Robert Evans Peterson (November 12, 1812 – October 30, 1894) was an American book publisher and author. Along with

George William Childs George William Childs (May 12, 1829 – February 3, 1894) was an American publisher who co-owned the '' Public Ledger'' newspaper in Philadelphia with financier Anthony Joseph Drexel. Early life Childs was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May ...

, he founded the publishing house of Childs & Peterson. He was a member of the Peterson family of publishers including his brother Henry Peterson and his cousin

Charles Jacobs Peterson Charles Jacobs Peterson (July 20, 1818 - March 4, 1887) was an American editor, publisher and writer. He worked as an editor at ''Graham's Magazine'', was an owner and partner of ''The Saturday Evening Post'', and founded ''Peterson's Magazine''. ...

Early life and education

Peterson was born on November 12, 1812, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, to George and Jane (Evans) Peterson. He studied law under his father-in-law,

John Bouvier John Bouvier (1787November18, 1851) was a French-American jurist and legal lexicographer known for his legal writings, particularly his ''Law Dictionary Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America and of the Several State ...

. He was admitted to the bar but never practiced law. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, with a medical degree in 1863, but never practiced medicine.

Career

He worked in the hardware business until 1834. He assisted his father-in-law in editing his law works. In order to absolve the debt of his clients, Daniels & Smith, booksellers, purchased their business, and operated it as R. E. Peterson & Co. On the death of John Bouvier in 1851, he partnered with George W. Childs and established the publishing house of Childs & Peterson, which became involved in 1857–58. Peterson then retired from the publishing and bookselling business and took up the study of medicine. He died on October 30, 1894, at his summer residence in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

in Philadelphia.

Personal life

He married Hannah Mary Bouvier, the daughter of Judge

. After his wife died in 1870, he was re-married, in 1872, to Blanche Gottschalk, sister of Louis M. Gottschalk, and after her death in 1879, a third time, to her sister

Clara Clara may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Clara'' (2018 film), a Canadian sci-fi drama * ''Clara'' (2019 film), a Ukrainian animated fantasy film * ''Clara'' (TV series), a German TV series * Clara the Cow, mascot of the Greek TV show '' P ...

. His family included several publishers and editors: his brother Henry Peterson edited the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' for twenty years, and his cousin Charles J. Peterson was an owner of the ''Post'' and founder of ''

Peterson's Magazine ''Peterson's Magazine'' (1842–1898) was an American magazine focused on women. It was published monthly and based in Philadelphia. In 1842, Charles Jacobs Peterson and George Rex Graham, partners in the ''Saturday Evening Post'', agreed ...

''. He presented Judge Bouvier's law library to the University of Pennsylvania.

Publications

He published ''Bouvier's Law Dictionary'' and ''Bouvier's Institutes of American Law''; ''Dr. Kane's Arctic Explorations''; ''Brazil and Brazilians'', and numerous text books, and was the author of: ''The Roman Catholic Church not the Only True Religion'' (1891). *
Peterson's Familiar Science; or the Scientific Explanation of Common Things.
', Philadelphia: George W. Childs, 1866

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Henry 1812 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American book publishers (people) Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania lawyers Writers from Philadelphia Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni