Pete Wilson | |
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36th Governor of California | |
In office January 7, 1991 – January 4, 1999 |
|
Lieutenant |
Leo T. McCarthy (1991–1995) Gray Davis (1995–1999) |
Preceded by | George Deukmejian |
Succeeded by | Gray Davis |
United States Senator from California |
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In office January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 |
|
Preceded by | S. I. Hayakawa |
Succeeded by | John F. Seymour |
29th Mayor of San Diego | |
In office December 6, 1971 – January 3, 1983 |
|
Preceded by | Francis Earl Curran |
Succeeded by | Bill Cleator (Acting) |
Member of the California State Assembly from the 76th district |
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In office January 3, 1967 – January 7, 1971 |
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Preceded by | Clair Burgener |
Succeeded by | Bob Wilson |
Personal details | |
Born |
Peter Barton Wilson August 23, 1933 Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Gayle Edlund Wilson |
Children | 2 stepsons |
Education |
Yale University (BA) UC Berkeley School of Law (JD) |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1955–1958 |
Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator and as the 36th Governor of California.
Born in Lake Forest, Illinois, Wilson graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Law after serving in the United States Marine Corps. He established a legal practice in San Diego and campaigned for Republicans such as Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater. Wilson won election to the California State Assembly in 1966 and became the Mayor of San Diego in 1971. He held that office until 1983, when he became a member of the United States Senate.
In the Senate, Wilson supported the Strategic Defense Initiative and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, while he opposed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. He resigned from the Senate after winning the 1990 California gubernatorial election. As governor, he signed a three-strikes law and supported energy deregulation and term limits. He was also an advocate for California Proposition 187, which established a state-run citizenship screening system with the intention of preventing illegal immigrants from using social services. He sought the presidential nomination in the 1996 Republican primaries but quickly dropped out of the race.