Peter B. Bensinger

Peter B. Bensinger, a distinguished public servant and former Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on February 11, 2025, at the age of 88. He leaves behind a legacy of dedication to public service.

Born in 1936, Bensinger grew up in Chicago, attending the Chicago Latin School and then Phillips Exeter Academy, where he ran track. He attended Yale University, where he excelled in the broad jump, becoming the Ivy League Champion in 1956. After graduation, he worked for the family business, Brunswick Corporation, including serving as General Sales Manager for Europe. In the late 1960s, he left the business to pursue his true calling: public service.

In July 1968, Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie appointed Bensinger Chairman of the Illinois Youth Commission (the juvenile detention division of corrections) and then Director of the Department of Corrections, with direct responsibility for all penitentiaries and parole supervision in Illinois. He made a name for himself as a reformer who implemented innovative approaches to rehabilitation and prisoners' rights with job training programs, work release, increased mail and shower access, and significant expansions of visiting hours. Directors of prison systems across the country elected him as President of the Association of Prison Administrators. During Bensinger's tenure as Director of Corrections, the rate of adult offenders returning to prison (recidivism) was reduced by 40%, and for juvenile offenders, recidivism was reduced by more than 50%. In the midst of detainee unrest in penitentiaries across the country (i.e., Attica), he led the successful de-escalation of a high stakes crisis in which inmates took several guards hostage at the prison in Pontiac, Illinois.

With Governor Ogilvie's encouragement, Bensinger ran for Sheriff of Cook County in 1974, adopting the campaign slogan "tough and totally independent." Despite endorsements from all major Chicago newspapers, Bensinger lost the election. Nonetheless, his outstanding showing caught the attention of Washington and led to Bensinger's Presidential appointment as the head of DEA.

In January 1976, Bensinger was appointed Administrator of DEA by President Ford and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Bensinger served under both Republican and Democrat administrations, leading DEA under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan. His leadership was marked by significant efforts to combat international drug trafficking and expand drug education programs to inform the public about the dangers of illegal drugs. During his tenure, heroin overdose deaths decreased by over 50%, and there was a significant reduction in the overall number of Americans using illegal drugs. In addition, DEA undercover agents were able to infiltrate the infamous operation of Nicky Barnes - the powerful heroin kingpin, known as "Mr. Untouchable" - and secure his arrest. Bensinger also served as the U.S. delegate to Interpol. Among other accomplishments, he was instrumental in the passage and implementation of the Asset Forfeiture Law and the formulation of the Department of Transportation's federal regulations for safety sensitive positions. In recognition of his close collaboration with other agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard selected Bensinger for its Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the Coast Guard can bestow upon a civilian.

After DEA, Bensinger expanded access to addiction and mental health services by founding Bensinger, DuPont & Associates (BDA), one of the first-ever employee assistance programs. BDA worked with over 500 employers, including organizations in the pharmaceutical, energy, manufacturing, and construction fields, providing confidential counseling and rehabilitation services to workers - with the costs borne by the employers.

At BDA, Bensinger was also responsible for a major advancement in public safety. Having read Bensinger's article in Harvard Business Review entitled, "Drugs in the Workplace," the former CEO of a major Illinois utility approached Bensinger with concerns about the risks of illegal drug use by nuclear power plant workers. In response, BDA developed a pathway for employers to drug test workers in safety-sensitive positions using a test previously restricted to the military. This innovation paved the way for dramatic advances in workplace safety internationally as governments and companies recognized the risks of drug use in the workplace and formulated policies and procedures to mitigate risks resulting from the behavior of drug-impaired workers in safety-sensitive positions. This pioneering effort was one of Bensinger's greatest accomplishments with a far-reaching impact worldwide.

Throughout his life, Bensinger helped establish a number of reform and service-based organizations, including CHANGE Illinois, which began as a non-partisan coalition of civic, business, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations to combat Illinois' culture of political corruption. In its beginning stages, CHANGE successfully advocated for the passage of the first Illinois law limiting campaign donations. CHANGE also energized the public in a campaign to eliminate gerrymandering through legislative redistricting reform. This organization has continued to evolve and remains vibrant and active today.

Bensinger was also a founding board member of the DEA Educational Foundation, which among other initiatives, provides community-based youth programming and activities as an alternative to gangs and drugs, as well as educational outreach about the dangers of narcotics and illicit drugs.

His service-based leadership continued as a life long member of the Board of Directors of Children's Memorial Hospital/Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, where he chaired the public policy committee of the board. His signature contribution was his advocacy to establish the first ever funding for resident training at children's hospitals (now known as the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program). Unlike adult hospitals that relied on Medicare to fund this training, children's hospitals had no dedicated funding stream prior to his efforts.

Bensinger also served as the Chair of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for over a decade, and was elected by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to serve on its Executive Committee. His contributions to public safety and service have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, with highlights including the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotic Agents, Outstanding Leadership in Equal Employment Opportunity from the Department of Justice, the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Crime Commission, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Governors Association, the John Phillips Award from Phillips Exeter Academy, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the Latin School of Chicago, the George D. Kennedy Distinguished Leadership Award from the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Mayor Richard M. Daley, together with the Chicago City of Chicago, honored him by declaring August 10, 2006, as "Peter Bensinger Day in Chicago." He received multiple honorary law degrees and authored articles published in Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and in other national and international publications. Bensinger appeared on network news programs, including Good Morning America, Meet the Press, and Oprah. The Harvard Business Review featured a Special Report authored by Bensinger on Drugs in the Workplace, and he was quoted on this subject in cover stories in Newsweek, the Financial Times, and Sports Illustrated.

Bensinger was happiest spending time with his family and at Wrigley Field cheering for his beloved Chicago Cubs. After witnessing the sad ending to the season in 1945, he cherished the moments of the 1996 season, and followed the team across the country in their leadup to game 7 in Cleveland, where he celebrated their World Series victory with his daughter Brette by his side. He is survived by his wife Dr. Judith S. Bensinger, his brother Roger G. Bensinger (Robin Groth Bensinger), his children Peter B. Bensinger, Jr. (Heidi Wagman), Jennifer B. Parkins (Brad Parkins, deceased), Elizabeth Bensinger, and Brette Bensinger, and his grandchildren Samantha Bensinger, Allison Bensinger, Katie Parkins, Jack Parkins, and Chloe Carlson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the "DEA Educational Foundation" at www.deaef.org.

Peter B. Bensinger's life was a testament to the power of dedication to public service. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched. May his memory be a blessing that lives on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.