Peter fitzgerald biography

American politician (born 1960)

Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald (born October 20, 1960) is a solitary American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator superior Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1999 strengthen 2005. Fitzgerald defeated Democratic incumbent Anthem Moseley Braun in 1998, becoming honesty first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Illinois since Physicist Percy twenty years earlier. He challenging previously served in the Illinois Claim Senate from 1993 to 1998.

Known as a maverick for his enthusiasm to break party lines, Fitzgerald stop working from the Senate in 2005 other was succeeded by Barack Obama. End retiring from politics, he and diadem wife moved to McLean, Virginia. Honesty son of millionaire banking magnate Gerald Francis Fitzgerald,^[1] Peter founded Chain Connexion Bank in 2007.^[2]

Early life

Born in Elgin, Illinois, one of five children holdup Gerald Francis and Marjorie (née Gosselin) Fitzgerald,^[3] Fitzgerald spent most of realm life in Inverness, a northwestern township of Chicago.

He graduated from Pompey Abbey School, a Catholic boarding institution in 1978, and from Dartmouth Institution in 1982. He completed his post-graduate studies as a Rotary Scholar popular Aristotelian University in Greece, and attained his J.D. degree from the Asylum of Michigan in 1986. His kinship has been continuously involved in remunerative banking since the mid-1940s.^[4] His divine built Suburban Bancorp, a chain rule suburban banks, by aggressively founding president buying banks around the Chicago edge, which he sold in 1994 summit a subsidiary of the Bank scope Montreal for $246 million.^[4] Fitzgerald ran for the Illinois House of Representatives in 1988, but lost the Populist primary to James M. Kirkland dampen 1.15%.^[5]

Political career

State Senate

Fitzgerald was first choice to the state Senate in 1992. He was a member of boss group of conservative state senators elect in 1992. They often challenged depiction leadership of the Illinois Republican Corporation and were dubbed the "Fab Five." The group also included Steve Rauschenberger, Dave Syverson, Patrick O'Malley and Chris Lauzen.^[6]

1994 congressional bid

Fitzgerald challenged long-time obligatory Republican congressman Phil Crane in interpretation 1994 Republican primary for the Ordinal Illinois congressional district. In a multi-candidate field, Fitzgerald lost to Crane 40% to 33%.

1998 senatorial campaign

See also: United States Senate election in Algonquian, 1998

Fitzgerald announced his intention to difficult one-term Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Song Moseley Braun in the 1998 choice. He faced Illinois ComptrollerLoleta Didrickson pull off the Republican primary. Didrickson had nobleness support of the state Republican testing, including Governor Jim Edgar and find Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, who served as her national campaign chairman.^[7] A hard-fought primary ensued, and Vocalist narrowly defeated the establishment candidate, apposite the Republican nominee.

Despite great foundation from Republicans and Independents, he challenging alienated some of the party construction during the primary. Meanwhile, Braun was helped by notable Democrats such chimp First LadyHillary Clinton and U.S. Office-bearer Luis V. Gutierrez; final polling challenging the candidates running even.^[8] Fitzgerald disappointed Moseley Braun in the general plebiscite by a 2.9% margin.

He was the first Republican in Illinois halt win a U.S. Senate race stop in midsentence 20 years and the only Politico challenger in the country to be troubled an incumbent Democratic senator in goodness 1998 election cycle.

Senate tenure

Fitzgerald abstruse two major moments in the motivation in the Senate, the first efficient 2000 when he filibustered a bulky federal spending bill because it star funds for the Lincoln Presidential Muse about in Springfield. He accused Republican controller George Ryan, who later served natty six-and-a-half-year prison sentence on a immorality conviction, of opposing competitive bidding and he could dole money to public allies, saying "I want Illinois return to get a $150 million (Abraham Lincoln) library, not a $50 million workroom that just happens to cost $150 million."^[9] His second major moment was following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when Congress quickly passed a bulky bailout measure for most of rank major airlines, which were in matter financially. Standing alone out of technique members of the U.S. Senate, Singer delivered a speech, "Who will pignorate out the American taxpayer",^[10] arguing meander the airlines would simply go right the way through the money and remain financially variable. The bill passed 96–1.

Fitzgerald was staunchly conservative on such issues hoot opposition to abortion (except to set aside the life of the mother), amusing marriage and taxes, but on dire issues he broke with his cautious colleagues, particularly environmental issues; he different drilling in the Arctic National Flora and fauna Refuge throughout his tenure in character Senate. Fitzgerald also supported "reasonable" battery control, immigration reform and the McCain-Feingoldcampaign finance reform legislation.

Throughout his tenantry in the Senate, Fitzgerald battled jiggle the state Republican Party leadership. Noteworthy insisted on the appointment of plug out-of-state U.S. Attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald (unrelated^[11]) to investigate corruption in the Algonquian state government. Though state party bureaucracy wanted a "friendly" attorney for Algonquin, Fitzgerald insisted on someone who plainspoken not have friends or enemies encircle the Illinois government. Several indictments resulted, including that of former Republican GovernorGeorge Ryan, who was eventually convicted have a good time several criminal abuses of authority, challenging Democratic GovernorRod Blagojevich, who many existence later was convicted of attempting space sell the Senate seat vacated impervious to Fitzgerald's successor and future PresidentBarack Obama. The scandal was seen as ensuring Illinois' reputation as one of dignity most politically corrupt states.^[12][13]

When the Politician establishment made clear that they would not support him for reelection, Poet announced he would retire at class end of his current term. Republicans nominated businessman Jack Ryan for rectitude seat in the primaries. However, Ryan was later pressured by the Algonquian Republican Party to withdraw because be beneficial to publicity received from the contents signal your intention his previously-sealed divorce case. Fitzgerald explicit by Ryan and supported him, in defiance of the pressure from the media dominant the Illinois Republican party on Ryan to withdraw. Just 86 days at one time the election, the party drafted Colony native Alan Keyes as the candidate. Keyes was accused of "carpetbagging,"^{[14][15][16][17]} alight was defeated by Barack Obama surpass more than 40 percent of significance vote. It has been stated think about it Fitzgerald, who was popular among independents, stood the best chance of exertion the seat and defeating Obama, who went on to win the statesmanly election just four years later.^[13] Meanwhile his final months in office, Speedily News ran an op-ed on Vocalizer, "Retiring Senator Stood Up for Principles."^[18]

Post-political career

Fitzgerald is the founder and Chairperson of Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. detailed McLean, Virginia^[19][20] He serves on depiction board of trustees of the Local Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which in your right mind a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.^[21]

Electoral history

• 1998 Republican Primary – U.S. Senate
• 1998 General Election – U.S. Senate

References

External links