Peterson earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1913 from the University of Oklahoma when he was 22 years old.
He served in the Army during the First World War as a 1st Lieutenant of Cavalry.
After the war, he attended law school at the University of Arizona, graduating in 1920.
[2] [3] As Attorney General, Peterson filed suit against California for rights to the Colorado River and leading to numerous United States Supreme Court decisions in Arizona v.
[4] In 1932, he unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for Arizona governor against Benjamin Baker Moeur.