Mary E. Peters Bio
Mary Elizabeth Peters (born December 4, 1948) is an American government official and politician who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. She was the second woman to hold that office, following Elizabeth Dole. A member of the Republican Party, Peters previously led the Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation, and she has since worked as a transportation consultant for national engineering and planning organizations.
Throughout her career, Peters has been a leading voice on highway finance, advocating for tolling and public-private partnerships as alternatives to traditional fuel-tax funding. She graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, and she also attended a seminar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Early Life and Background
Mary Elizabeth Peters was born on December 4, 1948, in Peoria, Arizona. When she was six years old, her parents divorced, and her father raised her and her three siblings in Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up in Arizona shaped her lifelong interest in transportation and infrastructure in the rapidly growing American Southwest.
She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Phoenix. Seeking to deepen her knowledge of public policy, she later attended a three-week seminar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, an experience that helped prepare her for senior government service.
Path to US Politics
Peters began her transportation career in Arizona, joining the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1985. Her steady rise through the agency reflected both her operational skill and her commitment to modernizing state road systems during a period of rapid population growth in the Sun Belt.
In 1998, Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull appointed Peters to serve as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, putting her in charge of one of the largest state transportation agencies in the country. After George W. Bush took office as president in 2001, Peters left Arizona for Washington to lead the Federal Highway Administration, the arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees the country’s road network.
Mary E. Peters Career
Early Career (1985–2001)
Mary Elizabeth Peters joined the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1985, where she spent more than a decade working on highway planning, construction, and maintenance. Her work at the state agency gave her hands-on experience with the day-to-day challenges of managing large infrastructure projects.
In 1998, Governor Jane Dee Hull appointed Peters as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. As director, she oversaw a period of significant expansion of Arizona’s highway system and built a reputation as a forward-thinking administrator who favored innovative financing tools.
Federal Highway Administration Breakthrough (2001–2005)
Following President George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2001, Peters was appointed Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, a post she held until 2005. In that role, she directed federal-aid highway programs and worked with states on funding, safety, and infrastructure improvements.
Her tenure in Washington elevated her national profile and positioned her as a leading Republican voice on transportation policy. She left the Federal Highway Administration in 2005 and returned to Arizona, where she was soon mentioned as a possible candidate for governor.
United States Secretary of Transportation Era (2006–2009)
On September 5, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Peters to replace Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 2006, becoming the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation and the second woman to serve in the role, after Elizabeth Dole.
During her tenure, Peters became a prominent advocate of leasing U.S. roads and interstates to private companies and using user fees, such as tolls, to help build new highways. She warned that the National Highway System would run out of money without substantial changes and suggested that some states should turn to toll roads leased to private corporations to fill funding gaps. Her open-borders approach to commerce drew opposition from labor unions.
In 2006, President Bush also appointed Peters as Co-Vice Chairwoman of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. On September 5, 2008, she held a press conference announcing that Highway Trust Fund payments to states, including her native Arizona, would be reduced as federal fuel-tax collections declined. Peters resigned the post of Secretary of Transportation in anticipation of the incoming Obama administration, and she was succeeded by Ray LaHood, the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation, on January 22, 2009.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the most notable actions of Peters’s career was her confirmation as the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation, a milestone that made her only the second woman ever to lead the department. She also played a central role in shaping the national debate over highway financing by championing tolling and public-private partnerships as practical alternatives to raising fuel taxes.
Mary E. Peters Career Wins
Mary Elizabeth Peters built a career defined by steady advancement through senior transportation posts at both the state and federal levels. Her achievements include leading the Arizona Department of Transportation, serving as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and serving as the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation.
Federal Leadership Highlights
As Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to 2005, Peters oversaw the federal-aid highway program and worked with states on infrastructure, safety, and funding matters. She then went on to become the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation, a cabinet-level position she held from 2006 to 2009, and only the second woman ever confirmed to that role.
Other Achievements
In Arizona politics, Peters co-chaired the re-election campaign of incumbent Governor Jan Brewer, serving alongside former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods. After leaving the cabinet, she returned to the private sector as a transportation consultant for national engineering and planning organizations.
Mary E. Peters Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Mary Elizabeth Peters was raised primarily by her father in Phoenix, Arizona, after her parents divorced when she was six years old. She grew up alongside three siblings in the American Southwest, an upbringing that grounded her in the practical politics of growth, roads, and infrastructure in a fast-changing state.
Personal Life
Mary married Terry Peters, a Marine, at age 17. She and Terry have three children together.