Peter Willcox

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Peter Willcox (born March 6, 1953) is a Greenpeace activist best known for being captain of the ship the Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed by French agents.

[edit] Early years

Willcox was born to Eleanor Fraleigh. He was soon after adopted by Elsie and Roger Willcox. He was raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. he attended boarding school in Vermont at St. Luke's school, North Country, and Putney High. His adopted mother died in 1974, leaving him his brother and sister to be raised by their adopted father. Roger Willcox was the harbormaster of Village Creek harbor in Norwalk, and he instilled a great love of sailing in Peter from an early age. Rather than attending college, Peter signed on with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, working with the environmentalist group. Though he originally intended to return to college, his time on the Clearwater led him to pursue a career in environmentalism.

[edit] Greenpeace

Following his time on the Clearwater, Willcox pursued a career with Greenpeace. Quickly rising through the ranks, he became captain of the Rainbow Warrior. He has participated in decades of active actions, including his campaigns against Soviet mechanized whaling and the nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Other major actions have been directed towards preservation of ancient rainforests, and protests of deep-sea trawl fishing. On July 10, 1985, Willcox's ship, Rainbow Warrior, was bombed by French agents. The event, which cost one of those on board his life, caused an international scandal. A dramatic retelling of the story is available in the form of a film, entitled "The Rainbow Warrior"^[1].