Peter Fitzgerald (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Fitzgerald
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Official portrait from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Carol Moseley Braun |
| Succeeded by | Barack Obama |
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 27th district |
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| In office January 13, 1993 – November 16, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Virginia B. MacDonald |
| Succeeded by | Wendell E. Jones |
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Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald
October 20, 1960 Elgin, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nina Fitzgerald |
| Residences | Inverness, Illinois (1960–2005) McLean, Virginia (2005–present) |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (BA) Aristotelian University University of Michigan (JD) |
Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald (born October 20, 1960) is a retired American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois. As a member of the Republican Party, he was a senator from 1999 to 2005.
Fitzgerald won against the Democratic senator Carol Moseley Braun in 1998. He was the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Illinois in 20 years. Before becoming a senator, he was in the Illinois State Senate from 1993 to 1998. Peter Fitzgerald was known for being independent and sometimes disagreeing with his own party. After leaving the Senate in 2005, he was followed by Barack Obama. He later started his own bank, Chain Bridge Bank, in 2007.
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Early Life and Education
Peter Fitzgerald was born in Elgin, Illinois. He was one of five children. His parents were Gerald Francis and Marjorie Fitzgerald. He spent most of his childhood in Inverness, Illinois, a suburb near Chicago.
He finished high school at Portsmouth Abbey School in 1978. Then, he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1982. He also studied in Greece as a Rotary Scholar at Aristotelian University. In 1986, he earned his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Michigan.
His family has a long history in banking. His father built a large chain of banks called Suburban Bancorp. He later sold this company in 1994. In 1988, Peter Fitzgerald first tried to enter politics. He ran for the Illinois House of Representatives but did not win the primary election.
Political Journey
Serving in the State Senate
Peter Fitzgerald was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1992. He was part of a group of conservative state senators elected that year. They were known for challenging the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party. This group was even nicknamed the "Fab Five." Other members included Steve Rauschenberger, Dave Syverson, Patrick O'Malley, and Chris Lauzen.
Running for Congress in 1994
In 1994, Fitzgerald ran for Congress. He challenged the long-serving Republican congressman Phil Crane. Fitzgerald did not win this election, coming in second place in a race with several candidates.
1998 U.S. Senate Campaign
Fitzgerald decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 1998. He wanted to challenge the sitting Democratic Senator, Carol Moseley Braun. First, he had to win the Republican primary election. He ran against Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson. Didrickson had a lot of support from the state Republican party. Even former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole supported her.
The primary election was very close. Fitzgerald narrowly won against Didrickson. This made him the Republican candidate for the Senate. Even though he had strong support from many Republicans and independent voters, some party leaders were not happy with him after the primary.
In the general election, Fitzgerald faced Carol Moseley Braun. She had help from important Democrats like First Lady Hillary Clinton. In the end, Fitzgerald defeated Moseley Braun by a small margin. He was the first Republican from Illinois to win a U.S. Senate race in 20 years. He was also the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat a sitting Democratic senator in the 1998 elections.
Time as a U.S. Senator
During his time in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald had two important moments where he stood out. The first was in 2000. He used a filibuster to stop a large federal spending bill. A filibuster is when a senator speaks for a very long time to delay or block a vote on a bill. Fitzgerald did this because the bill included money for the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. He was worried about how the money would be spent. He wanted Illinois to get a great library, but he wanted to make sure the money was used wisely.
His second big moment came after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Congress quickly passed a huge plan to help major airlines that were in financial trouble. Fitzgerald was the only senator who spoke against this plan. He argued that the airlines would just spend the money and still have financial problems. He asked, "Who will bail out the American taxpayer?" Even though he was the only one, the bill passed 96 to 1.
Fitzgerald also supported "reasonable" gun control measures. He was in favor of immigration reform. He also backed the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law. This law aimed to change how money is used in political campaigns.
Throughout his time in the Senate, Fitzgerald often disagreed with the Republican Party leaders in Illinois. He strongly pushed for an independent U.S. Attorney to investigate possible corruption in the Illinois state government. He wanted someone who was not connected to anyone in the state government. This led to investigations that uncovered problems in Illinois politics.
When it became clear that the Republican leaders would not support him for reelection, Fitzgerald decided to retire. He finished his term in 2005. The Republicans chose Jack Ryan to run for his seat. However, Ryan later decided not to run. The party then chose Alan Keyes as their candidate. Keyes lost the election to Barack Obama. Many people believed that Fitzgerald, who was popular with independent voters, had the best chance to keep the seat for the Republicans.
Life After Politics
After leaving politics, Peter Fitzgerald became the founder and Chairman of Chain Bridge Bank, N.A.. This bank is located in McLean, Virginia. He also serves on the board of trustees for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. This is a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
Images for kids
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Official portrait from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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Fitzgerald with President George W. Bush on Air Force One in 2002
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Fitzgerald with South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond
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Fitzgerald attends a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in 2002.
