Hans Christian Petersen (11 August 1793[2] – 26 September 1862) was a Norwegian politician and served as the de facto prime minister of Norway during the personal union of Sweden-Norway from 1858 to 1861.

In his 1844 textbook, author Henrik Wergeland used excerpts of Petersen’s defence speeches in the Court of Impeachment as examples of an eloquence “bordering on poetry”.

From 1828, Petersen was lawyer for the Bank of Norway department in Christiania, and from 1830 to 1834 acting Attorney General – an office he left due to disagreement on the salary.

Two years later, Petersen accepted to become councillor of state in the Second Wedel Government (1836–1844), and was appointed chief of the Ministry of the Navy in October 1839.

During the Løvenskiold/Vogt Government (1844–1856), Petersen alternated between service at the Council of State Division in Stockholm and the responsibility as chief of the Ministries of the Navy, Justice, the Interior and the Army.