Background
Peterson was born in Aurora, Illinois, on August 27, 1930, the older of two brothers. His father died when he was young, and he was raised by his mother and uncle.
mathematician university professor topologist
Peterson was born in Aurora, Illinois, on August 27, 1930, the older of two brothers. His father died when he was young, and he was raised by his mother and uncle.
He attended Northwestern University, graduating in 1952, and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in 1955 from Princeton University under the supervision of Norman Steenrod.
He was a professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After postdoctoral studies at Princeton, he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty in 1958. Peterson edited the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society from 1966 to 1970.
He also served for many years as treasurer of the American Mathematical Society. In that role he played a key role in resolving tensions between the dual directors of the society as it was then structured, and worked to build up a large reserve fund for the society.
Peterson married Marilyn Rutz in 1959.
He died of a stroke on September 1, 2000, near Washington, District of Columbia. P. South. P. East. A.