Henry Peterson (author)

Henry Peterson
Born(1818-12-07)December 7, 1818
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 1891(1891-10-10) (aged 72)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeLaurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupationeditor, novelist, playwright, poet
LanguageAmerican English
PeriodModern
EmployerThe Saturday Evening Post
SpouseSarah Webb
ParentsGeorge Peterson, Jane (Evans) Peterson

Henry Peterson (December 7, 1818 – October 10, 1891) was an American editor, novelist, poet, and playwright. He was editor of The Saturday Evening Post for thirty years and owner of H. Peterson & Company publishing firm.[1] He was a member of the Peterson family of publishers including his brother Robert Evans Peterson and his cousin Charles Jacobs Peterson.

Early life and education

He was born on December 7, 1818, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to George and Jane (Evans) Peterson.[2]

Career

He worked as a clerk in a hardware store at age fourteen, and in 1839 joined the firm of Deacon & Peterson, who became publishers of the Saturday Evening Post. In 1843, Peterson became editor of the Saturday Evening Post. In 1848, he was half owner of the publication along with his brother-in-law Edmund Deacon, and the sole editor.[3]

As editor, he refused to publish the works of the female writer, E.D.E.N. Southworth, on grounds that her work was "immoral". He refused to publish The Deserted Wife since it depicted a character who forced a young woman into marriage against her wishes.[4]

The publication became very successful and Peterson bought out his brother-in-law and renamed the firm H. Peterson & Company. Peterson controlled the paper for almost thirty years and sold it to R.J.C. Walker.[3]

H. Peterson & Company also published The Lady's Friend, edited by Peterson's wife and Peterson's Magazine.[3]

He addressed the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, and was quoted as saying "Even an army of occupation here could not put the Negro into the street cars."[5]

He died on October 10, 1891, in Philadelphia[2] and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.[6]

Personal life

He was married to Sarah Webb, who edited The Lady's Friend magazine for ten years, and their son, Arthur Peterson, became assistant editor of the Post. His eldest brother was the publisher Robert Evans Peterson, and his cousin was the publisher Charles J. Peterson.[7]

Publications

References

  1. ^ Jordan, John W. (1918). Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 180–182. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rossiter Johnson; John Howard Brown (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. VIII. Biographical Society. p. 304.
  3. ^ a b c The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. XXXIX. Philadelphia: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 1912. p. 118. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  4. ^ Dowling, David (2012). Literary Partnerships and the Marketplace: Writers and Menors in Nineteenth-Century America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8071-3847-2. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  5. ^ Biddle, Daniel R.; Dubin, Murray (2010). Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 323. ISBN 978-1-59213-465-6. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Henry Peterson". remembermyjourney.com. webCemeteries. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b James Grant Wilson; John Fiske (1888). Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. IV. D. Appleton & Company. pp. 744–745.
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