Hoekstra, Pete, 1953-

HOEKSTRA, Peter, a Representative from Michigan; born in Groningen, Netherlands, October 30, 1953; graduated from Holland Christian High School, Holland, Mich.; B.A., Hope College, Holland, Mich., 1975; M.B.A., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., 1977; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Third and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1993-January 3, 2011); chair, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (One Hundred Eighth and One Hundred Ninth Congresses); not a candidate for reelection in 2010, but was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for governor of Michigan; United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, 2017-2021.

<p>Peter Hoekstra is the only member of the U. S. House of Representatives who was born in the Netherlands. That by itself qualifies him to be included in the list of prominent Dutch Americans. But that is by no means the only reason why he is included. During his 14 year congressional career he has become a nationally prominent member of that august body. He has become considerably more visible since he was appointed to be Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in August 2004. As of January 2007 he will lose that position but he will probably remain as the ranking Republican Member of that Committee.</p>

<p>Peter Hoekstra was born in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands on October 30, 1953. He immigrated into the United States as a three year old child with his parents in 1957. The family settled in western Michigan, in an area that is a Dutch American stronghold. He grew up there, went to Hope College, in Holland, Michigan and graduated with a B. A. Degree in Political Science in 1975. Apparently while in college he already had political ambitions and that may have been the reason why he decided to major in political science. He then entered the University of Michigan Business School from where he earned his M. B. A. Degree in 1977. Upon graduation he went to work for Herman Miller, an office furniture manufacturer, and spent the next 15 years at Herman Miller, working himself up to the position of Vice President of Marketing.</p>

<p>In 1992 he got that political itch again and decided to run for a seat in the House of Representatives in the Second Federal District in western Michigan, a congressional district that has the largest concentration of Dutch Americans in the nation. Even though he was running against another Dutch American, who was the incumbent, Hoekstra was able to convince the electorate that it was time for a change, and he managed to win the election in a door-to-door campaign. So in January 1993 Peter Hoekstra was sworn in as a member of the 102nd U. S. Congress.</p>

<p>Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (/ˈhʊkstrə/; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011.</p>

<p>Born in the Netherlands, Hoekstra immigrated to the United States as a child. In 1992, Hoekstra ran for the U.S. House, defeating thirteen-term incumbent Guy Vander Jagt in the Republican primary and Democratic opponent John H. Miltner in the general election. Hoekstra was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2004 to 2007. He was a candidate for governor in Michigan's 2010 gubernatorial election, but came in second to Rick Snyder in the Republican primary. Hoekstra was also a candidate for the United States Senate in 2012, losing to Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the general election.</p>

<p>In July 2017, Hoekstra was nominated to be United States Ambassador to the Netherlands by President Donald Trump. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 9, 2017, and Hoekstra was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador on December 11, 2017. He took office on January 10, 2018. He left office on January 17, 2021.</p>