Biography of Peter Peterson

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Page 281.

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


HON. PETER PETERSON, one of the most influential citizens of Brookings 
county, and a member of a farming community of Medary township. His 
farm consists of one hundred and sixty acres, situated in section 19, 
where he is now living in a comfortable and pleasant home. He was born 
at Ringsaker, near Lake Mjosen, Norway, October 29, 1854, and a son of 
Ole and Sigrid (Anderson) Peterson. Ole Peterson was a farmer in Norway 
and served several years in the Norwegian army. In 1860 he came to 
America and located first in Vernon county, Wisconsin, where he was 
employed as a farm laborer. In the fall of 1861. he enlisted in Company 
K, Fifteenth Wisconsin Infantry, and served about one year. He was 
first engaged on the frontier of Minnesota and later went south where 
he was overcome by the heat while on the march and died in the 
hospital. He left four children: Peter; Maria (Mrs. Even Olson), Vernon 
county, Wisconsin; Christina (Mrs. John Glynn), deceased; and Olof, of 
Vernon county, Wisconsin. The mother also is living in Wisconsin and is 
seventy-two years of age.

	Peter Peterson, the subject of this sketch, lived in Wisconsin 
until 1878, when he came to Brookings county, South Dakota, and took a 
homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres on section 19, Medary 
township. Mr. Peterson moved from Canby, Minnesota, to his present home 
by means of a team which he hired for the purpose, as he had none of 
his own, and nothing with which to start farming when he arrived, but 
by his own energy, business prudence and sagacity has won for himself a 
comfortable fortune. The farm is now well cultivated and he is 
surrounded with those improvements and home comforts which make life 
enjoyable. In local matters he is always actively interested and is 
president of the Mutual Insurance Company of Volga, which has over 
$325,000 worth of insurance now in force. He was one of the 
incorporators, and is at present one of the directors of the Farmers' 
Shipping Association of Volga.

	Mr. Peterson was united in marriage in 1876, to Miss Bertha 
Larson, and their wedded life has been blessed to them by the presence 
of a bright, interesting family of eight children, upon whom they have 
bestowed the following names: Ole, Peter, Christian, Norman, Dina, 
John, Nels and Tina. The family are all members of the Medary 
congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical synod of the Lutheran church.

	Politically Mr. Peterson has firmly endorsed the principles of 
the Populist party ever since its organization. He was chairman of the 
town board of supervisors for several years, and for the past four 
years has served as town clerk. In 1894  he was elected a member of the 
South Dakota house of representatives and re-elected in 1896. In this 
capacity has proved himself a strong and efficient member and has 
faithfully looked after the interests of the district he represents. He 
was successful in securing a deficiency appropriation for the South 
Dakota Agricultural college. He also introduced a registration bill 
providing for the registration of votes, which, however, failed of 
passage.