Thomas “Tom” Evert Petri was born May 28, 1940, in Marinette, Wisconsin. When
Petri was a toddler, his father, Thomas Evert, a Navy pilot, and Lieutenant Commander, was
killed during a mission over the Atlantic in World War II. To support her family, Petri's
mother, Marian, worked as a teacher in the Fond du Lac public school system. When Petri was
five years old, Marian married Robert Petri who then adopted Thomas and his younger brother.
While growing up, Petri proved to be an industrious young man taking jobs shoveling snow,
painting houses, working as a messenger for the First Wisconsin Bank, and selling
advertising and hosting the “Teen Time” radio show for local station, KFIZ.
Petri attended Fond du Lac public schools and graduated from Lowell P. Goodrich High School
in 1958.
Petri attended Harvard University where he graduated with a BA degree in 1962 and a
J.D. in 1966. While a student, Petri helped establish the Ripon Society, a centrist Republican
organization. Petri was admitted to the Wisconsin State and Fond du Lac County Bar
Association in 1965.
Petri married Anne deHayden Neal in 1965. Anne D. Neal, a practicing
attorney, was also active in historical preservation and educational issues, and was a
co-founder of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The couple have one daughter,
Alexandra, a Washington Post columnist and humorist.
In 1965
and 1966, Petri served as a law clerk to Federal Judge James Doyle. In 1966, he volunteered
for the Peace Corps and served in Somalia from 1966 to 1967. When Petri returned to the
United States, he served as executive director of the Ripon Society and conducted seminars
on elections at the Kennedy Institute. From 1969 to 1970, he worked in Washington, D.C. as
director of the crime and drug studies section of the President's National Advisory Council
on Executive Organization. Petri practiced law in Fond du Lac from 1970 to 1979.
After
establishing a law practice, Petri was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1972 and
re-elected in 1976. During this period, his chief committee assignments included
vice-chairmanships of Industry, Labor, Taxation, and Banking (1973) and the Legislative
Council's Special Committee on Solid Waste Management (1977). He also served on the Joint
Committee on Audit, the Council on Drug Abuse, and other committees noted in biennial
editions of the Blue Book. In 1975, while continuing to serve
in the Senate, Petri was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies.
Generally considered a moderate Republican, Petri earned his reputation in Wisconsin not for
specific legislative initiatives, but by his willingness to run for elective office. In
1974, he ran against incumbent Senator Gaylord Nelson and lost. In 1978, he expressed
interest in both the governor's race and the lieutenant governorship but failed to win party
support for either.
He was first elected to the United States Congress representing the
Sixth District of Wisconsin in a special election held in April 1979 to fill the seat held
by the late William Steiger who had died in December 1978. In the predominantly Republican
district, Petri rarely faced serious opposition and was re-elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives until he retired in 2014.
During his tenure in Congress, Petri served on the
Committee on Education and Labor and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well
as many of their subcommittees. The following is a list of committee assignments that Petri
held while a member of Congress:
- 96th Congress
- Education and Labor
- 97th Congress
- Education and Labor
Select Committee on Aging
- 98th Congress
- Education and Labor
Public Works and Transportation
- 99th Congress
- Education and Labor
Public Works and Transportation
- 100th Congress
- Education and Labor
Public Works and Transportation
Ethics
- 101th Congress
- Education and Labor
Public Works and Transportation
Standards of Official
Conduct
- 102th Congress
- Education and Labor
Public Works and Transportation
Standards of Official
Conduct
- 103th Congress
- Education and Labor Committee and its subcommittees on Postsecondary Education and
Training (ranking member) on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education
Public
Works and Transportation Committee and its subcommittees on Surface Transportation
(ranking member), on Water Resources and Environment, on Public Buildings and Grounds
Post Office and Civil Service Committee and its subcommittee on Census Statistics and
Postal Personnel (ranking Republican member)
Standards of Official Conduct
- 104th Congress
- Economic and Educational Opportunities (formerly Education and Labor Committee) and
its subcommittees on Postsecondary Education, Training and Lifelong Learning (ranking
member), on Postsecondary Education, Training and Lifelong Learning
Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee and its subcommittees on Surface Transportation (chairman), on
Water Resources and Environment
Post Office and Civil Service Committee and its
subcommittee on Census Statistics and Postal Personnel (ranking member)
Standards of
Official Conduct
- 105th Congress
- Education and the Workforce Committee (vice-chairman) and its subcommittees on
Postsecondary Education, Training and Lifelong Learning
on Postsecondary Education,
Training and Lifelong Learning
Transportation and Infrastructure (formerly Public Works
and Transportation) Committee (vice-chairman) and its subcommittees on Surface
Transportation (chairman), on Water Resources and Environment
Post Office and Civil
Service Committee and its subcommittee on Census Statistics and Postal Personnel
(ranking member)
Standards of Official Conduct.
- 106th Congress
- Education and the Workforce Committee (vice-chairman)
Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee (vice-chairman)
Post Office and Civil Service Committee, and
its subcommittee on Census Statistics and Postal Personnel (ranking member)
Standards
of Official Conduct
- 107th Congress
- Education and the Workforce Committee
Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee
- 108th Congress
- Education and Workforce Committee (vice-chairperson) and its subcommittee on 21st
Century Competitiveness
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its
subcommittees on Highways, Transit and Pipelines (Chairperson) and on Aviation
- 109th Congress
- Education and Workforce Committee (vice-chairperson) and its subcommittee on 21st
Century Competitiveness
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its
subcommittees on Highways, Transit and Pipelines (Chairperson), on Aviation, and on
Railroads
- 110th Congress
- Education and Labor and its subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and
Competitiveness
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its subcommittees on
Highways and Transit, on Aviation, on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous
Materials
- 111th Congress
- Education and Labor and its subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and
Secondary Education
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its subcommittees
on Aviation (ranking member), on Highways and Transit, on Railroads, Pipelines and
Hazardous Materials
- 112th Congress
- Education and Labor and its subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and
Secondary Education, on Higher Education and the Workforce
Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee and its subcommittees on Aviation (chairperson), and on
Highways and Transit
- 113th Congress
- Education and Labor and its subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and
Secondary Education, on Higher Education and Workforce Training
Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee and its subcommittees on Aviation, on Economic Development,
Public Buildings and Emergency Management, and on Highways and Transit
(Chairperson)
During his career as a congressperson, Petri introduced 279 bills and resolutions. The
major areas of sponsorship included 42 related to taxation, 40 to education, 31 to labor and
employment, 22 to transportation and public works, and 18 to social welfare. Petri's
proposed legislation efforts included the MultiCare Act, a national health care plan; the
IDEA (Income Dependent Education Assistance Act) and STAR (Student Aid Reward Act) acts
related to consolidating student loans; several acts related to Federal Deposit Insurance
reform, including the Taxpayer Protection Deposit Insurance Reform and Regulatory Relief Act
of 1992; the Tobacco Deregulation Acts of 1981 and 1983 to remove price supports for tobacco
and its marketing; and the Push Poll Disclosure Act which would require telephone election
pollsters to disclose their affiliations and report costs. Petri was particularly active in
promoting legislation and reforms related to student loans for higher education.
At the
local level, Petri was instrumental in facilitating the transfer of the Fox River Locks from
the United States Army Corps of Engineers to the state of Wisconsin; promoted the interest
of Wisconsin dairy industry in pricing and milk marketing support; provided assistance and
support to federal contractors based in Wisconsin; helped facilitate water and sewerage
infrastructure building and upgrades throughout Wisconsin communities; and provided support
for aviation and transportation infrastructure improvements throughout Wisconsin. Petri's
position as ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and chair of
some of the subcommittees was instrumental in helping Wisconsin communities with issues
related to aviation and surface transportation.
