Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/311

 PETERSON

PETIGRU

Mo., 1867-73 ; removed to Marion, Kansas, in 1873 ; was state senator, 1874-75, and resigned to accept the judgeship of the ninth district, serving two terms, 1875-83. He was representative at large from Kansas in the 48th congress, 1883-85, and from the seventh district in the 49th, 50th and 51st congresses, 1885-91. He received the degree of A.B. from the Wesleyan university in 1894. He practised law in Newton, Kansas, after 1891.

PETERSON, Charles Jacobs, publisher, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 20, 1819 ; son of Thomas and Elizabeth Snelling (Jacobs) Peterson ; grandson of Lawrence and Rachel Peterson, and a descendant of Laurencius Peterson, bishop of Upsal at the time of the Swedish reformation, and son-in-law of King John. His first American ancestor, Erick Peterson, came from Sweden in 1638, and settled the Delaware colony of Swedes. He matriculated at the University of Pennsyl- vania in the class of 1838 in the sophomore year, but left in 1839 to engage in the book business. He married Sarah Powell, daughter of Charles Pitt Howard. He was editor, with Ann S. Ste- phens, of Peterson's Ladies' National Magazine, and author of : History of the U.S. Navy ; History of the American Revolution ; Military Heroes of the War of 1812; Military Heroes of the War with Mexico ; a continuation of Charles von Rotteck's " History of the World " (4 vols., 1856), and several novels. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., March 4, 1887.

PETERSON, Henry, author, was born in Phil- adelphia, Pa., Dec. 7, 1818 ; son of George and Jane (Evans) Peterson ; grandson of Lawrence and Rachel Peterson, and of John and Rachel Evans. He was clerk in a hardware store at fourteen, and in 1839 a member of the firm of Deacon & Peterson, who became publishers of the Saturday Evening Post, of which Henry Peterson was editor for twenty years. He was married to Sarah Webb of Wilmington, Del., who edited TJie Lady's Friend for ten years, and their sou, Arthur Peterson, became assistant editor of the Saturday Evening Post, editor of Pete7\^on's Journal, and paymaster with rank of lieutenant in the U.S. navy. Henry Peterson is the author of: TJie Twin Brothers (1843); Universal Suf- frage {1867); The Modern Job {186Q) ; Pemberton, or One Hundred Years Ago (1873); Faire-Mount (1874); Confessions of a Minister (1874); Ccesar, a Dramatic Study (1879); Poems (1863, new edition, 1883), and the drama Helen, or One hun- dred Years Ago, produced in Philadelphia in 1876. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 10, 1891.

PETERSON, Robert Evans, publisher, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 13, 1813; son of George and Jane (Evans) Peterson. He received a commercial education and engaged in the hard- ware business until 1834, when he married Han-

nah Mary, only daughter Judge John Bouvier (q.v.). He then studied law with his fatlier-in- law and assisted him in editing liis law works. He was admitted to the bar in 1843, and in order to absolve the debt of his clients, Daniels & Smith, booksellers, purchased their business, con- ducting it as R. E. Peterson & Co. On the death of his father-in-law in 1851 he established with George W. Childs the publishing house of Childs & Peterson, which became involved in 1857-58. Mr. Peterson then retired from the publishing and bookselling business and took up the study of medicine. He was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, M.D.,1863, but did not practise, devoting his life to study. He presented Judge Bouvier's valuable law library to the University of Pennsylvania. His wife died, Sept. 4, 1870, at the home of her son-in-law, George W. Childs, Long Branch, N.J., and he was married secondly, in 1872, to Blanche, sister of Louis M. Gottschalk (q.v.) and after her death in 1879, thirdly, to her sister Clara. He published " Bouvier's Law Dic- tionary " and " Bouvier's Institutes of American Law"; edited: "Familiar Science, a Guide to Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar" ; " Dr. Kane's Arctic Explorations " ; " Brazil and Brazil- ians", and numerous text books, and is the author of : TJie Roman Catholic Church not the Only True Religion (1891). He died in Asbury Park, N.J., Oct. 30, 1894.

PETERSON, Theophilos Beasley, publisher, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 14, 1821 ; son of Thomas and Elizabeth Snelling (Jacobs) Pet- erson. He was a drygoods clerk at thirteen and afterward a clerk in a shipping-office, later learn- ed the trade of stereotyper and printer and in 1845 became bookseller and news agent. He admitted his brothers, George W. and Thomas, into partnership in 1858, the firm becoming T. B. Peterson & Brothers. He was the first publisher to issue a catalogue giving portraits of authors with brief biographical sketches, and the pioneer in issuing cheap editions of English books. He died in Pliiladelphia, Pa., Dec. 30, 1890.

PETIQRU, James Lewis, statesman, was born in Abbeville district. S.C, March 10, 1789 ; son of William and Louise (Gibert) Petigru, and grand- son of James Petigru (or Pettigrew), who emi- grated in 1740, settled in Pennsylvania, removed to Tyrrell county, N.C., and thence to Abbeville, S.C, 1768 ; and of Jean Louis Gibert, a Huguenot clergyman, who fled from persecution in France, and settled in South Carolina in 1695. James Lewis Petigru attended school in Willington, S.C, and was graduated from South Carolina college in 1809. He was a teacher in Beaufort college, 1809-13 ; was admitted to the bar in 1812, and practised at Coosawhatchie, S.C. He served as a private soldier in the war of 1812, and was ap-