Accolades are pouring in for Russell W. Peterson, the former Delaware governor whose lifetime of passionate advocacy for vulnerable populations, in human society and in nature, elevated him to a stature even greater than the sum of his countless accomplishments.
Gov. Peterson, age 94, died Monday night at home with his wife of 15 years, June Jenkins Peterson. On Tuesday Governor Jack Markell ordered national and state flags to be lowered to half staff in honor of “a true legend.”
Born in Wisconsin in 1916, Peterson came to Delaware after earning his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1942 and had a 26-year career as a research scientist and corporate executive for DuPont before entering politics.
In his one term as governor (1969-1973), Gov. Peterson’s signature achievement was the creation of Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act of 1971, a model environmental statute that earned Peterson worldwide acclaim. The act was designed to protect Delaware’s fragile coastal areas by banning new heavy industrial development along the coastline.
His firm championship of that cause, in the face of withering opposition from industrial interests and heavy political damage, led him on a journey of environmental advocacy that would continue to the end of his life. He would go on to serve as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (1973-1976) and president of the National Audubon Society (1979-1985), advising Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter on environmental issues.”
“Our state mourns the passing of a true legend. Russ Peterson lived the kind of life that leaves multiple legacies, each making a profound and positive difference,” Governor Jack Markell said in a statement issued Monday night. “I was blessed to count him as both a mentor and a friend. He was a source of wisdom and strength.”
U.S. Senator Tom Carper, also a former Delaware governor, issued a statement praising Peterson’s tireless efforts on many fronts long after his time in office.
“Just after his 75th birthday, Governor Peterson came to see me in the Governor’s office and said, ‘We ought to do something about the Riverfront along the Christina River.’ I said, ‘Will you help me?’ He said, ‘You bet!’ And he did. The rest is history. At an age when most people are ready to push back and take life easy, Russ Peterson just kept picking up speed. He married his wife June, who proved to be the wind beneath his wings. Her love and enthusiasm enabled him to pack more into the last 15 years of his life than anyone I’ve ever known. What a giant. God knows I’ll miss him. We all will.”
U.S. Senator Chris Coons pointed to Peterson's political courage in a statement Tuesday.
“Delaware lost an icon last night. Annie and I were saddened to learn about Russ’ passing and join our fellow Delawareans in celebrating his remarkable life. He was a true leader for Delaware – in and out of office – whose insight and input will be greatly missed. Russ Peterson refused to take a path simply because it was politically expedient or convenient, and expected no less from any of those who followed in his footsteps. He was a kind man, a good friend, and a conscience for all of those who serve. Our hearts go out to June and the entire Peterson family.”
Late in life, Peterson supported the effort to bring an offshore wind farm to Delaware, testifying passionately before the legislature about the need for environmental stewardship to benefit future generations. In recognition of his work, a Bluewater Wind research vessel was christened in Peterson’s name in April 2008 but tragically went down in a storm off the Delaware coast one month later, taking the life of a crew member.
Peterson’s lasting contributions to the environment and to the Wilmington Riverfront are recognized at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, which opened in October 2009.
In an era of extreme turbulence for the nation and for his state, Peterson, a Republican, represented a political shift from the policies of his predecessor, conservative Democrat Charles L. Terry Jr. Keeping a campaign promise, the new governor immediately ordered the withdrawal of the National Guard from Wilmington, where troops had been patrolling the streets for 10 months in the wake of race riots sparked by the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
Peterson also streamlined Delaware state government, dismantling the commission-based system in favor of a cabinet, an organizational structure that remains in place today. The early end to his tenure was caused by financial miscalculations that resulted in a $5 million state budget deficit as well as by political fallout from his advocacy of the Coastal Zone Act. The governor lost his reelection bid to Democrat Sherman Tribbitt in 1972. Peterson himself joined the Democratic Party in 1996.
A Unitarian, Peterson had four children with his first wife, Lillian, who died in 1994.
Governor Peterson served as member of Delaware First Media’s Advisory Board since DFM’s founding in 2009.
In 2010 he contributed a commentary to DFM News on another cause he championed for decades: reform of the criminal justice system.