David Petraeus was born on 7th November, 1952 in Cornwall, Hudson in New York. David grew up and graduated from Cornwall Central High School in 1970.

After high school, he then joined United States Military Academy at West Point. Petraeus was on the intercollegiate soccer and ski teams, a cadet captain on the brigade staff, and a "distinguished cadet" academically, graduating in the top 5% of the Class of 1974.

After graduating from West Point, Petraeus earned the General George C. Marshall Award as top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Class of 1983 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Patraeus then earned his M.P.A. in 1985 and went on to do his Ph.D. in International Relations in 1987 from Princeton University.

After that David served as Assistant Professor of International Relations at the U.S. Military Academy from 1985 to 1987. He also completed a military fellowship at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in 1994–1995.

He also served as the Commanding General of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) from 2005 till 2007. As commander of CAC, Petraeus was responsible for oversight of the Command and General Staff College and seventeen other schools, centers, and training programs.

David Petraues was called "the world's leading expert in counter-insurgency warfare".

Petraues was involved in Iraq war as well. He has held increasingly important posts in the U.S. Army and served in Haiti, Bosnia, and Iraq. He has been awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star among many other decorations.

On October 31, 2008, Petraeus became the commander of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Being the commander, Petraeus was responsible for U.S. operations in 20 countries spreading from Egypt to Pakistan.

Some political analysts believe that 2012 is not the right time for David Patraues to stand for the presidential elections. 2016 elections seem like a safer bet. According to the newspaper “Telegraph”, Petraeus his little or no political ambitions so far and neither is he interested in standing for the 2012 presidential elections as a nominee from the Republicans Party. Yet speculations about "Petraeus in 2012" persist. The White House is wary of him just as President Bill Clinton was wary of General Colin Powell in 1995.