Biography:

Fortney H. "Pete" Stark Jr. was born in Milwaukee and graduated from Wauwatosa (Wis.) High School in 1949.

He earned a bachelor's degree in 1953 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree in business administration in 1960 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Stark served in the Air Force from 1955 to 1957. In 1963, he founded Security National Bank, a small federally chartered bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., and was president from 1963 to 1972.

Within nine years, Stark's single storefront bank had grown to a $100 million system of suburban bank branches in two counties, and Stark's personal wealth had grown to $8 million.

Stark was first elected to the U.S. House in 1972 where he has served since.

Stark is Unitarian and lives in Fremont with his wife, Deborah Roderick Stark. He has three daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren.

Past Campaigns:

Pete Stark was elected to the U.S. House in 1972 with 53 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Lew M. Warden Jr. He has won re-election by comfortable margins ever since.

Stark defeated Republican Verne Taylor in 1992 with 61 percent of the vote and defeated Republican Victor Remero in 1990 with 59 percent of the vote.

He was re-elected in 1994 with 64 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Larry Molton. In 1996, he was re-elected with 65 percent of the vote, defeating Republican James Fay.

Stark won a 13th term in the House in 1998 defeating Republican James Goetz and beat Goetz again in 2000.

He was re-elected in 2002, defeating Syed Mahmood with 71 percent of the vote.

Stark made an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate in 1969.

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