2023 Assembly Resolution 12
ENGROSSED RESOLUTION
Relating to: honoring the life and public service of Representative Arthur L. Peterson.
Whereas, Representative Arthur L. Peterson was born on June 27, 1926, in Glyndon, Minnesota,
and passed away at the age of 96 on March 23, 2023, in Sun City, California; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson grew up in small towns throughout the Midwest, including
Birnamwood, Prescott, and Mondovi, Wisconsin, where he became an Eagle Scout, won statewide
honors as a speaker and trombone player, and was an avid athlete on his high school’s football and
basketball teams; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson continued his education at Yale University, where he received an
undergraduate degree in 1947, and later received a master’s degree from the University of Southern
California and a doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was placed in the officer’s
training program, ultimately receiving a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1947 and later
volunteering for duty during the Korean War, where he served his country as an infantry company
commander and as a captain; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson became one of the nation’s youngest state legislators when he was
elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1950 at the age of 24; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was an
instrumental member of the Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs; and
Whereas, after his tenure in the legislature, Arthur Peterson began a career that combined his
interest in politics and higher education as a professor of political science at the University of
Wisconsin–Eau Claire and at Ohio Wesleyan University, and later serving in leadership positions at the
American Graduate School of International Management, Lebanon Valley College, Eckerd College,
and the Wathen Academy; and
Whereas, throughout his career in politics and academia, Arthur Peterson played a central role
in various sociopolitical movements, including as chairman of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission
during the early years of the civil rights movement and as chief−of−staff of the Republican National
Committee’s rebuilding efforts in the mid−1960s; and
Whereas, despite Arthur Peterson’s demanding career in higher education, his dedication to the
political domain never faltered; he served as a representative in the Montana State Legislature from
2000 to 2002, and at the age of 95, he vied for a seat in the U.S. Congress; and
Whereas, Arthur Peterson was an active churchman, musician, and Freemason throughout his
life, as well as a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and great−grandfather; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, That the members of the Wisconsin Assembly do hereby honor the
life and public service of Representative Arthur L. Peterson and extend their condolences to his family
and friends; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide a copy of this resolution to his family.
S t a t e C a p i t o l
Madison, Wisconsin
Representative Robin J. Vos
Speaker of the Assembly
Date
Edward A. Blazel
Assembly Chief Clerk