Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter (1875–1960) was a German-American publisher of a German language newspaper called the "Omaha Tribüne" in Omaha, Nebraska. He had immigrated to the United States from Bavaria in 1889. Active in the ethnic German community in the city, he became founding president of the Nebraska chapter of the National German-American Alliance. About. Born in Bavaria, Peter immigrated to the United States in 1889, settling first in Illinois. As a young man, he wanted to be a teacher but worked at a sawmill before apprenticing with Friedrich von Parrot, publisher of a weekly German  newspaper called the "Volkszeitung." Within several years Peter became involved with German language newspapers in Peoria and Rock Island, Illinois. In 1904 when the "Volkszeitung" went bankrupt, Peter purchased the paper for $1,500 and at twenty-two years old, he became the youngest editor in all of Illinois. In 1907 Peter moved to Omaha, Nebraska and bought the "Westliche Presse". The following year purchased and revived a newspaper called the "Omaha Tribüne". Peter consolidated the two papers to create the "Omaha Tribüne-Westliche Presse," which he published in German. On March 14, 1912 Peter introduced the "Tägliche Omaha Tribüne ," (Daily Omaha Tribune). It was published under than name until 1926, when it was changed to "Omaha Tribüne" and split to offer a separate Sunday paper. During World War I, Peter continued to merge German-language newspapers from across the region into his enterprise. The German-language paper would serve the German populations of Nebraska, Iowa, and other Midwest states until 1960. Peter was a devout Roman Catholic. He also belonged to the Elks, and to a number of social and charitable German immigrant organizations in Omaha. In November 1910 Peter founded and became the president of the Nebraska chapter  of the National German-American Alliance. Using his position as publisher and editor of the "Omaha Tribüne", Peter followed the NGAA's policy against Prohibition and rallied against Nebraskan politicians and policies he saw as working against the distribution of alcohol. An active businessman, Peter continued buying and consolidating other German-language newspapers throughout the Midwest for several years. His dominance of the German-language newspaper industry in the United States was established by the 1930s. After spending 50 years operating the only German-language newspapers in the U.S., Peter's company sold its final publications in 1982. In 1950  Peter was awarded the Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Pius XII. Val J. Peter died in Omaha on February 19, 1960 after a brief illness. He is buried in Saint Mary Magdalene Cemetery there. Politics. Peter and his newspapers were initially against American involvement in World War I. At a NGAA meeting, he was quoted as saying, Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Peter published a statement in his newspapers strongly supporting the US and its allies. He wrote, "time for political disagreement about international affairs has passed" and that "all American citizens of German  blood" needed to "stand behind their government." Legacy. Peter married and had a family. Two of his sons have carried on some of his commitments to the Catholic Church, civil organizations, and the printing business. The family of one of his sons, Eugene Peter (b. 1925), still operates the Interstate Printing Company in Omaha, which printed the "Omaha Tribüne" for decades. The company has been located in the Near North Side neighborhood of North Omaha since the 1950s. Another son, Valentin J. Peter, Jr., became a Roman Catholic priest with the Society of Jesus (SJ). He served as the executive  director of Boystown (Father Flanagan's Home for Boys) near Omaha for several years.