John William Peterson (22 February 1880 – 23 May 1964) was an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that played at the 1908 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal. Peterson was one of six brothers who played

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

for Avoca, Palmerstown and Ireland. His brother, Walter Peterson, also played for Ireland at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Jack and Walter Peterson were also team mates at Monkstown. Peterson also won Irish Senior Cup titles with both Palmerstown and Monkstown.

Early years, family and education

Jack Peterson was born into a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

family on 22 February 1880. He was the son of Nicholas George Peterson, a chartered accountant and

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...

who was originally from Cork, and Marion Peterson (''née'' Penny) who was originally from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Peterson was one of six brothers. He also had a sister, Mary Maud. In

1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...

the Peterson family lived at 14 Sydney Parade Avenue in

Donnybrook, Dublin Donnybrook () is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It was once part of the Pemb ...

. In

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

they were living at 6 Eaton Place in

Blackrock, Dublin Blackrock () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, northwest of Dún Laoghaire. Location and access Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. ...

. Like his father and two of his brothers, Herbert and Cecil, Peterson worked as an accountant.

Domestic teams

Jack Peterson and his five brothers – Walter Peterson, William Peterson, Nicholas Peterson, Herbert Peterson and Cecil Peterson – began playing for Avoca in 1896. In 1899 the brothers moved to Palmerstown. They formed the nucleus of team that between 1900 and 1905 lost only two matches out of 160 played. During this run they won the Irish Senior Cup on four occasions. The two defeats were both cup matches against

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

, and both games were lost by a single goal. In one season Palmerstown scored 102 goals and conceded just seven. After Palmerstown disbanded in 1907, most of the brothers, including Jack and Walter moved to Monkstown where he won two more Irish Senior Cup titles in 1911 and 1914. In addition to his five brothers, his team mates at Palmerstown and Monkstown also included J.E. Mills and William Graham.

Monkstown Hockey Club Monkstown Hockey Club (Irish: ''Cumann Haca Baile na Manach'') is a field hockey club based at Rathdown School in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The club was founded in 1894 and was originally based in Monkstown, County Dublin. The club's ...

Ireland international

Between 1901 and 1914 Jack Peterson made 20 senior appearances for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Peterson played as a left full-back and, for most of his international career, he was partnered at right-back by his brother, Walter Peterson. In 1904 the Peterson brothers were members of the Ireland team that won the Triple Crown. Ireland won the title after defeating

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

4–2 away and

3–2 at home. As well as his brother Walter at right-back, the team also included his brothers Nicholas (right-half), William (inside-left) and Cecil (midfield). Another brother, Herbert made two Ireland appearances between 1900 and 1902. In total the brothers won sixty six caps between them. Walter and Jack Peterson were both members of the Ireland team that played at the 1908 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal. Jack Peterson was not listed in the official 1908 Summer Olympics report. However the Olympic historian, Bill Mallon, lists him as an Olympic competitor.

Honours

;

* Summer Olympics **''Runners Up'':

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

: 1 *Triple Crown **''Winners'': 1904: 1 ; Monkstown * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 1910, 1914: 2 ;Palmerstown * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 1899–1900, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05: 4

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Walter 1880 births 1964 deaths Irish male field hockey players Ireland international men's field hockey players Members of the Ireland field hockey team at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Monkstown Hockey Club players Field hockey players from County Dublin Male field hockey defenders Irish Anglicans Irish accountants