Peter Ruehl

Vincent Peter Ruehl (29 March 1947 – 11 April 2011) was an American-born Australian newspaper columnist, best known for the humorous column he wrote thrice weekly for The Australian Financial Review, in which he offered an American view on life in Australia. During his career, he also contributed to The Australian and the Herald Sun.

Biography Ruehl was born in New York City to Mercedes J. Ruehl, a schoolteacher, and Vincent Ruehl, an FBI agent. His father was of German and Irish descent and his mother was of Cuban and Irish descent. The family frequently moved during his childhood owing to Vincent Ruehl's assignments with the FBI, and lived in other states including Silver Spring, Maryland. He and his sister, Mercedes (who became an Academy Award-winning actress), were raised Catholic.

Ruehl was educated at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and later moved to Annapolis. He studied at the University of Maryland and worked as a court reporter for The Baltimore Sun.

Family and personal life At the time of his death, Ruehl lived in the eastern Sydney suburb of Clovelly with Hewett and their children, Mercedes, John and Tom. According to colleague Colleen Ryan, Ruehl had a few close select friends and "could be quite introverted", preferring to spend time with his family or writing.