John Peterman grew up in Van Houten Fields, an agrarian commune in West Nyack, New York.

[3] During his time in sales, Peterman sold dog food, cereal, pineapple, tuna fish, and inspirational tapes.

During a meeting to help a client find an advertising company, Peterman met Donald Staley and they began to work closely together.

[3] Together, Peterman and Staley started a mail-order company to heal sick houseplants as well as a manufacturing business making beer cheese; both were successful.

[citation needed] Peterman found unique items to sell in the catalog and Staley wrote the product descriptions.

The company continued to grow and, in 1995, the TV show Seinfeld debuted J. Peterman as a character played by John O'Hurley.

After the character's first appearance, Peterman agreed with Seinfeld’s lawyers that he would approve the scripts in which his fictional part had a role.

[20] The J. Peterman Co. was unable to sustain its rapid growth and, in 1999, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and was bought by Paul Harris Stores.

[21] The company developed Peterman's Eye, a social networking site, and an online catalog that offers mail-order inventory, as well as unique antiques.

[citation needed] Peterman owns a cabin on a 550-acre parcel of land in Lexington, Kentucky, that was formerly farmed by his son Sean.

[1] In 2001, Peterman presented a lecture titled "The Painful but Essential Art of Failing" at his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross.

[30][31] Peterman was fictionalized in the TV sitcom Seinfeld, played by John O'Hurley, as Elaine Benes' (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) boss in the last three seasons.

O'Hurley has said that his distinctive manner of speaking as the character was inspired by "'40s radio drama, combined with a bit of a bad Charles Kuralt.