William Petersen was born August 25, 1882 on a farm in Bartlett Township, Todd County, Minnesota, the son of Fred and Lydia Petersen. His father was Dane and his mother Pennsylvania Dutch.
He went to school in the country until after he was 10 years old, and then went to the Verndale school, graduating in 1898. He went to the St. Cloud Normal School and upon his graduation in 1903 became principal of the Watertown, MN school, where he served for 3 years.
He returned to school to study law at the College of Law at the University of Minnesota at the night school, and taught during this period one year at a private high school in Minneapolis, and for two years was principal of the Richfield School.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1909, and on June 17, 1909 he opened his law office in Lancaster, and practiced there for the next 52 years, when he retired. He was among those who organized the Northwestern State Bank of Hallock, and served on the board of directors for 20 years.
On December 29, 1920, he married Esther Lindquist at Staples, MN, who at the time was a teacher in Duluth, MN. She had taught first grade under him at Watertown, MN for one year.
In 1930, William Petersen was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, and served in the regular sessions of 1931 and 1933, and the special session of 1933. He did not seek reelection.
Will was a Past Master of the Hallock Masonic Lodge, Lancaster Businessmen's Club, Kem Temple of the Shrine of Grand Forks, Scottish Rite of Minneapolis, Lancaster Lions Club, the Elks Lodge of Thief River Falls, Minnesota Bar Association, Chairman of the Kittson County Draft Board, and Chairman of the Area Bond Drive during World War II, active in the Kittson County Fair Association, and Fair Announcer for many years.
William Petersen was survived by his wife Esther and three daughters:
Esther Ann (J.C.) Haas of Rochester, MN
Katherine (Orval) Lund of Lancaster, MN
Carley (Robert) Engwall of Bloomington, MN
He was also survived by one brother, Ed Petersen of International Falls, MN, ten grandchildren (Bill Haas, Susan Brown, Jeffry Haas, Orval Lund, Jr., Mary Lund, Claudia, Roberta, Rolf, Leif and Evan Engwall) and one great grandchild (Nathaniel William Brown).
In a speech to a Todd County Historical Society meeting in Verndale, MN on Jun 1, 1899, Will noted:
"I was born 2-1/2 miles south of Verndale on August 25, 1882. I went to school in District 66, Todd County until 1893. Started school in Verndale February 21, 1893. My last teacher in the country school was Sadie Calvert, and she was my teacher in the 7th grade in Verndale. She married John L. Egleston, operator of a jewelry store in Wadena, and if she is still alive she is 89 years old. The principal of the Verndale school when I started was a Mr. Miller. After he quit teaching at Verndale, he operated a drug store in Bertha. Albert Lassow, a graduate of Mankato Normal School, succeeded Miller, and told us he was going to become a lawyer, and that was the reason I went to St. Cloud Normal School, where I graduated in 1903... When I lived in the Verndale territory, a man by the name of James operated a small grocery and a furniture store and also sold coffins. Smith Bros., Sid Reynolds, and Mr. McNair had general stores south of the track, and a Mr. Elfstrom had a store on the north side. Bolton had a hotel on the north side, Col. Bullard was a lawyer and for a while operated a hotel on the south side. There was a blacksmith named Hastings."
He went to school in the country until after he was 10 years old, and then went to the Verndale school, graduating in 1898. He went to the St. Cloud Normal School and upon his graduation in 1903 became principal of the Watertown, MN school, where he served for 3 years.
He returned to school to study law at the College of Law at the University of Minnesota at the night school, and taught during this period one year at a private high school in Minneapolis, and for two years was principal of the Richfield School.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1909, and on June 17, 1909 he opened his law office in Lancaster, and practiced there for the next 52 years, when he retired. He was among those who organized the Northwestern State Bank of Hallock, and served on the board of directors for 20 years.
On December 29, 1920, he married Esther Lindquist at Staples, MN, who at the time was a teacher in Duluth, MN. She had taught first grade under him at Watertown, MN for one year.
In 1930, William Petersen was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, and served in the regular sessions of 1931 and 1933, and the special session of 1933. He did not seek reelection.
Will was a Past Master of the Hallock Masonic Lodge, Lancaster Businessmen's Club, Kem Temple of the Shrine of Grand Forks, Scottish Rite of Minneapolis, Lancaster Lions Club, the Elks Lodge of Thief River Falls, Minnesota Bar Association, Chairman of the Kittson County Draft Board, and Chairman of the Area Bond Drive during World War II, active in the Kittson County Fair Association, and Fair Announcer for many years.
William Petersen was survived by his wife Esther and three daughters:
Esther Ann (J.C.) Haas of Rochester, MN
Katherine (Orval) Lund of Lancaster, MN
Carley (Robert) Engwall of Bloomington, MN
He was also survived by one brother, Ed Petersen of International Falls, MN, ten grandchildren (Bill Haas, Susan Brown, Jeffry Haas, Orval Lund, Jr., Mary Lund, Claudia, Roberta, Rolf, Leif and Evan Engwall) and one great grandchild (Nathaniel William Brown).
In a speech to a Todd County Historical Society meeting in Verndale, MN on Jun 1, 1899, Will noted:
"I was born 2-1/2 miles south of Verndale on August 25, 1882. I went to school in District 66, Todd County until 1893. Started school in Verndale February 21, 1893. My last teacher in the country school was Sadie Calvert, and she was my teacher in the 7th grade in Verndale. She married John L. Egleston, operator of a jewelry store in Wadena, and if she is still alive she is 89 years old. The principal of the Verndale school when I started was a Mr. Miller. After he quit teaching at Verndale, he operated a drug store in Bertha. Albert Lassow, a graduate of Mankato Normal School, succeeded Miller, and told us he was going to become a lawyer, and that was the reason I went to St. Cloud Normal School, where I graduated in 1903... When I lived in the Verndale territory, a man by the name of James operated a small grocery and a furniture store and also sold coffins. Smith Bros., Sid Reynolds, and Mr. McNair had general stores south of the track, and a Mr. Elfstrom had a store on the north side. Bolton had a hotel on the north side, Col. Bullard was a lawyer and for a while operated a hotel on the south side. There was a blacksmith named Hastings."
William Petersen was born August 25, 1882 on a farm in Bartlett Township, Todd County, Minnesota, the son of Fred and Lydia Petersen. His father was Dane and his mother Pennsylvania Dutch.
He went to school in the country until after he was 10 years old, and then went to the Verndale school, graduating in 1898. He went to the St. Cloud Normal School and upon his graduation in 1903 became principal of the Watertown, MN school, where he served for 3 years.
He returned to school to study law at the College of Law at the University of Minnesota at the night school, and taught during this period one year at a private high school in Minneapolis, and for two years was principal of the Richfield School.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1909, and on June 17, 1909 he opened his law office in Lancaster, and practiced there for the next 52 years, when he retired. He was among those who organized the Northwestern State Bank of Hallock, and served on the board of directors for 20 years.
On December 29, 1920, he married Esther Lindquist at Staples, MN, who at the time was a teacher in Duluth, MN. She had taught first grade under him at Watertown, MN for one year.
In 1930, William Petersen was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, and served in the regular sessions of 1931 and 1933, and the special session of 1933. He did not seek reelection.
Will was a Past Master of the Hallock Masonic Lodge, Lancaster Businessmen's Club, Kem Temple of the Shrine of Grand Forks, Scottish Rite of Minneapolis, Lancaster Lions Club, the Elks Lodge of Thief River Falls, Minnesota Bar Association, Chairman of the Kittson County Draft Board, and Chairman of the Area Bond Drive during World War II, active in the Kittson County Fair Association, and Fair Announcer for many years.
William Petersen was survived by his wife Esther and three daughters:
Esther Ann (J.C.) Haas of Rochester, MN
Katherine (Orval) Lund of Lancaster, MN
Carley (Robert) Engwall of Bloomington, MN
He was also survived by one brother, Ed Petersen of International Falls, MN, ten grandchildren (Bill Haas, Susan Brown, Jeffry Haas, Orval Lund, Jr., Mary Lund, Claudia, Roberta, Rolf, Leif and Evan Engwall) and one great grandchild (Nathaniel William Brown).
In a speech to a Todd County Historical Society meeting in Verndale, MN on Jun 1, 1899, Will noted:
"I was born 2-1/2 miles south of Verndale on August 25, 1882. I went to school in District 66, Todd County until 1893. Started school in Verndale February 21, 1893. My last teacher in the country school was Sadie Calvert, and she was my teacher in the 7th grade in Verndale. She married John L. Egleston, operator of a jewelry store in Wadena, and if she is still alive she is 89 years old. The principal of the Verndale school when I started was a Mr. Miller. After he quit teaching at Verndale, he operated a drug store in Bertha. Albert Lassow, a graduate of Mankato Normal School, succeeded Miller, and told us he was going to become a lawyer, and that was the reason I went to St. Cloud Normal School, where I graduated in 1903... When I lived in the Verndale territory, a man by the name of James operated a small grocery and a furniture store and also sold coffins. Smith Bros., Sid Reynolds, and Mr. McNair had general stores south of the track, and a Mr. Elfstrom had a store on the north side. Bolton had a hotel on the north side, Col. Bullard was a lawyer and for a while operated a hotel on the south side. There was a blacksmith named Hastings."
He went to school in the country until after he was 10 years old, and then went to the Verndale school, graduating in 1898. He went to the St. Cloud Normal School and upon his graduation in 1903 became principal of the Watertown, MN school, where he served for 3 years.
He returned to school to study law at the College of Law at the University of Minnesota at the night school, and taught during this period one year at a private high school in Minneapolis, and for two years was principal of the Richfield School.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1909, and on June 17, 1909 he opened his law office in Lancaster, and practiced there for the next 52 years, when he retired. He was among those who organized the Northwestern State Bank of Hallock, and served on the board of directors for 20 years.
On December 29, 1920, he married Esther Lindquist at Staples, MN, who at the time was a teacher in Duluth, MN. She had taught first grade under him at Watertown, MN for one year.
In 1930, William Petersen was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, and served in the regular sessions of 1931 and 1933, and the special session of 1933. He did not seek reelection.
Will was a Past Master of the Hallock Masonic Lodge, Lancaster Businessmen's Club, Kem Temple of the Shrine of Grand Forks, Scottish Rite of Minneapolis, Lancaster Lions Club, the Elks Lodge of Thief River Falls, Minnesota Bar Association, Chairman of the Kittson County Draft Board, and Chairman of the Area Bond Drive during World War II, active in the Kittson County Fair Association, and Fair Announcer for many years.
William Petersen was survived by his wife Esther and three daughters:
Esther Ann (J.C.) Haas of Rochester, MN
Katherine (Orval) Lund of Lancaster, MN
Carley (Robert) Engwall of Bloomington, MN
He was also survived by one brother, Ed Petersen of International Falls, MN, ten grandchildren (Bill Haas, Susan Brown, Jeffry Haas, Orval Lund, Jr., Mary Lund, Claudia, Roberta, Rolf, Leif and Evan Engwall) and one great grandchild (Nathaniel William Brown).
In a speech to a Todd County Historical Society meeting in Verndale, MN on Jun 1, 1899, Will noted:
"I was born 2-1/2 miles south of Verndale on August 25, 1882. I went to school in District 66, Todd County until 1893. Started school in Verndale February 21, 1893. My last teacher in the country school was Sadie Calvert, and she was my teacher in the 7th grade in Verndale. She married John L. Egleston, operator of a jewelry store in Wadena, and if she is still alive she is 89 years old. The principal of the Verndale school when I started was a Mr. Miller. After he quit teaching at Verndale, he operated a drug store in Bertha. Albert Lassow, a graduate of Mankato Normal School, succeeded Miller, and told us he was going to become a lawyer, and that was the reason I went to St. Cloud Normal School, where I graduated in 1903... When I lived in the Verndale territory, a man by the name of James operated a small grocery and a furniture store and also sold coffins. Smith Bros., Sid Reynolds, and Mr. McNair had general stores south of the track, and a Mr. Elfstrom had a store on the north side. Bolton had a hotel on the north side, Col. Bullard was a lawyer and for a while operated a hotel on the south side. There was a blacksmith named Hastings."
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