Edwin J. Peterson

Edwin J. Peterson was born on March 30, 1930. Peterson received his undergraduate bachelor of science in music from the University of Oregon in 1951.[1] While at school he planned to become a Congressman by the age of 35, and attended the Republican National Convention in 1952.[2] He entered the United States Air Force the following year, attaining the rank of first lieutenant and serving until 1954.[3] Peterson then returned to school and earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1957 from Oregon's law school.[4] He enjoyed the law, and dropped his ambitions for Congress.[2]

Peterson practiced law in Portland, Oregon for over 20 years with the firm Tooze, Kerr, Peterson, Marshall & Shenker.[1] Following private practice, he joined the Oregon Supreme Court in 1979 when he was appointed May 15 by Governor Vic Atiyeh.[5] He then was re-elected in 1980, 1986, and 1992.[5] In 1983 he was elected as Chief Justice of the court by his fellow justices, serving until 1991.[6]

In 1989, Peterson was awarded the University of Oregon Law’s Meritorious Service Award,[4] and the following year was the recipient of the Oregon State Bar Association's Award of Merit.[7] While on the court he focused on improving the efficiency of the courts and to integrate all the courts of the Oregon Judicial Department.[5] As part of these efforts, the time to trial in Oregon dropped almost in half to about one year, and he helped create the rules for trial courts.[2] He was awarded the American Judicature Society's Herbert Harley Award in September 1992 for his efforts to improve administration of the courts in Oregon.[8] While on the court he led efforts to study and eliminate racial and ethnic biases in the courts.[9] This included serving as the chairman of a task force on bias in the Oregon courts.[2] Peterson resigned from the court effective December 31, 1993.[9]

After leaving the court he was given the University of Oregon’s Distinguished Service Award,[4] and the Oregon State Bar Association's President’s Award for Affirmative Action in 1995.[7] The University of Oregon's alumni association gave Peterson their Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996,[4] and in 1998 he earned the National Inns of Court’s Lewis F. Powell Jr. Award for Professionalism and Ethics.[1] Peterson has, in the past, been a member of the Salem Pops Orchestra, where he played the French horn.

• Retired Supreme Court chief justice's long fight to destroy racial discrimination in Oregon's legal system. Deirdre Steinberg, The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon.