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William Petit

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William A. Petit Jr.
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2017
Preceded byBetty Boukas
Personal details
Born (1956-09-24) September 24, 1956 (age 68)
Southington, Connecticut
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Jennifer Hawke
​
​
(m. 1985; died 2007)​

Christine Paluf
​
(m. 2012)​
Children3 (2 deceased)

William A. Petit Jr. (born September 24, 1956)[1] is an American politician. A Republican, he represents District 22 (Plainville and part of New Britain) in the Connecticut House of Representatives. A former physician, he was the sole survivor of the 2007 Cheshire home invasion, in which his wife and two daughters were murdered.

Early life and education

Petit was born in Southington[1] and grew up in Plainville, where his father had a general store and was on the school board and the town council as well as being a member of the Republican state central committee.[2][3] After graduating from Plainville High School, he earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth University and a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in endocrinology at the Yale University School of Medicine.[4]

Practice as a physician and home invasion

In 1989, Petit entered private practice in Plainville. In 1989, he also became medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center at New Britain General Hospital, now a campus of the Hospital of Central Connecticut, and from 1994 to 2008 he served as Director of Public Health for Plainville.[4]

On July 23, 2007, Petit's wife, Jennifer, and two daughters were murdered in a home invasion robbery and arson at their house in Cheshire. Despite serious injuries from a baseball bat, Petit escaped and was the only survivor.[3][5]

Philanthropy and advocacy

In the years following the loss of his family, Petit attended the trials of the two attackers who were later both convicted of murder,[3][5] and devoted himself to philanthropy. In 2007, he founded the Petit Family Foundation, which supports education, especially of women in science; people affected by chronic illnesses (his wife had multiple sclerosis); and assistance to victims of violence.[3][4][6] He also advocated for victims' rights and in defense of the death penalty;[7] in 2012 it was repealed in Connecticut and the two attackers were subsequently re-sentenced to life without parole.[2][3]

Political career

A Republican, in 2014 Petit considered running for Congress in the 5th district against then freshman Democrat Elizabeth Esty, but decided against it.[3][5][7] He also declined to run for the seat in 2018.[8]

In the 2016 election, he won election to the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 22nd district, defeating 11-term incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Boukus.[2][3] He defeated Democrat Richard Ireland Jr for his second term in 2018[6] and ran unopposed for reelection in 2020.[9]

Petit declined to run for reelection in 2022.[10][11]

Personal life

Petit's daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were 17 and 11 when they and his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit were killed. In 2012, he remarried to Christine Paluf, a photographer whom he met when she volunteered for the Petit Foundation.[3][12] They have a son, William Petit III.[3][5]

References

  1. ^ a b "William Petit, Jr.'s Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Leukhardt, Bill (November 8, 2016). "William Petit Jr. Unseats Longtime Incumbent Betty Boukus". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Foderaro, Lisa W. (March 2, 2018). "From Gruesome Tragedy Emerges a New Life in Politics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "About State Representative William A. Petit Jr". Connecticut House GOP. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Altimari, Daniela (July 21, 2017). "From Years Of Despair, Petit Rebuilds Family, New Life". Hartford Courant.
  6. ^ a b Murphy, Kayla (November 7, 2018). "Petit wins second term in 22nd House District". New Britain Herald.
  7. ^ a b Pazniokas, Mark (February 5, 2014). "Dr. William Petit will not run for Congress". The Connecticut Mirror.
  8. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (April 25, 2018). "GOP fails in its courtship of Bill Petit for Congress". The Connecticut Mirror.
  9. ^ Corica, Susan (November 3, 2020). "Petit, running unopposed, to begin third term as state rep for Plainville, New Britain". New Britain Herald.
  10. ^ Johnson, Brian M. (May 10, 2022). "Rep. Bill Petit will not seek reelection". The Bristol Press.
  11. ^ Buchanan, Jesse (May 12, 2022). "Petit not seeking re-election in House district that now includes Southington". Record-Journal.
  12. ^ Egan, Nicole Weisensee (August 9, 2012). "Dr. William Petit Remarries Five Years After Family Tragedy". People.
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