Peter D. Baldwin
Year Inducted: 2007
Haleakala Ranch | Maui
Familiar in his working straw cowboy hat and trademark bandana neckerchief, Peter Baldwin moves easily among his many roles as rancher, roper, entrepreneur, family man, and one of Maui’s notable native sons.
He’ll tell you straight out – “I’m a roper”, as indeed he is. Peter finds the time to Travel & compete in many ropings a year on the mainland circuit. At his own Piiholo Ranch in upcountry Maui, he carved a world-class roping arena facility to develop team roping on Maui. He raises Horned Corriente roping cattle at Piiholo for his ranch ropings, as well as shipping roping cattle to other islands for their roping events.
Born into a ranching heritage, Peter’s great grandfather, Henry P. Baldwin, was one of the founders of Haleakala Ranch, and his father, Richard “Manduke” Baldwin, had a 50-year career at the ranch. Peter started as a cowboy at Haleakala after graduating from Cornell University, and later worked in and eventually acquired the Haleakala Dairy division. Peter was an entrepreneur and also owned and started other businesses. He has also been a director of several prominent Hawai`i businesses.
But his paniolo roots brought him back to ranching. After retiring from Haleakala Ranch in 2000, Peter acquired some of the ranch land he had spent many a day on and knew so well. He called his ranch, Piiholo, and it is very much a family operation. Peter’s family is very important to him. He founded Piiholo with his 3 sons, Jeff, Duke & Chris, and they help him run it today, along with Peter’s wife Kathy and his daughters in law, Tamalyn and Janet. Peter’s wild and crazy days, hunting wild bullocks, riding, roping, and hunting in the crater, and globe-trotting polo playing were all part of the fabric of a life he continues to live to the fullest.