Peter G. Peterson passed away at the age of 91 at his home in Manhattan on March 20, 2018.  Peterson was secretary of commerce under President Richard M. Nixon and led various government commissions.  He was a great supporter of International House, most recently supporting I-House’s acclaimed Federal Chair Event on April 7, 2016, when, for the first time, all four living Chairs of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank gathered together for a public discussion.

For 22 years Peterson was the chairman of the influential Council on Foreign Relations in New York, succeeding the late International House Honorary Trustee, David Rockefeller. He was one of 40 wealthy individuals, led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who made The Giving Pledge, publicly committing to give at least half their fortune to charity. Most of his giving was to his own foundation, The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which focuses on raising public awareness about long-term fiscal sustainability issues, and will continue his philanthropic legacy.