Editing Pete Peterson (section)

==Career==
After the Vietnam War, Peterson remained in the Air Force and retired in 1981 as a colonel with 26 years of service. After retirement he established a general contracting firm in [[Tampa, Florida]] and later a small computer company in [[Marianna, Florida]] called CRT Computers. He served for 5 years on the faculty of [[Florida State University]] in [[Tallahassee, Florida]].

=== Congress ===
In 1990, Peterson ran as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] for a seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]] in [[Florida's 2nd congressional district]]. He defeated [[James W. Grant | Bill Grant]], the incumbent congressman who had grown unpopular after switching from the Democratic Party to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in the middle of his second term. Peterson won and served three terms from 1991 to 1996.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/05/clinton-sends-ambassador-to-communist-vietnam-076051 | author=Andrew Glass | date=May 9, 2012 | website=Politico | title=Clinton sends ambassador to Communist Vietnam}}</ref>

[[Jason Altmire]], who later became a three-term congressman himself, was a staffer during Peterson’s first campaign and time in Congress.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2023/11/former-pennsylvania-rep-jason-altmire-leads-a-discussion-on-american-partisanship-at-kpu-election-day-event | author=Phillip Kulubya | date=November 16, 2023 | website=The American Eagle | title=Former U.S. Representative leads discussion on partisanship at KPU Election Day event}}</ref>

=== Ambassador to Vietnam ===
Peterson declined to run for a fourth term (he was succeeded by [[Allen Boyd]]) and was asked by President [[Bill Clinton]] to become the United States's first post-war ambassador to Vietnam.<ref name="webb"/> He was confirmed by the Senate and began his tenure in 1997. His primary goals were securing an account of those still listed as missing in action from the war and helping to resolve the [[Vietnam War POW/MIA issue]].

=== Presidential Citizens Medal ===
On November 17, 2000, he was presented with the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]] by President Clinton.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/textonly/library/hot_releases/November_17_2000_6.html | title= Remarks of President Clinton to embassy personnel | date=November 17, 2000}}</ref>

===Philanthropy and business===
Since retiring as ambassador, Peterson founded [[The Alliance for Safe Children]], TASC, which aims to lower preventable injuries to children worldwide, and focuses specifically on such issues as drowning in Asia.<ref name="children">{{cite news|title=Children from developing world dying of preventable injuries: UN|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200210/s694479.htm|access-date=5 October 2010|newspaper=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|date=6 October 2002}}</ref><ref name="BBC, Swimming" >{{Cite web|title=Pete Peterson: The ex-POW teaching Vietnam to swim|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21770163|author=William Kremer|date=23 March 2013|publisher=BBC News magazine}}</ref> With his wife he started a company whose aim it is to promote American business in Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pete Peterson starts business|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZoUeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4396,1567512&dq=pete-peterson+vietnam&hl=en|access-date=8 October 2010|newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]|date=27 February 2002}}</ref>

Peterson later was a senior advisor for [[Albright Stonebridge Group]], an international strategic consulting firm.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/05/clinton-sends-ambassador-to-communist-vietnam-076051 | author=Andrew Glass | date=May 9, 2012 | website=Politico | title=Clinton sends ambassador to Communist Vietnam}}</ref>