Douglas J.J. Peters, the former Majority Leader of the Maryland State Senate, died Dec. 30, 2023 from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells in the bone marrow. He was 60.
A decorated military veteran who served in local, county and state politics from 1998 until 2021, Peters was known for his ability to build coalitions and to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle.
He began his political career in 1998, winning a seat on the Bowie City Council. After four years on that city council, including a term as mayor pro tem, he was elected in 2002 to the Prince George’s County Council, representing District 4.
He won election to the Maryland State Senate in 2007, representing District 23. He held that seat until his retirement in 2021.
As a state lawmaker, Peters wrote legislation that improved the lives of veterans and military families, first responders, and small businesses. Education was also a special passion of his, and he was especially proud that his efforts led to the awarding college scholarships to more than 1,200 students.
“It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of former Maryland Sen. Doug Peters. A man of deep faith and conviction, Doug sought to work across the aisle to provide a better Maryland for its residents,” Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said in a statement. “We are grateful for his deep commitment to protecting and valuing all human life and to strengthening education and education access for all students.”
Peters was a member of the Budget and Tax Committee for his entire 15-year tenure in the Maryland State Senate. He was instrumental in the development of the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo, and secured funding for numerous projects at the University of Maryland, Bowie State University and for the City of Bowie.
In the Senate, he served as Majority Leader, chairman of the Veterans’ Caucus and chairman of the Prince George’s County Senate Delegation. He also chaired the Capital Budget Subcommittee of the Senate Budget and Tax Committee, a position he used to provide much needed funding to schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, and non-profit organizations across the state.
When Peters retired from the Senate in 2021, he said that it was “an honor of a lifetime to serve my neighbors at the city, county and state level.” He was subsequently appointed by then Gov. Larry Hogan to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and to serve on the Board of Directors for the University of Maryland Medical System.
Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson said in a statement that Peters “represented the best of Marylanders. It was an honor to serve beside him for over a decade in the Maryland Senate. The entire Senate family will grieve this loss.”
“Even after his retirement from the Senate, he never stopped working to help others and build a stronger Maryland,” Ferguson said in his statement. “Doug was a dedicated public servant, decorated veteran, and loving father and husband.”
Peters was born Dec. 28, 1963 in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Springbrook High School in 1981, having earned varsity letters in football and wrestling. He earned a degree in finance at The University of Maryland, College Park, where he also served as president of his Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the campus’s Interfraternity Council. He was also proud of the fact that while at the university he won a sloppy joe eating contest by consuming 14 sandwiches.
He later earned an MBA from the University of Baltimore. He was cofounder of Metropolitan Archives, a secure document storage business.
As an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, Peters was deployed overseas in 1990 as part of Operation Desert Storm, earning a Bronze Star for his service. He retired from the Reserves in 1998 as a captain. He served as a commander of Bowie’s Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts.
In addition, he formerly served as president of the Prince George’s County Board of Trade; was a board member of the Greater Bowie and Prince George’s County Chambers of Commerce; served as assistant football coach for the Bowie Boys and Girls Club and was a member of the Bowie Lions Club.
A statement from the Peters family noted that his Catholic faith “was a central pillar of Doug’s life,” and that he was “a tremendous public servant, and a remarkable businessman. His was a life of service. He was unfailingly dedicated to his family, to his Church, and to his community.”
He was a longtime parishioner of Ascension Catholic Church in Bowie, served on the DeMatha Catholic High School steering committee, the Elizabeth Seton High School Foundation board, and was a past president of the St. Pius X Home and School Association.
Father Timothy Daniel, pastor of Ascension Parish, said Peters “was always firm in his faith, loved his family, and offered very helpful advice and support to the parish. Very many will miss seeing him at Mass week after week.”
An online obituary from the Beall Funeral Home noted that Peters loved taking road trips, singing along to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Foreigner, and Prince, and “on special occasions, he would moonwalk to Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’.”
Peters is survived by his wife of 35 years, Corinne (Kott) Peters; three sons, James (Rebecca) Peters, Bradley Peters, and Wesley Peters; three daughters, Natalie (Chandler) Peters-Burkett, Jacquelyn Peters, and Stephanie Peters; two grandsons; one granddaughter; one brother and four sisters.
A viewing will be held on Monday, Jan. 22 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 Crain Highway, Bowie. The funeral service will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: https://give.themmrf.org/fundraiser/5156440
