Congressman Pete Olson

Congressman, United States of America

Bio Current as of June 17, 2015

Congressman Pete Olson represents the 22nd District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was born on December 9, 1962 at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Washington. The Olson family settled in Seabrook, Texas in 1972, where Olson grew up and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1981. He received a B.A. from Rice University in 1985 and earned his law degree from the University of Texas in 1988. On the day he completed the Texas bar examination, Pete took the oath of office for service in the United States Navy. Pete attended Aviation Officer Candidate School and earned his Wings of Gold in March 1991. During his decorated career, he flew the P-3C Orion, which is designed to track and destroy ballistic missile submarines. During his deployments, Pete flew missions over the Sea of Okhotsk between Japan and Russia, the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf, where he helped to enforce the international sanctions levied upon Iraq after Operation Desert Storm.

In 1994, Pete’s combat aircrew was named the Pacific Fleet’s best in anti-submarine warfare. Pete was transferred to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1994 and a year later, was assigned as a naval liaison officer to the U.S. Senate. In 1998, Olson became a legislative aide to Texas Senator Phil Gramm. In 2002, newly elected Texas Senator John Cornyn appointed him as his first Chief of Staff.

In 2005, Pete returned home to Texas and in November 2008, the people of the 22nd District of Texas elected him to the 111th Congress. In his second term in Congress, the Republican Leadership appointed Pete to serve on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. The Energy & Commerce Committee has wide jurisdiction over the energy, healthcare, and telecommunications industries, including oversight of five Cabinet-level departments and seven independent agencies. Given the important role the energy and health care industries play as local economic drivers, this committee assignment is important for the Houston region. Pete and his wife Nancy live in Sugar Land, Texas with their children, Kate and Grant, and their dog Riley. They are active members of the United Methodist Church.