 russell wilbur "russ" peterson (october 3, 1916 â february 21, 2011)http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110222/news02/102220357/russell-peterson-ex-governor-champion-environment-dies-94?odyssey=tab%7ctopnews%7ctext%7chome was an american scientist and politician from wilmington, delaware. he served as governor of delaware as a member of the republican party.russell w. peterson (delawareâs governors) an influential environmentalist, he served as chairman of the council on environmental quality and president of the national audubon society.douglas martin, "r.w. peterson, 94, dies; leader on environment," the new york times, feb. 24, 2011, p. a25. ==early life and family== peterson was born in portage, wisconsin, the son of anton and emma peterson. the eighth of nine children, his father anton was an immigrant from sweden who worked as a bartender and barber. peterson attended the university of wisconsinâmadison where he received a b.s. in 1938, working as a dishwasher in the chemistry lab to pay the bills and a ph.d. in chemistry in 1942.russell w. peterson papers, library of congress, 2006. in 1937 he married lillian turner, with whom he had four children: r. glen, peter j., kristin p. havill and elin p. sullivan. lillian died in 1994. he married his second wife, june jenkins, who had been recently widowed, in 1995. he was a member of the unitarian universalist association. at wisconsin, peterson was elected t
1916_births 2011_deaths American_Unitarian_Universalists American_Unitarians American_environmentalists American_people_of_Swedish_descent Deaths_from_stroke Delaware_Republicans Governors_of_Delaware People_from_New_Castle_County,_Delaware People_from_Portage,_Wisconsin Republican_Party_state_governors_of_the_United_States University_of_WisconsinaMadison_alumni