Peter B. Bensinger (born 1936 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He served from February 1976 to July 1981 in this position. He was appointed Acting Administrator on January 23, 1976, and confirmed by the United States Senate on February 5, 1976. Administrator Bensinger was sworn in on February 23, 1976.
He served under the Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administration. In his time of office, the Operation Trizo has been established and started. With that operation, the DEA and the Mexican government fought illegal poppy plantations in Mexico by destroying crops with spraying and lead to many arrests of drug offenders.
After graduation from Yale University, he worked as a General sales manager with the Brunswick Corporation (1958-1968) and with the Illinois Attorney General among other positions. In 1982, Bensinger became president and CEO of Bensinger, DuPont & Associates in Chicago, established 1982.[1]
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| Preceded by John R. Bartels, Jr. |
Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration 1976–1981 |
Succeeded by Francis M. Mullen |