Background
Peter Randolph Decker was born on October 1, 1934, in New York City, New York, United States. He is a son of Frank Randolph Decker and Marjorie (Marony) Decker.
14 Old Chapel Rd, Middlebury, VT 05753, United States
In 1957, Peter received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College.
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States
In 1961, Peter got a Master of Arts degree from Syracuse University.
116th St & Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
In 1974, Decker obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in American History from Columbia University.
("Old Fences, New Neighbors" is a chronicle of how one sma...)
"Old Fences, New Neighbors" is a chronicle of how one small rural community is dealing with the changes, currently sweeping the West. It is also the firsthand perspective of a working rancher.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816517711/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(John Marlow, a fourth-generation Colorado rancher, has lo...)
John Marlow, a fourth-generation Colorado rancher, has lost his family's ranch to its creditors, while also losing his wife and son to a less stressful life in town. When the National Open Land Conservancy (NOLC) purchases the 60,000-acre ranch from the bank to save it from development, Charles Devlin, New York's leading investment banker and NOLC's chairman, ends up with the ranch, while gaining a generous tax credit and a gorgeous summer retreat for his family. He hires Marlow as a manager, but John's way of running the ranch quickly conflicts with the conservation ethic of Charles and his wife Amanda, and the profit expectations of Charles accountant, Fred Rigby. The Devlins expect the ranch to become an environmental showcase in the West, a region, they believe, is slowly destroying itself from mining, timber cutting and over grazing. But John not only rebels, he retaliates as well. What ensues is mayhem, involving eastern bankers, industrialists and philanthropists, being pitted against long-time local residents, Indians and a narrow-gauge train in Durango, Colorado. The clash of John's rural values with those of Charles' urban culture serves as the backdrop for Peter Decker's gentle satire.
https://www.amazon.com/Saving-West-Mr-Peter-Decker/dp/1461009278/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(It’s 1881 and a United States Army unit, led by Colonel J...)
It’s 1881 and a United States Army unit, led by Colonel Joseph Kindred, the military’s most famous Indian fighter, has been ordered to remove 1,500 Colorado Ute from their homeland to a new reservation in Utah as retribution for the massacre of an Indian agent the previous year. When, in a fit of rage, Colonel Kindred murders a beloved Ute sub-chief, an investigation follows, and Kindred, a decorated Civil War veteran, faces the possibility of a court-martial and the end of his military career. Eventually, the trial is ordered, and a young former corporal, Hiram Marlow, is called on to testify against his former superior — a task, that forces him to recall events he’d rather forget and casts a shadow over his own future. A sweeping story, that examines the realities of racism, duty versus honor and the nature of revenge, "Red, White & Army Blue" exposes the dark side of Manifest Destiny and the American Dream.
https://www.amazon.com/White-Army-Blue-Peter-Decker/dp/0692278060/?tag=2022091-20
2014
(After the Civil War, thousands of Americans and Europeans...)
After the Civil War, thousands of Americans and Europeans trekked west to secure a new home and farm under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862. But as historians have discovered, only three out of ten of these adventurers succeeded in achieving their dream. The other 70 percent — called the "go-backers"— either turned back toward home after one or two years, or if they "proved up" on their 160-acre homestead, they quickly "starved out". This is the story of what happens, when the Marlow family — after a time, struggling as homesteaders — reluctantly join the growing ranks of "go-backers".
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Backer-Peter-Decker/dp/0999369202
2017
educator rancher statesman author
Peter Randolph Decker was born on October 1, 1934, in New York City, New York, United States. He is a son of Frank Randolph Decker and Marjorie (Marony) Decker.
In 1957, Peter received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College. Then, in 1961, he got a Master of Arts degree from Syracuse University. Later, in 1974, Decker obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in American History from Columbia University.
During the period from 1957 till 1959, Peter served as a company executive officer in the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment in the United States Army. Between 1959 and 1960, he served in the continental United States and overseas as an advisor to the Royal Laotian Army during the height of the Laotian civil war.
In 1961, Peter was appointed a teacher at Cate School in Carpinteria, a post he held till 1963. From 1963 till 1964, Decker worked as a senior writer at Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. In 1964, Peter moved to Middlebury College in Vermont, where he was hired as an assistant to the president. In 1967, he left for Washington, where he was appointed a staff assistant at the Senator Robert Kennedy’s office and remained in that position until 1968. While there, Decker served as a policy analyst and speechwriter during the Senator’s presidential campaign.
In 1970, Peter served as a correspondent for the Associated Press to cover the United States’ illegal bombing in Laos. From 1972 till 1974, Peter lectured at Columbia University in New York City. In 1974, he moved to Duke University in Durham, where he held a post of an assistant professor of History and Public Policy till 1980.
It was in 1980, that Decker established Double D. Ranch in Ridgway, Colorado. In addition, between 1987 and 1989, he acted as the Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture. In 1989, Peter became the president of Decker & Associates, an agricultural consulting firm, specializing in management, land acquisition, leases, international trade and relationships with state and federal agencies. Peter still continues to hold this post.
Since 1990, Decker has been serving as the director of the National Western Stock Show in Denver. From 1990 till 1997, he acted as the president of Telluride Bancorp, Inc.
In addition, Decker worked as a member of the advisory board at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and served multiple terms on the Board of Trustees at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He also spent time as the chairman of the Ouray Planning Commission, which put in place one of the strongest and most effective land-use plans in Colorado. His other public service duties included serving on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and as a governing board member of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank (Denver Branch).
During his career, Peter has written several books, including "Old Fences, New Neighbors", a book about the transformation of a Southwest Colorado community into a tourist destination, "Fortunes and Failures", a study of San Francisco's nineteenth-century merchants, "The Utes Must Go!", the story of the expulsion of Colorado's first residents from the state and others. His two most recent works are fictional novels, focusing on the lives of Easterners and their descendants, who chose to move west in the eighteenth century.
(It’s 1881 and a United States Army unit, led by Colonel J...)
2014(John Marlow, a fourth-generation Colorado rancher, has lo...)
2010(After the Civil War, thousands of Americans and Europeans...)
2017("Old Fences, New Neighbors" is a chronicle of how one sma...)
1998Peter is a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Authors’ League, Denver Athletic Club and other organizations.
Peter married Dorothy (Morss) Decker on September 24, 1972. Their marriage produced three children - Karen, Christopher and Hilary.