Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican Party politician.
Wilson was the 36th Governor of California from 1991 through 1999. Before this, he was a United States Senator from 1983 through 1991, the Mayor of San Diego from 1971 through 1983 and a California State Assemblyman from 1967 through 1971.
A Republican, Wilson passed the anti-immigrant 1994 California Proposition 187. This helped him win reelection while being against immigrant or gay communities amidst demographic shifts. Since then, the only California Republican to win a major statewide election is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1996.