Name P. Peterson | ||
Paul Kenneth ("P. K.") Peterson (April 13, 1915 – December 31, 1993) was a lawyer, insurance broker and Republican politician who served as mayor of Minneapolis from 1957 to 1961.
Life and career
Peterson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1915. He attended the University of Minnesota and after graduating worked as an insurance salesman. During World War II, he served in Air Combat Intelligence with the United States Navy. After the war, Peterson became involved in politics after working with Governor Luther Youngdahl. Peterson ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican and won, serving four terms from January 7, 1947 to January 3, 1955. While serving in the legislature, Peterson earned a law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law. From 1950 to 1953, he also chaired the Minnesota Republican Party.
After leaving the legislature, Peterson ran for mayor of Minneapolis. He won and served two terms from 1957 to 1961. During his term he focused on developing the city's core and demolishing slum neighborhoods such as the Gateway District. In 1960 he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the United States Senate. He left politics thereafter and pursued a private law practice, though he did serve on a number of city and state boards and commissions. He also served as an administrative law judge for Hennepin County, Minnesota from 1974 to 1985.
Peterson was killed in an automobile accident in Minneapolis, Minnesota on New Year's Eve 1990.