Andrew Nicholas Petersen (March 10, 1870 – September 28, 1953) was a patternmaker and foundry company executive who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

Born near

Thisted Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,461 (1 January 2022)Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, Petersen immigrated to the United States in 1873 with his parents, Tyler and Hansine (Furst) Petersen. They settled first in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1879. He attended the public schools and learned the patternmaker's trade.

Business career

Petersen later became an executive in the metal working industry, and served as president of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

's Whale Creek Iron Works. In addition, Petersen was an officer and member of the board of governors of the Employers' Association of Architectural Iron Workers. He was also active in a real estate sales and development company, Farragut Realty. In 1897, he invented an iron staircase for tenement houses, for which he received a patent. Petersen served as president of the Brooklyn Foundry Company from 1900 to 1952. His companies were active in construction throughout the New York City area, including fulfilling contracts for elevator fronts, staircases, railings, columns, building fronts, and other building components.

Election to Congress

Petersen was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

Sixty-seventh Congress The 67th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 192 ...

(March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 to the

Sixty-eighth Congress The 68th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923, ...

. In 1924, he was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the Congressional seat he had previously held.

Panama incident

In 1923, President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

, and Edwin Denby, the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

, requested that Petersen and another former Republican Congressman from New York, Albert B. Rossdale travel to the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

to make firsthand observations on living and working conditions for

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

sailors, and make recommendations for improvements. Intending to conduct their investigation undercover, Petersen and Rossdale joined the crew of the battleship USS ''New York'', donned sailors' uniforms, had dinner with the crew, and then departed with them for shore leave. Upon entering a Panamanian cabaret, they were arrested by members of the Navy shore patrol and charged with being at liberty after 11 PM, in violation of Naval regulations. They remained in detention until they revealed their identities and the captain of the ''New York'' wired the shore patrol instructions to release Petersen and Rossdale. Rather than the planned undercover operation, the investigation Rossdale and Petersen intended degenerated into farce; when the media became aware of the events, they generated satirical headlines that showed the principals and the Harding administration in a negative light.

Death and burial

Peterson died in

East Rockaway, New York East Rockaway is a village in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,818 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway is at the edge of Rockaway Peninsula Proper in t ...

on September 28, 1953. He was buried in

Cypress Hills Abbey Cypress Hills Cemetery is non-sectarian/non-denominational cemetery corporation organized in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, the first of its type in the city. The cemetery is run as a non-profit organization and is loca ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Family

In 1896, Petersen married to Olga E. Holck. They were the parents of three children, daughter Shirley M., and sons Harry E. and Elliott I. Harry Petersen succeeded his father as president of the Brooklyn Foundry Company. Elliott Petersen was vice president of production for the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company.

References

Sources

Books

* * *

Newspapers

* (Note: Headline and article give incorrect middle initial.)

Magazines

External sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Andrew 1870 births 1953 deaths Businesspeople from New York (state) Danish emigrants to the United States Patternmakers (industrial) People from Thisted Municipality Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)