Russell Wilbur Peterson

Russell Wilbur Peterson

October 3, 1916 - February 21, 2011

Russell Wilbur Peterson, former governor of Delaware and president of the National Audubon Society, passed away on Monday, February 21, 2011, at the age of 94, in his Wilmington, DE home. Peterson was born on October 3, 1916, in Portage, Wisconsin, the eighth of nine children born to Emma Anthony Peterson and Johan Anton Peterson. He attended the University of Wisconsin, from which he received a B.S. degree, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1938 and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1942.

After completing his degree, Peterson moved to Delaware to begin work for the DuPont Company, where his first assignments, as a research scientist, were in the modification of nylon fibers for such wartime applications as parachute shrouds and airplane tires. Over his 26 years with DuPont, Peterson rose steadily through the research, manufacturing, and sales ranks, finally becoming director of a division responsible for the launching of new business ventures.

It was during these years that Peterson began his life-long career as a public servant and citizen activist. In 1961, Peterson organized the Three "S" Citizens Campaign, which led to major reforms in Delaware's criminal justice system. He also initiated and chaired a program of the Greater Wilmington Development Council to bring better housing, jobs, education and health care to the city's low-income neighborhoods.

In 1968, Peterson, a progressive Republican, was elected governor of Delaware. Over the course of his four-year administration, Peterson built a strong record of accomplishments. His first act as governor, immediately following his inauguration, was to order the National Guard off the streets of Wilmington, where they had been stationed since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He abolished both the State's debtor's prison and the nation's last whipping post, passed the Fair Housing Act, established the Delaware State Arts Council, and replaced the archaic commission form of government with the more efficient cabinet structure. His most proud accomplishment was passage of the Coastal Zone Act of 1971, which bans heavy industrial development from Delaware's coastline and has served to protect the coastal environment for nearly 40 years.

In 1973, following his term as governor, Peterson left Delaware to begin a long and distinguished career, on the national and international scene, as an advocate for environmental protection and wildlife preservation. His first job was working with Nelson Rockefeller to establish the National Commission on Critical Choices for Americans.

Peterson was then appointed chair of the President's Council on Environmental Quality, where he served for three years under Presidents Nixon and Ford, with the assignment of helping to launch implementation of the recently passed National Environmental Policy Act.

Peterson was then recruited to be founding president of the national lobbying group New Directions, which focused on international issues. In 1978, Peterson was appointed head of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, whose job was to advise Congress on the long-term economic, environmental, and social impacts of technological innovations.

In 1979, Peterson was appointed to his "dream job" as president of the National Audubon Society. Over his six years with the organization, Peterson promoted Audubon's evolution into an environmental advocacy and lobbying organization and expanded its realm of focus to such issues as alternative energy and population growth.

During Peterson's years with Audubon, he worked with Ted Turner to create Audubon's TV series, The World of Audubon. This collaboration led the two men to found the Better World Society, whose mission was to promote global television programming related to environmental issues.

During the 1980s, Peterson spent terms as a visiting professor at Dartmouth College, Carleton College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the last two decades he has served as co-chair of the Governor's Task Force on the Future of the Christina and Brandywine Rivers and then board member of the resulting Riverfront Development Corporation. In these capacities, Peterson promoted and helped bring to fruition his concept of a revitalized urban shoreline in Wilmington, DE, which today encompasses the 250-acre Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge.

In 2000, Peterson came full circle in his public service career by initiating the creation of SURJ: Stand Up for What's Right & Just, a citizens' action group working to reform Delaware's criminal justice system. In 1996, Peterson formally switched party affiliations to become a Democrat, citing the Republican Party's abandonment of the political middle ground.

Other leadership positions Peterson held include those of: member of the National Commission to Investigate the Nuclear Accident at Three Mile Island, president of the International Council for Bird Preservation, founding chairman of the Global Tomorrow Coalition, vice president of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and board member of both the Population Crisis Committee and World Wildlife Fund.

Peterson was the recipient of a great many awards over his lifetime, including the National Wildlife Federation's Conservationist of the Year award, the Wilderness Society's Robert Marshall Award, the American Chemical Society's Parsons Award, the Audubon Medal of the National Audubon Society, the Gold Medal of the World Wildlife Fund, and 17 honorary doctorates.

Peterson also is the author of two books, Rebel with a Conscience and Patriots, Stand Up!, as well as over 450 published articles and book chapters. His papers have been deposited in the Library of Congress, as well as with the Delaware Archives and the Delaware Historical Society.

Peterson is survived by his wife of 15 years, June Jenkins Peterson; his sons R. Glen Peterson of Jaffrey, NH, and Peter J. Peterson of Wilmington, DE; his daughters Kristin P. Havill of Woodbury, CT, and Elin P. Sullivan of Bedford Hills, NY; 17 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Lillian Turner Peterson, as well as by an infant son and a great-grandson. Peterson felt himself truly fortunate to have been blessed with wonderful marriages to each of two supportive and beloved partners.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, 2011, at 2 pm in the Chase Center at the Wilmington Riverfront. The public is invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to the following organizations: First Unitarian Church, 730 Halstead Road, Wilmington, DE 19803; the June J. and Russell W. Peterson Fund for Environmental Education; and/or the June J. and Russell W. Peterson Social Justice Fund. Fund donations should be sent to the Delaware Community Foundation at 100 W. 10th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Arrangements by CREMATION SERVICE OF DELAWARE