[1] Atley P. Peterson was born near the small village of Erdal at Lærdal parish in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.
[2] The family moved to Crawford County, Wisconsin in 1854, settling in the Pine Knob area near Soldiers Grove.
[4] His political career included a number of years as a member of the Crawford County Board.
Peterson served as president or supervisor of the Village of Soldiers Grove almost continuously until his death.
[2][5] In 1886, he was elected to replace Nils P. Haugen as Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner and served in this capacity from 1887 to 1891.