Mr. Michael, a John Hanson relative, was steeped in the history and accomplishments of John Hanson by his mother and grandmother. He is cofounder and president of the John Hanson Memorial Association,  Inc., a national body commemorating President Hanson's life, presidency and key nation-saving accomplishments. The Association is the sponsor of the John Hanson National Memorial and the Jane Hanson National Memorial, both in Frederick, Maryland.

Peter Michael serves as publisher of Underground Railroad Free Press, the  nation’s top-circulation Underground Railroad news publication, and as president of Michael Strategic Analysis, an award-winning strategic planning, market research and litigation support firm. Before founding the firm, Michael served with the United Nations and the Population Council in Asia.

He was educated at the University of Maryland, Berkeley and Princeton, and has taught at the graduate level in the United States, Thailand, Japan and Costa Rica.

He and his wife Vicki, a painter and civic leader, are the seventh Michael generation at Cooling Springs Farm, an Underground Railroad historic site near Adamstown, Maryland, powered entirely by sun and wind.