Career
Peters, a prominent Manhattan real estate broker and consultant, was the archetype of the modern commercial real estate broker. He joined the property management company Cushman & Wakefield in 1929 as a bookkeeper. He rose to the position of president and chief executive officer of Cushman & Wakefield in 1960, became chairman of the Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer in 1970, and honorary chairman in 1976, closing many of the industry"s most notable transactions along the way.
He oversaw an expansion of the business into a nationwide force and was credited with transforming Cushman & Wakefield from a family-owned building management concern into a leading real estate services organization.
As agent or consultant, Peters represented almost every major investment builder, as well as many large institutional owners in the industrial, banking and insurance fields around the United States. and abroad. He was also instrumental in the development of several of America"s most prominent office towers, including the Bank of America Building in San Francisco, Arco Towers in Los Angeles, and 4 New York Plaza, among many others
An avid horseman, Peters partnered with Arthur B. Hancock III, of the renowned Kentucky breeding operation, Claiborne Farm. He supported many charitable organizations and institutions, including the Chemotherapy Foundation of New York, the American Cancer Society, the Boy Scouts of America, Skidmore College, Lehigh University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Peters died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1988 following open-heart surgery.
He is survived as well by four grandsons: Adam Paul Peters, Jaime Martone Peters, Jonathan Bradley Beitz, and Drew Travers Beitz.
