Peter A. Peyser

Peyser's political career began in 1962 when he ran for Mayor of Irvington, New York. A community of 5,000 people, Irvington was governed by a part-time Board of Trustees and Mayor. The Mayor was paid $100 a month for his efforts.

In 1969, Peyser announced a dark-horse candidacy for Congress as a Republican. At the time of his announcement, the incumbent Congressman from the area was Richard L. Ottinger, a popular Democrat. Later in 1969, Ottinger announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, seeking to oust Republican Sen. Charles Goodell, who had been appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller to fill Robert F. Kennedy's seat after the latter's assassination in 1968. After Ottinger's announcement, three other Republicans, all with higher public profiles than Peyser, joined the race for the GOP nomination. Peyser won the June primary and went on to win the general election against William Dretzin. Peyser's slogan was "Nixon Picks Him."

For the 1972 election, the district was redrawn because of the 1970 census. Now labeled the 23rd, it was 1/3 the northern Bronx, 1/3 the City of Yonkers, and 1/3 suburban communities along the Hudson River. That year, while Nixon carried the district comfortably, Peyser eked out a 1,200 vote margin over former Rep. Richard L. Ottinger who sought to return to Congress after his defeat for the Senate in 1970.

During his three terms in the House as a Republican, Peyser made a name for himself as a consumer activist on the Committee on Agriculture, as assignment usually not sought by New York Members. He played an important role on the "ERISA Task Force" set up by House leaders to develop the landmark legislation that governs employee benefit and retirement plans. Peyser was a staunch Nixon supporter and backed his Vietnam War policies. He was one of the last Members of the New York Congressional delegation to call for the President's impeachment, doing so only days before Nixon announced his resignation.

In 1976, Peyser launched an ill-fated attempt to wrest the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate away from incumbent Senator James Buckley. Buckley had won a three-way 1970 Senate race on the Conservative Party line, but aligned himself with the Republican caucus in the Senate. Buckley gained an agreement with then-Vice President Nelson Rockefeller that in exchange for Buckley not endorsing Ronald Reagan's challenge to President Gerald Ford for the GOP nomination, Rockefeller would send a signal to New York Republicans to deny Peyser the resources to conduct his campaign. The GOP state committee sued the Peyser campaign to keep it off the September primary ballot, but the petition signatures gained by the Congressman withstood the test. However, Buckley won the primary in a landslide. He went on to defeat in the general election at the hands of Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

On December 23, 1949, Peyser married Marguerite Richards, a native of Monroe, Louisiana and Baltimore, Maryland. She had moved to New York City to attend the Parsons School of Design. In 1951, the Peysers moved to Irvington, New York. The Peysers had five children: Penelope (born 1951), Safi[1] (née Carolyn, born 1952) a poet,[2] Peter (born 1954), James (born 1956) and Thomas (born 1962). Penelope Peyser, known as Penny, became an actress.[3] (Her uncle, John Peyser, was a Hollywood television and movie director.[4])

On October 9, 2014, Peyser died of Parkinson's disease. He was 93.[5] Marguerite Peyser died on May 11, 2020 aged 89 of COVID-19.[1]

Notes

• United States Congress. "Peter A. Peyser (id: P000280)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Appearances on C-SPAN