Rep. Peter King was the first Republican to officially declare his candidacy for president in 2016. The 12th-term congressman from New York made his declaration to a New Hampshire radio station on a visit to the state in September 2013.
King has a long political track record, but most of the public knows little about the outspoken lawmaker’s life before politics. Here are five facts about the GOP presidential hopeful:
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1. Lifelong New Yorker
King was born in Manhattan on April 5, 1944. After being raised in Queens, he graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, then earned his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He has called Nassau County home for the past 45 years, living in Seaford with his wife, Rosemary. The couple has two children and two grandchildren.
2. Political novelist
King has written three novels. Each is rooted in his political background and familial ancestry, as well as his efforts to broker peace in Ireland and Northern Ireland. "Terrible Beauty," published in 2001, is the story of a homemaker in Belfast, Ireland, whose husband is sent to prison for his involvement in the Irish Republican Army. Its sequels, "Deliver Us from Evil" and "Vale of Tears," follow the adventures of Long Island Republican Congressman Sean Cross in tales of intrigue dealing with international terrorism with the IRA and radical Islam.
3. Military service
King’s ardent support for a strong national defense can be traced back to his own military career. After graduating with a juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1968, the GOP presidential hopeful served in the 165th Infantry Regiment of the New York Army National Guard from 1968 to 1973. He is a member of the Fighting 69th Veterans Corps.
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4. Irish Catholic heritage
According to the library at New York University, King’s Irish paternal grandparents emigrated to New York City, specifically Brooklyn, during the 1920s. King’s maternal grandmother was also Irish and settled in New York City, where she married a Welsh man. King’s father, Peter E. King, was a New York City police officer and a World War II army veteran. King attended Catholic schools until high school and returned to parochial schools again in college when he enrolled at St. Francis College and then the University of Notre Dame Law School.
5. Early law career
Like many congressmen, King followed the path of law to public service. While attending the University of Notre Dame from 1965 to 1968, King spent his summers working with Richard Nixon’s law firm, according to NYU's library. One of his colleagues was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. After graduating with a law degree in 1968, King worked as a deputy attorney and later as an executive assistant for Nassau County government on Long Island. The GOP presidential hopeful served as general counsel for Nassau Off-Track Betting in 1977 just prior to his election to the Hempstead Town Council that same year.
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