Pete Hoekstra, 69th U.S. Ambassador to The Netherlands

Pete Hoekstra is a Dutch American politician who became the 69th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands on January 10, 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011.

Born in the Netherlands, Hoekstra immigrated to the United States as a child. In 1992, Hoekstra ran for the U.S. House, defeating thirteen-term incumbent Guy Vander Jagt in the Republican primary and Democratic opponent John H. Miltner in the general election. After the appointment of Congressman Porter Goss as Director of the CIA, Hoekstra became the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, serving from 2004 to 2007. He was a candidate for Governor of Michigan in Michigan's 2010 gubernatorial election, but came in second to Rick Snyder in the Republican primary. Hoekstra was also a candidate for the United States Senate in 2012. He won the Republican primary with 54% of the vote, but later lost to Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the general election.

In July 2017, Hoekstra was nominated to be United States Ambassador to the Netherlands by President Donald Trump. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senateon November 9, 2017, and Hoekstra was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador on December 11, 2017. He took office on January 10, 2018.

• "Pete Hoekstra." Wikipedia, revision of 21 September 2018. < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hoekstra > Accessed 29 September 2018.

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