Ilion High School - Class of 1916

Utica Observer Dispatch - August 29, 1977

Retired Justice Peterson, 79

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Retired Justice Peterson, 79

"A judge takes pride in making correct decisions to make these correct decisions sometimes many hours are consumed looking up past cases and comparing various opinions" Supreme Court Justice Carl W. Peterson said man interview in 1965. In 1969, he retired after serving 17 years on the Supreme Court bench.

Yesterday, Justice Peterson died in Mohawk Valley General Hospital. He was 79 (See obit, page 15.)

His career began in 1923, when he was admitted to the bar after graduation from Albany Law School, in the firm of Schmidt and Peterson in Ilion.

In 1930. he was elected Herkimer County district attorney by seven votes. Later, he was elected Herkimer County judge and surrogate in 1945.

Justice Peterson, who said the toughest job for a judge was "drawing the line" and seeing two sides of a case, served from 1952 until 1969 in the Supreme Court, retiring at the age of 70.

A Mason, Justice Peterson was grand master in the state in 1960. He was a past master of the Ilion Lodge 591 F & AM.

The justice was active in many civic affairs in Ilion. He was a director of the Ilion Hospital, the Herkimer County Tuberculosis and Public Health Association, the Ilion Cemetery Association and the Ilion National Bank and Trust Company.

Justice Peterson, of 15 Bushnell St, Mohawk, was a native of Ilion and a graduate of Ilion High School.