David Petraeus

David Petraeus Bio
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Details

Also Known As:
King David
Date of Birth:
November 7, 1952
Height:
5' 9"
Hometown:
Cornwall on Hudson

Bio:
David Petraeus (born November 7, 1952 in Cornwall on Hudson, NY) is a former Director of the C.I.A. and retired four star army general. David graduated as a distinguished cadet from West Point in 1974. After spending years in academia both studying and teaching, he got his first big assignment as Chief of Operations for NATO in 1995. In 2003 he saw combat for the first time as a Major General, commanding the 101st Airborne Division in the Iraq war. He rose to become the Commanding General of Multi-National Forces in 2007 and under President Barack Obama, the four star general became Commander of the U.S. Forces Afghanistan. After a 37-year career in the army, Obama named him Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in Sept. 2011. He resigned in disgrace in 2012 after it was revealed he was having an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell and had passed along classified secrets to her. He eventually pled guilty to federal misdemeanor charges of mishandling classified materials. On Nov. 27, 2016, it was revealed that President-Elect Donald Trump was considering David to serve as his Secretary of State.

Best Known For:
David is best known for being the former Director of the C.I.A. and retired military general.

Personal Life:
David is the second of three children born to seaman Sixtus Petraeus and librarian wife Miriam. While a cadet at West Point he began dating the daughter of Army General and West Point superintendent William A. Knowlton, Hollister “Holly” Knowlton. They married upon his graduation in 1974. They went on to have two children, a daughter  Anne and son Stephen. Paula began working on an authorized biography of the general in 2010, receiving unprecedented access to him in Afghanistan. The two began having an affair in 2011. It was uncovered when Paula began sending anonymous threatening e-mails to military socialite Jill Kelley, who turned over the documents to the FBI. They were traced back to Paula and the agency then uncovered evidence of the affair and that the general had been sharing classified information with his mistress. After the scandal and his CIA resignation, David went on to work in academia and with military think tanks.