Harold Leslie Peterson (1922–1978) was a historian widely considered in his day to be a foremost expert on firearms and related subjects in American history.
Peterson was born in
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from ...
, on May 22, 1922. He attended
Drew University
Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...
in
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937.
Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming on ...
, where he was an undefeated varsity fencer in foil and saber. His education was interrupted by a nine-month tour of active duty during World War II. He graduated from Drew with an AB magna cum laude in 1945. He then went to work at the
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
while simultaneously pursuing an MA in history at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
, which he received in 1947.
In 1949, Peterson co-founded a group which eventually formalized into the
Company of Military Historians. He served on the Board of Governors for the organization from 1949 to 1972 and as President from 1960 to 1963.
He was also elected a Fellow of the organization in 1957.
Peterson's entire professional career was with the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
. From 1963 until his death in 1978 he held the title of Curator. During his career he was consultant to many organizations and museums as an expert on historical arms and armor. In addition to his particular focus on arms, he was also a general promoter of the history mission of the Park Service, and was a leader of the
Eastern National Park and Monument Association.
Peterson's interest, writings and research in military history went well beyond the range of arms and armor, to include military music and drinks of soldiers. He recorded his own performances of classic military music, and he wrote a book on drinks called ''Cups of Valor'' under the pseudonym N. E. Beveridge.
When Peterson died on January 1, 1978, he was survived by his wife, Dorothy Parker Peterson, a son Harold L. Jr., a daughter, Kristin Smalley, and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Leslie C. Peterson.
Bibliography
Books by Peterson:
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Free version at Project Gutenberg.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Harold L.
1922 births
1978 deaths
People from Peekskill, New York
Military personnel from New York (state)
Drew University alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Writers from New York (state)
American military personnel of World War II