Petri was born in Marinette, Wisconsin. When he was a toddler, his father, a Navy flyer and lieutenant during World War II, was lost during a mission over the Atlantic. Petri, his infant brother, and his widowed mother moved to Fond du Lac, where Petri's mother taught in the Fond du Lac public schools. He represented his high school as a delegate to the youth government and leadership program Badger Boys State in 1957.[citation needed]
He graduated from Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac. Petri then attended Harvard University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. After graduating from law school he served as a law clerk to federal district judge James Doyle.
He was one of the founders of the Ripon Society, a public policy organization aligned with the Republican Party.[2]
He served as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Somalia from 1966 to 1967.[3] From 1969 to 1970 he served as a White House aide during the Presidency of Richard Nixon.
Petri ran for the U.S. Senate in 1974. He easily won the Republican primary with 85% of the vote.[5] During the campaign, Petri walked across the state of Wisconsin as part of his grassroots strategy.[6] In the general election, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson defeated Petri 62%–36%. Petri took five of 72 counties in the state.[7][8]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In 1979, he won a special election to finish the term of the late U.S. Congressman William A. Steiger, who had died shortly after being re-elected in 1978. He defeated fellow state senator Gary Goyke by only 1,200 voters. He won the seat in his own right in 1980, taking 57 percent of the vote in a rematch with Goyke.
Petri was reelected 16 times. The only time he faced a race anywhere near as close as his 1979 contest came in 1992. That year, he defeated State Representative Peg Lautenschlager 53% to 47%. It would be the only reelection contest in which he won less than 65 percent of the vote. He won ten of the district's thirteen counties. He lost Manitowoc, Brown, and Outagamie counties.[9] He ran unopposed in 1990, 1994, 2002, and 2006. He faced no major-party opposition in 1986 and 1998. In April 2014, Petri announced he would not seek re-election in November 2014.[10]
Petri was the author and sponsor of three surface transportation laws. He supported the laws that eliminated the 55-miles-per-hour speed limit and eliminated the Interstate Commerce Commission.[15]
In 1994, Petri introduced H.R. 4469, "The Multicare Act of 1994". This bill would have established federally funded government-run health insurance programs, and would have authorized states to require an individual to purchase insurance from one of these government-run insurance plans.[23] Petri continued to push for the passage of Multicare until 2004.[24]
In 2011, Petri sponsored an amendment to allow Michigan-based Badger Ferry to continue operating on Lake Michigan dumping more than 500 tons of coal ash a year into the lake.[32] He had received $14,751 in campaign donations from executives of Lake Michigan Carferry,[33][34] the owner of Badger Ferry. The Environmental Protection Agency and Badger Ferry came to agreement in 2013 to modifying coal-dumping procedures within two years. Badger Ferry, the oldest continuously operating coal ferry in the United States, announced in 2015 that is would continue operating without dumping coal in Lake Michigan.[35]
Petri headed the Congressional British-American Parliamentary Exchange Group, which coordinated annual meetings between members of Congress and Parliament.[37]
In the 112th Congress and the 113th Congress, Petri introduced the ExCEL Act,[38] which would have created a universal income-contingent student loan repayment process, where students repaid loans based on their after college earnings.[39] Petri's bill received bipartisan and bicameral support.[40]
In 2012, Petri introduced H.R. 4148, the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway National Heritage Area Act of 2012, which would place 1,444 square miles of land in Wisconsin under the control of the federal government.[41]
In 2014, Petri was investigated for advocating for a constituent company, Oshkosh Corporation, in which he held stock.[42] He was also under scrutiny in regard to another Wisconsin-based business, The Manitowoc Company, in which he had a financial interest.[43] Although the Office of Congressional Ethics found reason to believe Petri violated House rules and standards, the House Ethics Committee disagreed, voting not to impose sanctions on him.[44]
Petri was honored by U.S. English, Inc. in May 2008 for his votes and co-sponsorships of official English legislation in the 110th Congress.[49] Petri had previously sponsored legislation declaring English an official language in 1999.[11]
After leaving office, he became involved in political reform efforts, including joining nine other former members of Congress to co-author a 2021 opinion editorial advocating reforms of Congress.[55]
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