Peter Fitzgerald (politician)

Peter Fitzgerald
Born	Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald (1960-10-20) October 20, 1960 Elgin, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Attorney, politician, banker
Years active	1988–present
Known for	U.S. Senator from Illinois (1999–2005)

Peter Gosselin Fitzgerald (born October 20, 1960) is a former American attorney and politician who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1999 until 2005. Affiliated with the Republican Party, he defeated the sitting Democratic senator, Carol Moseley Braun, in the 1998 election, marking the first time a Republican secured a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois since Charles Percy two decades prior. Before his tenure in the Senate, Fitzgerald served in the Illinois State Senate between 1993 and 1998.

Recognized for his independent approach within his party, Fitzgerald stepped down in 2005 and was succeeded by Barack Obama. After leaving public office, he and his wife moved to McLean, Virginia. He is the son of banking entrepreneur Gerald Francis Fitzgerald and established Chain Bridge Bank in 2007.

Early life

Fitzgerald was born in Elgin, Illinois as one of five siblings to Gerald Francis and Marjorie (née Gosselin) Fitzgerald. His upbringing took place in Inverness, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

He completed his secondary education at Portsmouth Abbey School in 1978 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1982. As a Rotary Scholar, he pursued studies at Aristotelian University in Greece before obtaining his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan in 1986. His family has been active in commercial banking since the mid-1940s; his father expanded Suburban Bancorp by acquiring multiple banks throughout Chicago’s suburbs, eventually selling it in 1994 for $246 million to a Bank of Montreal affiliate. In 1988, Fitzgerald made an unsuccessful bid for the Illinois House of Representatives, narrowly losing in the Republican primary.

State Senate

Fitzgerald entered the Illinois State Senate in 1992 as part of a conservative faction known as the "Fab Five," which frequently challenged the leadership of the Illinois Republican Party. This group also included Steve Rauschenberger, Dave Syverson, Patrick O'Malley, and Chris Lauzen.

1994 congressional bid

In 1994, Fitzgerald sought the Republican nomination for Illinois’s 8th congressional district, challenging incumbent Republican Representative Phil Crane. He was defeated in a multi-candidate primary, receiving 33% of the vote compared to Crane’s 40%.

1998 senatorial campaign

During the 1998 election cycle, Fitzgerald contested against Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun. He narrowly secured the Republican nomination over Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson, who was endorsed by party leaders such as Governor Jim Edgar and former presidential candidate Bob Dole. Despite estranging some within party ranks, Fitzgerald clinched the nomination.

In the general election, with backing from both Republicans and Independents, he triumphed over Moseley Braun by a margin of 2.9%, becoming Illinois’s first Republican U.S. Senator in twenty years and notably the only Republican challenger nationwide to unseat a Democratic incumbent senator that year.

Senate tenure

Fitzgerald drew national attention in 2000 when he filibustered a federal spending bill due to allocations for the Lincoln Presidential Library that he contended were inflated by Governor George Ryan, who was later convicted on corruption charges. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he stood alone among senators opposing a $15 billion bailout for airlines, cautioning that taxpayers would bear undue risk; despite his opposition, the measure passed overwhelmingly with a vote of 96–1.

Holding conservative views on abortion—except when necessary to save the mother’s life—gay marriage, and taxation, Fitzgerald diverged from traditional conservatives on environmental policies by opposing drilling activities within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also endorsed moderate measures on gun control, advocated for immigration reform, and supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation.

Fitzgerald frequently confronted Illinois Republican leaders by insisting on appointing an out-of-state U.S. Attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, to investigate corruption within state government. This appointment led to indictments against former Republican Governor George Ryan and Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich, reinforcing Illinois's reputation for political malfeasance.

Denied backing from his party for reelection, Fitzgerald chose not to seek another term. Businessman Jack Ryan won the GOP primary but withdrew amid controversy surrounding his divorce records; despite calls for withdrawal, Fitzgerald continued to support Ryan. Subsequently, Maryland native Alan Keyes was nominated but faced accusations of "carpetbagging" and suffered a decisive defeat against Barack Obama. Political analysts noted that Fitzgerald’s appeal among independent voters would have provided him with a stronger chance against Obama.

In his final months in office, Fitzgerald received commendations from media outlets such as Fox News for maintaining principled positions.

Post-political career

Peter Fitzgerald established and currently chairs Chain Bridge Bank, N.A., located in McLean, Virginia. Additionally, he holds a position on the board of trustees at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, an institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution.

Electoral history

• 1998 Republican Primary – U.S. Senate
  • Peter Fitzgerald (R), 51.83%
  • Loleta Didrickson (R), 48.17%
• 1998 General Election – U.S. Senate
  • Peter Fitzgerald (R), 50.35%
  • Carol Moseley Braun (D), 47.44%

External links

• Federal Election Commission — Peter G Fitzgerald campaign finance data and reports
• New York Times — Topics: Peter G. Fitzgerald aggregated news and analysis
• On the Issues — Peter Fitzgerald stances on issues and quotations
• OpenSecrets.org — Peter G. Fitzgerald details on campaign funding

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