View source for Dan Peña

{{short description|American businessman}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Dan at Guthrie Castle (Graduation Night).jpg
| caption            = Dan Peña at Guthrie Castle
| birth_name         = Daniel Steven Peña<ref name="companieshouse">{{Cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/_DlggeBNaJSGMvRdTPvXVNoC740/appointments |title=Daniel Steven Pena - Personal Appointments|website=[[Companies House]]|language=en|access-date=2017-04-12}}</ref>
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1945|8|10}}
| birth_place        = [[Jacksonville, Florida]], U.S.
| death_place        =
| education          = San Fernando Valley State College (now [[CSUN]]) ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
| occupation         = Businessman
| title              =
| spouse             =
| children           =
| website            = [http://www.danpena.co.uk danpena.co.uk]
}}
'''Daniel Steven Peña Sr.''' (born August 10, 1945) is an American<!--nationality in the intro, not ethnicity--> businessman.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|first=Al|last=Martinez|author-link1=Al Martinez|date=August 3, 1983|title=The Latino wealthy — a new breed|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-26/the-latino-wealthy-a-new-breed|access-date=5 February 2021|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=English}}</ref>
==Early life==
Peña is [[Mexican American]] and was raised in [[East Los Angeles, California]].<ref name="pressjournal">{{cite interview|last=Peña |first=Dan|title=American guru is man in a million - and one to follow |newspaper=[[Aberdeen Press & Journal]] |date=5 February 1997|interviewer=David Gault}}</ref>{{reliable source|date=January 2021}}<ref name=":0" /> In 1971, he graduated from [[San Fernando Valley State College]] School of Business Administration and Economics<ref name=":2">{{cite speech|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYwYGBFs-iI  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/nYwYGBFs-iI |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|first=Dan|last=Peña|title=Dan Pena's Commencement Speech|location=[[California State University, Northridge]]|access-date=April 18, 2018|via=YouTube|date=May 29, 1991}}{{cbignore}}{{self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref> with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in Business Administration.<ref name=":0" />
Peña's mother was from Mexico and is from both Austrian and Spanish descent. His family moved to [[Encino, Los Angeles|Encino]] when he was 10 years old.<ref name=":22" /> His father, who was from New Mexico, was one of the first Mexican American detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department and later worked in a secret CIA unit where he oversaw an investigation into the death of [[Robert F. Kennedy]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |last4= |date=2021-04-19 |title=How a scrappy Chicano from L.A. came to own a Scottish castle |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-19/how-a-scrappy-chicano-from-la-came-to-own-a-scottish-castle |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102091158/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-19/how-a-scrappy-chicano-from-la-came-to-own-a-scottish-castle|archivedate=2023-11-02}}</ref>
==Career==
Peña began his career as a [[financial analyst]] on [[Wall Street]].<ref name="observer2">{{cite news |title=Pena set to pay out |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/257806936/?terms=%22Great%2Bwestern%2Bresources%22%2Bpena |access-date=9 June 2020 |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |date=2 June 1985|first=Jim|last=Levi|page=26}}</ref> He went on to become president of Great Western Resources, Inc., a [[Houston]]-based oil company listed on the [[London Stock Exchange]] in 1984.<ref name=":22" /> In a move backed by shareholders, Peña was ousted as president of the company in 1992 and subsequently awarded $3.3 million by an American jury, after suing the company over his dismissal.<ref name="observer1">{{cite news|last=Sweeney|first=John|date=31 October 1993|title=Fraud shadow over Lilley firm|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/258447981/?terms=%22Great%2Bwestern%2Bresources%22%2Bpena|access-date=9 June 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=1 December 1993|title=GWR Settles With Pena|page=21|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/260274067/?terms=%22great%20western%20resources%22&match=1|access-date=8 February 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
In 1984, Peña bought [[Guthrie Castle]] in [[Angus, Scotland]], where he lives and from which he has operated several businesses.<ref name="guthrie">{{cite news|date=23 October 1984|title=U.S. oilman is new owner of Guthrie Castle|newspaper=[[Aberdeen Press & Journal]]}}</ref><ref name="castle">{{cite press release|date=4 August 2003|title=Rescued castle to open its doors|newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/rescued-castle-open-its-doors-2472067}}</ref>
In 2017, the castle and estate manager employed by Peña at Guthrie Castle was found to have committed fraud by double or triple booking wedding facilities and paying the higher charges into their own account.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/angus-mearns/418412/exclusive-fraud-hit-guthrie-castle-to-stop-holding-weddings-later-this-year/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Fraud hit Guthrie Castle to stop holding weddings later this year|newspaper=[[The Courier (Dundee)|The Courier]]|date=4 May 2017|accessdate=7 February 2021}}</ref> Peña said he forgave the employee and covered the £130,000 stolen from clients.<ref>{{cite news|date=14 September 2017|title=Castle owner forgives £130,000 wedding fraudster|work=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-41253642|accessdate=7 February 2021}}</ref>
Peña refers to himself as the "trillion-dollar man."<ref name=times/> He works as a motivational speaker and is known for his brash persona.<ref name=":22" />
===Politics===
Peña ran as an [[Independent_politician|independent candidate]] in the 2024 [[2024_United_Kingdom_general_election|UK general election]] in the [[Angus_and_Perthshire_Glens_(UK_Parliament_constituency)|Angus and Perthshire Glens constituency]], running under the slogan, "Make Angus Great Again".<ref name=times>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/texan-tycoon-called-locals-illiterates-now-he-wants-to-be-their-mp-c5tdf37hv|title=Texan tycoon called locals illiterates — now he wants to be their MP|first=Marc|last=Horne|date=June 15, 2024|website=www.thetimes.com}}</ref> He polled just 733 votes (1.5 percent) of the votes cast,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/S14000065 |title=Election 2024 > Angus and Perthshire Glens results |work=BBC News |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> coming sixth out of six candidates. The seat was won by the [[Scottish National Party]] candidate.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{official|url=https://www.danpena.co.uk/}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Dan}}
[[Category:American financiers]]
[[Category:American investors]]
[[Category:California State University, Northridge alumni]]
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American motivational speakers]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Scotland]]
[[Category:American people of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:Scottish political candidates]]
[[Category:Independent British political candidates]]