Gary Charles Peters Sr. is a Democratic politician serving as a United States Senator from Michigan since 2015.
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. His father, a World War II veteran, worked as a public school teacher for more than 30 years. His mother – who survived Nazi occupation of France and met Gary's father while he served in Europe during the war – worked as a nurse's aide at a local nursing home. 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. Gary is an Eagle Scout, and a member of the National Eagle Scout Association. In 2019, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. 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. He also earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College.
He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. 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.
Gary and his wife, Colleen, live in Oakland County and have three children: Gary Jr., Madeleine and Alana.
