Pete Olson

Bio:  Pete Olson was born on December 9, 1962 at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Washington. The Olson family settled in Seabrook, TX in 1972. Olson attended public school and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1981.  He graduated from Rice University in 1985 and received his law degree from the University of Texas, School of Law in Austin. In July 1988, on the day he completed the Texas Bar Examination, Pete took the Oath of Office for service in the United States Navy.  In 1998, Olson became an aide to Texas Senator Phil Gramm and later served as Chief of Staff for Senator John Cornyn.

Olson took the oath of office for the 111th Congress on January 6, 2009, for his first term as Congressman for the 22nd District of Texas. Olson served on the following committees; House Transportation & Infrastructure, Science & Technology (Ranking Member, Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee) and Homeland Security.

Pete and his wife Nancy live in Sugar Land, TX with their children, Kate and Grant and their dog Riley. They are active members of the United Methodist Church.

Military Bio:  Pete began his naval career in Pensacola, FL, where he attended Aviation Officer Candidate School and began a decorated, nine-year career as a Naval Aviator. Pete’s flight training brought him back to Texas in May 1989. He earned his Wings of Gold in March 1991 and began his training to fly the P-3C Orion, which is designed to track and destroy ballistic missile submarines.  During his deployments, Pete flew missions over the Persian Gulf to enforce the international sanctions levied upon Iraq after Operation Desert Storm. He also flew across much of the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk between Japan and Russia. In 1994, Pete’s combat aircrew was named 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 to be a Naval Liaison Officer to the U.S. Senate.

Legislation:  In his second term in Congress, Olson was appointed by Republican Leadership to serve on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Given the large role that energy, healthcare and telecommunications issues play in his Houston area district, this committee allows Olson to advocate for the critical economic drivers of this diverse suburban district.

Upon re-election for a fourth term in the 114th Congress, Olson remains on the Energy and Commerce Committee with a new leadership role as Vice Chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee. Olson was also tapped to serve on the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee. Olson also serves as a member of the House Majority Whip Team.

Last year he was successful in securing a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWII Doolittle Raiders. He worked hard to get that done before we lost our remaining three Raiders.

Olson’s most recent accomplishment is not veteran specific, but he did work to rename a Post Office in TX after one of our fallen Marines. The bill was signed into law on August 1st.