Peter Earnest

Peter Earnest (January 1, 1934 – February 13, 2022) was an American intelligence officer. He was the first executive director of the International Spy Museum.

Early life and education Edwin Peter Earnest was born on January 1, 1934 to Emily (Keating) Earnest and Edwin Burchett Earnest in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the time of his birth, his father was posted as Foreign Service officer to the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh. He was an only child and lived in Bethesda, Maryland. His father died when he was 12. He attended Georgetown Prep and then in 1955 graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor degree in history and political science.

In 2002, he became the founding Executive Director of the International Spy Museum originally located on F Street NW in Washington, DC. He retired in 2017 and continued to serve on the Board of Directors.

Personal life Earnest was married twice. He married Janet Chesney in 1957 and had four daughters: Nancy, Sheila, Patricia, and Carol. After his divorce in 1982, he married Karen Rice in 1988.

Books with Suzanne Harper, The Real Spy's Guide To becoming a Spy (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2009) with Maryann Karinch, Business Confidential: Lessons for Corporate Success From Inside the C.I.A. (AMACOM, 2010) with Lynn M. Boughey, Harry Potter and the Art of Spying (Wise Ink Creative Publishing, 2014)