Peter Davenport

Background and Education

Peter Davenport earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University with bachelor's degrees in Russian and biology, along with a translator's certificate in Russian translation. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he earned an M.S. in genetics and biochemistry of fish from the College of Fisheries and an M.B.A. in finance and international business.

Early UFO Interest and Career Diversity

Davenport's personal interest in UFO phenomena dates to the summer of 1954, when he witnessed a UFO sighting over the St. Louis municipal airport. He conducted his first formal UFO investigation in the summer of 1965 in Exeter, New Hampshire. Before taking the helm of NUFORC, Davenport pursued a remarkably varied career: college instructor, commercial fisherman, Russian translator who worked in the Soviet Union, fisheries observer aboard Soviet fishing vessels, flight instructor, and founder of a Seattle-based biotechnology company. He also served as director of investigations for the Washington Chapter of MUFON and ran for the Washington State legislature in 1986 and the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.

Leadership of NUFORC (1994–Present)

In 1994, Davenport assumed directorship of the National UFO Reporting Center from founder Robert J. Gribble. Under his stewardship, NUFORC has become the primary repository for UFO/UAP sighting reports in North America, cataloging approximately 170,000 documented cases. The organization maintains a 24-hour hotline that receives an average of 40 reports per day, complemented by a web-based reporting system. Davenport personally reviews and archives each report, funding the operation out of pocket (approximately $800 per month) without accepting a salary.

Methodology and Philosophy

Davenport positions himself as a "believer but skeptic"—a stance that has earned praise from critics and skeptics, including the respected aerospace engineer James Oberg. His methodology emphasizes evidentiary collection without speculation about causation. He estimates that roughly 90 percent of reported sightings can be attributed to hoaxes or misidentification (aircraft, weather balloons, astronomical phenomena). When evaluating credibility, Davenport prioritizes multiple independent witnesses with corroborating accounts, particularly those with professional backgrounds (airline pilots, police officers, military personnel, former astronauts). He also weights physical evidence—photographs, radar data, or video recordings—and conducts follow-up investigations to assess witness demeanor, sobriety, and seriousness of intent.

Public Presence and Legacy

Davenport has become a public figure in ufology, regularly appearing on radio programs such as the Jeff Rense Radio Show and delivering lectures on notable cases, particularly the 1997 Phoenix Lights incident. His willingness to declare mundane explanations and to challenge unsupported claims lends NUFORC credibility across a fragmented field. By maintaining systematic, documented records and avoiding sensationalism, Davenport has positioned NUFORC as an archive of record for UFO reports in the English-speaking world.