joined the Investigative Project on Terrorism in 2014 as a Senior Fellow, focusing on national security and global terrorism. In October 2015, Hoekstra published his first book, Architects of Disaster: The Destruction of Libya.
In 2016, Hoekstra made claims about Huma Abedin having ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. A fact-checker from Washington Post later said this claim was incorrect.
U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands
On July 24, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Hoekstra to be the United States ambassador to the Netherlands. He was confirmed by the Senate on November 9, 2017, and officially sworn in on December 11, 2017. He began his duties on January 10, 2018.
Comments and Apology
In December 2017, a Dutch reporter questioned Hoekstra about claims he made in 2015. Hoekstra had said that there were "no-go zones" in the Netherlands and that politicians and cars were being set on fire due to radical Islam. Hoekstra initially denied saying these things, calling it "fake news." However, the reporter then played a clip of Hoekstra making those remarks.
On December 23, Hoekstra apologized on Twitter, saying he regretted the exchange during the interview. On January 10, 2018, during a press conference, Hoekstra did not want to discuss his 2015 comments.
The next day, a U.S. State Department official said that Hoekstra's 2015 comments "should not have been made" and did not reflect the U.S. view of the Netherlands. On January 12, Hoekstra finally took back his statement about "no-go zones" in the Netherlands. He said, "Looking back, I'm dismayed that I said it. It was an incorrect statement. It was just wrong." He added that he might have mixed up countries.
Involvement in Dutch Politics
In September 2020, some Dutch officials asked questions about Hoekstra. There were reports that he had hosted a fundraising event at the U.S. embassy for a Dutch political party called Forum for Democracy. This raised concerns about whether it followed international law. Hoekstra had also been a guest speaker at the party's conference in November 2019.
Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
On January 20, 2024, Hoekstra was elected to be the chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada
On November 20, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his plan to nominate Hoekstra as the United States ambassador to Canada. His nomination was sent to the Senate on February 12, 2025.
During his confirmation hearing on March 13, 2025, Hoekstra stated that Canada is a sovereign country. He said he would work to make the relationship between the two countries stronger. He also said that Canada should remain part of the Five Eyes alliance. On April 9, 2025, the United States Senate confirmed Hoekstra as Ambassador to Canada.
See also
- WMD conjecture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
