Peter's Story

State Representative Peter J. Koutoujian

 In his 11 years as a state legislator, Representative Peter J. Koutoujian has emerged as one of Beacon Hill’s most influential and well-respected lawmakers.                  

As House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, the Waltham native stands at the forefront of issues that affect millions of people, but remains a tireless advocate for his constituents of the 10th Middlesex District, which comprises portions of Waltham, Newton and Watertown.

He has championed for better services for the mentally ill and mentally retarded and better pay for people who work directly with them. He has fought for programs that assist domestic violence victims and battled to improve residents’ lives in his district.

On the state level, Koutoujian, 46, successfully directed the Legislature to pass legislation that expands access to emergency contraception for rape victims. In 2004, he spear-headed a successful effort to enact a statewide smoking ban. He is also fighting for legislation that prohibits schools from selling junk food. 

A lawyer by trade, Koutoujian served as prosecutor for Middlesex County before being elected to the Legislature in 1996.  Much of his effort as a lawmaker remains focused on public safety issues. He is working to create laws that better protect our communities from sex offenders, advocate for victim rights, and even prohibit convicted felons from profiting off their notoriety. He has worked as an adjunct professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Legal Ethics at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, and a Professor of American Government at Bentley College in Waltham. He is also an assistant adjunct professor at Boston University School of Public Health. He is often called upon to lend his legal and political expertise in a number of media forums, including Court TV, CNN and NECN. He is a frequent contributor to the FOX25 Morning Show.

Koutoujian's desire to enhance his understanding of governments, both near and far, has whisked him to countries around the globe, including Russia, South Africa and Armenia, his ancestral homeland.  He and his father, a former Waltham City Clerk, were selected to oversee parliamentary elections last year in the European republic. The father-son duo spent eight days monitoring polling place openings, ballot counting and result tabulating.

His contributions to the local Armenian-American community earned him the “Marashtzee of the Year Award” by the Greater Union of Marash Armenians.”

 Koutoujian remains deeply committed to community service. His thumbprint is everywhere. He serves on the boards of directors of several local organizations, including the West Suburban Samaritans, the Waltham Boys & Girls Club, the Newton Boys & Girls Club, the Newton Community Service Center, REACH (formerly known as the Support Committee for Battered Women), and Deana’s Fund. He is a member of the Bright School Education Council in Waltham and has the distinction of being the Waltham Business and Professional Women’s Club’s only male member.

Koutoujian earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Bridgewater State College and a Juris Doctorate Degree from the New England School of Law. He most recently obtained a Masters Degree in Public Affairs from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also an assistant adjunct professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Koutoujian grew up in Waltham’s tightly-knit Southside neighborhood, an amalgam of working class families that exude a deep commitment to community and civic pride. He may be remembered by many as a stand-out, self-taught tennis player. He and his wife Elizabeth Cerdá Koutoujian have two young children. Peter Cerdá Koutoujian was born in July 2003 and Christian Cerdá Koutoujian arrived in January 2005.