J. Peter Ricketts

Pete Ricketts
Personal details
Born August 19, 1964 (1964-08-19) (age 47)
Political party Republican
Religion Catholic

John Peter "Pete" Ricketts is the former Chief Operating Officer of Ameritrade.[1] He was the Republican nominee for the 2006 U.S. Senate race in Nebraska [2] which he lost to incumbent Ben Nelson.

Contents

Biography

Ricketts was born in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and now lives in Omaha. He attended the University of Chicago for both his bachelor and graduate studies, and received an MBA in marketing and finance from the university's Graduate School of Business.[1]

Ricketts and his wife Susanne have three children, Margot, Roscoe, and Eleanor. Ricketts' father is J. Joseph Ricketts, founder of Ameritrade and current owner of the Chicago Cubs.[1] Ricketts currently sits on the boards of the Cubs and Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska (just south of Omaha). In 2007, he became the Chairman of the Board of the Platte Institute for Economic Research.[3] He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Enterprise Institute.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

2006 campaign for the U.S. Senate

Main article: Nebraska United States Senate election, 2006

Ricketts was the 2006 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held and retained by Democrat Ben Nelson. His opponents in the primary were former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and former state Republican chairman David Kramer. Ricketts spent nearly $5 million of his own money out-of-pocket, outspending his opponents 10-1 in winning the nomination .[2]

Ricketts received some high-profile campaign assistance, most notably from President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney personally. Bush appeared at a campaign rally for Ricketts on November 5, 2006, just days before the election, in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Ricketts was running on a conservative platform, emphasizing fiscal responsibility,[1] immigration reform ,[15] and agriculture [16] , as well as championing a socially conservative platform opposing gay marriage [17] and abortion .[18] In all, he contributed $11,302,078 million of his own money to his campaign, triggering the Millionaire's Amendment which allows his opponent to raise larger amounts from each donor [19] .[20] He spent more money than any Senate candidate in Nebraska history.[21]

Ricketts was soundly defeated in the November election, taking only 36 percent of the vote, the worst showing for a Republican Senate candidate in Nebraska in 26 years. He only carried 13 sparsely populated counties in the western part of the state.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cordes, Henry J. (March 19, 2006). "For Ricketts, it's about earning what you get". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2136058&u_rnd=5261989. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  2. ^ a b Cordes, Henry J. (May 10, 2006). "High-spending race for Senate ahead". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2166938. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  3. ^ Board of Directors, J. Peter Ricketts biography
  4. ^ Gary James Schmitt, Safety, liberty, and Islamist terrorism: American and European approaches to domestic counterterrorism, Lanham, Maryland: Government Institutes, 2010, p. 196 [1]
  5. ^ Orazio P. Attanasio, Erich Battistin, Mario Padula, Inequality in living standards since 1980: income tells only a small part of the story, Government Institutes, 2011, p. 110 [2]
  6. ^ James Q. Wilson, American politics, then and now and other essays, Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, p. 214 [3]
  7. ^ Barry R. Chiswick, High-Skilled Immigration in a Global Labor Market, Government Institutes, 2011, p. 342 [4]
  8. ^ Gordon Hanson, Regulating low-skilled immigration in the United States, Government Institutes, 2010, p. 48 [5]
  9. ^ Andrew P. Morriss, Offshore Financial Centers and Regulatory Competition, Government Institutes, 2010, p. 200 [6]
  10. ^ Walter Berns, Leon R. Kass, Lincoln at Two Hundred: Why We Still Read the Sixteenth President, Government Institutes, 2010 p. 18 [7]
  11. ^ Steven F. Hayward, Mere Environmentalism: A Biblical Perspective on Humans and the Natural World, Government Institutes, 2010, p. 81 [8]
  12. ^ Richard Burkhauser, Mary Daly, The Declining Work and Welfare of People With Disabilities: What Went Wrong and a Strategy for Change, Rowman & Littlefield, 2011, p. 154 [9]
  13. ^ Vaclav Smil, Energy myths and realities: bringing science to the energy policy debate, Government Institutes, 2010, p. 214 [10]
  14. ^ Gary Elvin Marchant, Guy A. Cardineau, Thomas Parker Redick, Thwarting consumer choice: the case against mandatory labeling for genetically modified foods, Government Institutes, 2010, p. 98 [11]
  15. ^ Gonzalez, Cindy (October 13, 2006). "Ricketts criticized for immigrant idea". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2260456. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  16. ^ Walton, Don (March 2, 2006). "Ricketts proposes new agricultural savings accounts". Lincoln Journal Star. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/03/02/local/doc4406572970a7c813307055.txt. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  17. ^ Norman, Andrew. "GOP The Prelims: Candidates Spar Over the Details". The Reader. http://www.thereader.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1146843931&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  18. ^ Walton, Don (September 19, 2006). "Ricketts pokes Nelson's pro-life credentials". Lincoln Journal Star. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/09/19/elections/2006/november/doc451061c1b38ed272715553.txt. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  19. ^ Bratton, Anna Jo. "Ricketts' bid for office hits nearly $10M out of pocket". Columbus Telegram. http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2006/09/21/news/news3ricketts.txt. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 
  20. ^ Tysver, Robynn (October 16, 2006). "In last debate, Ricketts attacks Nelson tie to Columbus firm". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2262191. Retrieved 2006-10-16. 
  21. ^ Tysver, Robynn (September 21, 2006). "Ricketts digs deeper into wallet". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2246624. Retrieved 2006-10-13. 

External links

Locations
Places of Interest
Churches
Other
Persons
Recent Residents