Elected in 2014, Senator Gary Peters is honored to represent the State of Michigan in the U.S. Senate. Throughout his career in public service, Gary has been a strong, independent voice for Michigan’s families and small businesses. He has focused on uniting our communities by fighting for the things that we all agree on — a stronger economy, good-paying jobs, affordable health care, a secure retirement and a fair chance for everyone to succeed.
In the 115th Congress, Gary serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.
In the U.S. Senate, Gary’s top priority is to continue supporting job creation and economic growth to strengthen Michigan small businesses and our middle class. He is committed to working with members of both parties to find commonsense, practical and bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing Michigan and our nation.
Gary is a product of Michigan schools. He graduated from Rochester High School and went on to Alma College where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, while working a full-time job and raising a family, he went on to earn an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Detroit Mercy, a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and an M.A. in Philosophy from Michigan State University with a focus on the ethics of development. Gary was born in Pontiac, Michigan and has lived his entire life in Oakland County. His father, a World War II veteran, worked as a public school teacher for more than 30 years. His mother worked as a nurse’s aide at a local nursing home, where she helped organize her workplace and became an SEIU union steward. Growing up, Gary learned the importance of hard work and fairness from his parents. He started his own small business delivering newspapers at age 11. In junior high, he bused tables at a Big Boy restaurant, and in high school and college, he worked at a local retailer.
For more than 20 years, Gary worked as an investment advisor, helping families save for their retirement and provide for their children’s college education. However, he always felt the need to serve and give back to his community.
Gary volunteered for the U.S. Navy Reserve at age 34, where he earned a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the September 11th terrorist attacks on our country, he volunteered again for drilling status.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, with the country facing unprecedented economic challenges, Gary fought alongside Michigan workers to ensure the survival of our local auto industry. Today, Michigan's auto industry is strong and thousands of new jobs have been created in our state. Gary began his public service as a Rochester Hills City Councilman in 1991. In 1994, he was elected to the Michigan State Senate, where he had more bills signed into law than any other member of his party. Gary later served as the Michigan State Lottery Commissioner, where he generated a record amount of funding for our public schools.
In Congress, Gary has drawn on his business background to make Washington more transparent and accountable. He is leading efforts to eliminate wasteful, duplicative and unnecessary spending, and he is continually working to responsibly reduce the deficit. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Gary worked to hold bad actors on Wall Street accountable. Selected to serve on the Wall Street Reform Conference Committee, Peters played a central role in shaping the toughest financial reform law since the Great Depression. This landmark legislation eliminates future taxpayer-funded bailouts, bans the irresponsible behavior on Wall Street that caused the recession and provides commonsense financial protections for regular Americans.
Gary and his wife, Colleen, live in Oakland County and have three children: Gary Jr., Madeleine and Alana.
