Federico Peña

Who is Federico Peña?

Federico Fabian Peña is a former United States Secretary of Transportation from 1993 to 1997 and United States Secretary of Energy from 1997 to 1998, during the presidency of Bill Clinton.

Born in Laredo, Texas, Peña earned a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas School of Law, respectively. Moving to Colorado, where he became a practicing attorney, Peña was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1979, where he rose to become Minority Leader. In 1983, Peña defeated a 14-year incumbent, William H. McNichols, Jr. to become the first Hispanic Mayor of Denver, a post to which he was re-elected in 1987.

Peña advised Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton on transportation issues during Clinton's Presidential transition and thereafter Clinton chose Peña to head the United States Department of Transportation. At DOT, Peña led an organization of 110,000 employees with a budget of $37 billion. Peña also negotiated international aviation agreements with 41 nations during his term, pressing for increased freedom for airlines to serve markets. He cut the size of the Transportation Department by some 11,000 employees. He implemented the first international aviation policy for the U.S. since the Carter Administration. This strategy opened up aviation markets around the world, contributing to the revitalization of the aviation industry. He travelled extensively throughout the world to assist U.S. transportation companies access global markets.