General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Pete Peterson bankrolled debunked austerity study, could make billions off safety net privatization [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Peter George "Pete" Peterson (born June 5, 1926) is an American businessman, investment banker, fiscal conservative, author, and politician whose most prominent political position was as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972 to February 1, 1973 serving under Richard Nixon. He is currently best known as founder and principal funder of The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which he established in 2008 with a $1 billion endowment. The group focuses on raising public awareness about U.S. fiscal-sustainability issues related to federal deficits, entitlement programs, and tax policies.[1]
Before serving in the White House, Peterson was Chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell, from 1963 to 1971. From 1973 to 1984 he was Chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers. In 1985 he co-founded the private equity firm, the Blackstone Group. Peterson was Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations until retiring in 2007, after being named chairman emeritus. In 2008, Peterson was ranked 149th on the "Forbes 400 Richest Americans" with a net worth of $2.8 billion.
Peterson founded the Blackstone Group, which went public in 2007. He has been named the most influential billionaire in U.S. politics.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_George_Peterson
If you want a good laugh, look at the picture of Peterson posted on Wikipedia. It may not be Peterson's fault, but he looks very young. He was born in 1926. The Wikipedia picture has to be from the Nixon era.
You'd think Peterson, with all his pull, would get Wikipedia to update his photo.