Dominick, Peter H. (Peter Hoyt), 1915-1981

Peter Hoyt Dominick (b. July 7, 1915, Stamford, Conn.-d. March 18, 1981, Hobe Sound, Fla.), a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Colorado, graduated from Yale Law School in 1940 and entered the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, serving from 1942 to 1945. He practiced law in New York City and in Denver, Colorado, and served in the Colorado State House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961. He was elected as a Republican first to the U.S. Congress from 1961 to 1963, then to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1963 to 1975.

From the description of Dominick, Peter H. (Peter Hoyt), 1915-1981 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10570683

Peter Hoyt Dominick (1915-1981) was an attorney who was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served as a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1963-1975. He also served as U.S. Representative from Colorado for the Second District from 1961-1963. In 1946, Dominick and his family moved from Connecticut to Colorado, where Dominick joined the Denver law firm of Holland and Hart as a partner. Sen. Dominick served on the Republican Policy Committee and he was the ranking minority member of the Education Subcommittee of the Labor and Public Welfare Committee. He was an advocate for giving tax credits for higher education, and he was instrumental in moving the Head Start program from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Sen. Dominick also was involved in the development of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. During his tenure in Congress he made two trips to Vietnam and Southeast Asia as a member of the Armed Services Committee.

From the description of Peter H. Dominick papers, 1940-1976. (University of Denver, Penrose Library). WorldCat record id: 60323656

Peter Hoyt Dominick was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on July 7, 1915. He was educated in public schools and graduated from St. Mark's School, Southborough, Massachusetts. He attended Yale University, where he received his A.B. in 1937, and LL.B. in 1940. After graduation he married Nancy Parks. The Dominicks had three sons and a daughter, Peter Jr., Michael, Sandy and Lynne.

During World War II, Peter Dominick served in the Army Air Corps as a pilot. His war service included flying the "hump" between India and China, and earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal and Cluster. After the war, Dominick remained in the Air Force Reserve, reaching the rank of colonel. He maintained his private pilot's license until health concerns in the late 1960s forced him to stop flying. The flexibility afforded by his flying greatly increased the scope of both his political appearances and his speaking throughout the country.

World War II also introduced him to Colorado, when he spent time at Lowry Air Base. In 1946, the family moved to Denver, Colorado, and Dominick joined the law firm of Holland and Hart. He resigned as a partner in 1961 after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, he was elected to the Colorado State Legislature as a Representative from Arapahoe County. After spending two years as a U.S. Representative, Dominick ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican, and won, defeating an incumbent Democrat.

Dominick served as a U.S. Senator from Colorado from January 3, 1963 to January 2, 1975. Those years saw momentous national events such as the assassination of President Kennedy, the Vietnam War and the passage of landmark civil rights legislation. Dominick was active in the Republican Party, giving speeches at fundraising events for Republican candidates throughout the country, serving on the Republican Policy Committee, and chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was also one of nine Republican Senators to support the Kennedy Civil Rights Bill. Dominick was the ranking minority member of the Education Subcommittee of the Labor and Public Welfare Committee. He was an advocate for giving tax credits for higher education, and he was instrumental in moving the Head Start program from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Sen. Dominick also was involved in the development of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. During his tenure in Congress he made two trips to Vietnam and Southeast Asia as a member of the Armed Services Committee.

He was defeated for reelection in 1974, and served in 1975 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Switzerland until failing health caused him to resign. He returned to his home in Cherry Hills, Colorado to battle multiple sclerosis. He died in Hobe Sound, Florida on March 18, 1981.

From the guide to the Senator Peter H. Dominick Papers, 1940-1976, (Special Collections and Archives, Penrose Library, University of Denver, 2150 E. Evans Ave., Denver, CO 80208)