Ole Peterson

Ole Peterson (December 20, 1835 – July 28, 1891) was an American farmer and politician. He served in the Minnesota Senate from 1872 to 1873 and in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1883 to 1885.

Biography Peterson was born in Norway on December 20, 1835, and emigrated to the United States in 1857. He reached La Crosse, Wisconsin, and attended school part-time before serving in the 8th Missouri Infantry for two years in the American Civil War. Peterson arrived in Minnesota in 1865. He became one of the first settlers of Pope County, Minnesota, and worked as a farmer. In 1867, Peterson was selected as the county's first sheriff.

In June 1874, Peterson was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant to be receiver of public moneys at the Land Office at St. Cloud. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate the following week, and served in the post for four years. Peterson chaired the Roads, Bridges and Navigable Streams committee and served on the Education, Joint Forestry, and Military Affairs committees. By this time, he reported his residence as Gilchrist Township. An obituary in The Minneapolis Times described him as having been "a prominent citizen of [Pope C]ounty."