Pete Olson

Pete Olson
Born	Peter Graham Olson 9 12, 1962
Birthplace	Fort Lewis, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district (2009–2021)
Education	Rice University (BA) University of Texas at Austin (JD)
Spouse(s)	Nancy Olson
Children	2

Peter Graham Olson (born December 9, 1962) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy officer who served as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Olson represented a district that encompassed much of southern Houston and its southwestern suburbs, including Sugar Land, Katy, and Pearland—a region shaped by the legacies of the energy industry, NASA's Johnson Space Center, and rapid suburban growth. Born at the military installation of Fort Lewis in Washington state, Olson's path to Congress wound through the halls of Rice University, the cockpit of a U.S. Navy aircraft, the chambers of the United States Senate, and ultimately six terms in the House of Representatives. He announced his retirement on July 25, 2019, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Troy Nehls in January 2021.

Early Life

Peter Graham Olson was born on December 9, 1962, at Fort Lewis, a United States Army installation in the state of Washington. His birth at a military base reflected a family connection to the armed services that would later influence his own career trajectory. Olson grew up in the Houston metropolitan area of Texas, where he developed roots in the community he would eventually represent in Congress.

Details about Olson's childhood and family background prior to his college years are limited in available public records. What is established is that he settled in Texas at a young age and pursued his higher education within the state, attending institutions in Houston and Austin that would shape his professional development in law, military service, and politics.

Education

Olson attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Rice, one of the state's most selective private research universities, provided Olson with an undergraduate education in the same metropolitan area he would later represent in Congress. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Texas School of Law at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. His legal training equipped him for both his military career as a naval officer and his later work in politics and government, including service as a Senate staffer and ultimately as a member of Congress.

Career

Military Service

Following his legal education, Olson entered the United States Navy, where he served on active duty from 1988 to 1997. During his active service, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After transitioning off active duty, Olson continued his military commitment through service in the Navy Reserve from 1997 to 2009, maintaining his reserve status through the period leading up to and including his first election to Congress. His nearly two decades of combined active and reserve military service became a significant element of his political identity and campaign biography during his runs for Congress.

Senate Staff and Political Career

After leaving active Navy duty, Olson transitioned into the political sphere, working as a staffer in the United States Senate. He served on the staff of Senator Phil Gramm and later Senator John Cornyn, both Texas Republicans. This experience in the Senate provided Olson with an intimate understanding of the federal legislative process and established his connections within Republican political networks in Texas. His tenure on Capitol Hill positioned him as a credible candidate when the opportunity arose to seek a House seat in the Houston area.

2008 Congressional Campaign

Texas's 22nd congressional district had been a focal point of national political attention for years, owing in large part to the legacy of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who had represented the district before resigning amid legal troubles. In 2006, Democrat Nick Lampson won the seat in a special circumstance after DeLay's name remained on the ballot despite his withdrawal from the race. By 2008, Republicans saw the district—which leaned conservative in its voter registration and presidential voting patterns—as a prime pickup opportunity.

Olson entered the Republican primary for the seat and faced a competitive field that included Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who had previously served as a write-in candidate for the seat in a 2006 special election. The primary proceeded to a runoff, in which Olson defeated Sekula-Gibbs to secure the Republican nomination. Olson's campaign drew substantial support from within the Republican establishment, with multiple members of Congress endorsing his candidacy.

In the general election, Olson faced incumbent Democrat Nick Lampson. The race attracted national attention, with political analysts noting that the district's underlying Republican lean made Lampson vulnerable despite the advantages of incumbency. Polling throughout the campaign showed Olson with leads over Lampson. Political commentators at The Washington Post and other outlets tracked the race as one of the competitive House contests of the 2008 cycle, even as Democrats were making gains nationally behind the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama.

On Election Day in November 2008, Olson defeated Lampson to win the seat, reclaiming the district for Republicans. The victory was notable in that it occurred during a national Democratic wave election that saw Barack Obama win the presidency and Democrats expand their majorities in both chambers of Congress. Olson's success in bucking that trend underscored the conservative character of the 22nd district.

Tenure in Congress

Olson took office on January 3, 2009, at the start of the 111th United States Congress. He would go on to serve six consecutive terms, representing the 22nd district through the end of the 116th United States Congress in January 2021.

Throughout his congressional tenure, Olson represented a district that was home to significant portions of the Houston energy industry corridor and the NASA Johnson Space Center. These economic anchors shaped much of his legislative focus. As a Republican member of the House, Olson aligned with his party on major fiscal, energy, and regulatory issues. He served on several House committees during his time in office, leveraging his district's industrial and scientific profile to advocate for policies related to energy production, space exploration, and the petrochemical sector.

The 22nd district's demographics shifted during Olson's tenure. The suburban communities of Fort Bend County, including Sugar Land, experienced rapid population growth and increasing ethnic diversity, particularly among Asian American communities. These demographic changes gradually altered the political landscape of the district, a dynamic that factored into assessments of the seat's competitiveness in later election cycles.

Re-election Campaigns

Olson won re-election in 2010, a strong year for Republicans nationally that saw the party recapture the House majority in the so-called "Tea Party" wave. He continued to win re-election through subsequent cycles in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018, though his margins of victory narrowed in the later contests as the district's demographic and political composition evolved.

The 2018 midterm election proved particularly competitive. In that cycle, Olson faced Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni, who mounted a well-funded campaign that capitalized on the district's growing diversity and anti-Trump sentiment in suburban communities. While Olson won re-election, the narrowed margin signaled the changing nature of the district and contributed to broader discussions about the vulnerability of Republican-held suburban seats around Houston and nationally.

Retirement Announcement

On July 25, 2019, Olson announced that he would not seek re-election and would retire from Congress at the end of his term in January 2021. The announcement came amid a wave of Republican retirements in the House during the summer of 2019, as multiple GOP members in competitive suburban districts chose to step down rather than face potentially difficult re-election fights in 2020.

In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Olson confirmed his decision to retire, adding his name to a growing list of Texas Republican congressmen departing the House. His decision drew attention to the shifting political dynamics in the Houston suburbs, where growth in diverse, college-educated populations was eroding the Republican advantages that had long defined districts like the 22nd.

Succession

Following Olson's retirement announcement, a crowded Republican primary field formed to compete for the open seat. Among the candidates was Pierce Bush, a grandson of former President George H. W. Bush and a nonprofit executive. Olson endorsed Bush in the Republican primary, lending his support to the younger Bush's candidacy in January 2020.

Despite Olson's endorsement, Pierce Bush did not advance past the Republican primary. The nomination was ultimately won by Troy Nehls, the Fort Bend County Sheriff, who went on to win the general election in November 2020. Nehls succeeded Olson and took office on January 3, 2021, continuing Republican representation of the district.

Personal Life

Pete Olson is married to Nancy Olson. The couple has two children. The family resided in the Sugar Land area of Fort Bend County during Olson's time in Congress, placing them within the district he represented. Sugar Land, a rapidly growing suburban city southwest of Houston, served as the anchor of much of Olson's political base throughout his congressional career.

Olson's military background as a Navy veteran and his legal education remained defining personal characteristics throughout his public life. His combined active and reserve Navy service spanned more than two decades, from 1988 through 2009, when he transitioned fully into his congressional role.

After announcing his retirement from Congress in 2019, Olson indicated his intention to return to private life following the conclusion of his final term in January 2021.

Recognition

During his twelve years in Congress, Olson represented one of the most economically significant districts in Texas, home to major energy companies, the Johnson Space Center, and a rapidly growing suburban population. His six consecutive election victories in the 22nd district—beginning with his 2008 win against an incumbent in a difficult national environment for Republicans—demonstrated his electoral durability in the district during a period of significant demographic change.

Olson's military service as a Navy Lieutenant Commander, with nearly a decade of active duty followed by over a decade in the reserves, earned him recognition as a veteran-legislator, a distinction he shared with a number of his congressional colleagues. His background in the Navy and as a Senate staffer prior to his House service gave him a breadth of government experience that informed his work in Congress.

His endorsement in the race to succeed him—backing Pierce Bush, the grandson of a former president—reflected his standing within the Republican establishment in Texas and the significance of the 22nd district seat within the state's political landscape.

Legacy

Pete Olson's congressional career is situated within the broader narrative of political transformation in the Houston suburbs during the early 21st century. When he first won the 22nd district seat in 2008, the district was considered reliably Republican, a bastion of suburban conservatism in the mold established by Tom DeLay's long tenure. By the time Olson retired in 2021, the district and surrounding areas had become battleground territory, reflecting nationwide trends of suburban political realignment driven by demographic diversification and shifting attitudes among college-educated voters.

Olson's decision to retire in 2019 was part of a significant exodus of Republican House members, particularly those representing suburban districts. In Texas alone, several Republican congressmen chose not to seek re-election during the same period, a trend that political analysts interpreted as a recognition of the increasing difficulty of holding suburban seats for the GOP in the Trump era. The 22nd district itself remained in Republican hands after Olson's departure, with Troy Nehls winning election in 2020, but the competitive nature of the contest illustrated the district's evolution.

Olson's tenure also coincided with a period of significant activity related to two of his district's primary economic engines: the energy industry and NASA. As a representative of the area surrounding the Johnson Space Center, Olson was involved in legislative discussions regarding space policy during a transformative period that included the end of the Space Shuttle program and the rise of commercial spaceflight. Similarly, his representation of communities tied to the petrochemical and energy sectors placed him at the intersection of debates over energy policy, environmental regulation, and economic development.

The Fort Bend County community Olson represented continued to grow and diversify after his departure from office. In November 2025, Fort Bend County broke ground on an African American heritage monument, reflecting the county's ongoing engagement with its diverse history and demographics—a trajectory that had been reshaping the political landscape throughout Olson's time in office.