Jerome Bowers Peterson (1859–1943), was an American newspaper editor in New York City, as well as a consular official for the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

, and served as customs revenue appointee for the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

(IRS) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Peterson was a co-founding editor of ''

The New York Age ''The New York Age'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1887. It was widely considered one of the most prominent African-American newspapers of its time.

'' newspaper in 1887, and held a consular position to Puerto Cabello, Venezuela in 1904 to 1906.

Early life and education

Jerome Bowers Peterson was born on September 12, 1859 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He was African American, and some records list him as "

mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...

". He lived on

Sullivan Street Sullivan Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, which previously ran north from Duarte Square at Canal Street, but since around 2012 begins at Broome Street, to Washington Square South, through the neighborhoods of Hudson Square, SoHo, the South ...

, and attended the Mulberry Street School in Manhattan, an

African Free School The African Free School was a school for children of slaves and free people of color in New York City. It was founded by members of the New York Manumission Society, including Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, on November 2, 1787. Many of its alumni ...

Career

Newspaper

Peterson was a founding owner and editor at ''The New York Age'', a noted

African American newspaper African-American newspapers (also known as the Black press or Black newspapers) are news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American periodi ...

in New York City, working alongside editor

Timothy Thomas Fortune Timothy Thomas Fortune (October 3, 1856June 2, 1928) was an orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher. He was the highly influential editor of the nation's leading black newspaper ''The New York Age'' and was the leadin ...

, and his brother Emanuel Fortune Jr..

Ida B. Wells Ida B. Wells (full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for ...

was invited by Peterson and Timothy Thomas Fortune to advance her anti-lynching campaign at the ''New York Age'' newspaper. In 1907, Fred R. Moore purchased ''The New York Age'' from Timothy Thomas Fortune and Peterson; and Peterson continued to work in an advisory role for the paper until the 1930s.

Department of State

Charles William Anderson Charles William Anderson (April 28, 1866 – January 28, 1938) was a Republican Party political organizer who served as Collector of Revenue in New York City. He was appointed by U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt who dined with Booker T. Washing ...

recommended Peterson to William Loeb Jr., the secretary to President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, for a consular position in 1903 under the United States Department of State. Peterson worked as consul to Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, from 1904 to 1906. He was succeeded in the consular position by James W. Johnson.

Internal Revenue Service

He was deputy collector of Internal Revenue Service (IRS), under the leadership of Charles W. Anderson. He was appointed deputy collector in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

, Puerto Rico in 1913. He retired from U.S. federal service in 1931.

Death and legacy

He died on February 19, 1943 in Brooklyn. His estate papers were archived at Yale University; and he has work at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at

Dickinson State University Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987. History Di ...

Personal life

He married in 1893 to Cornelia Steele White; she was the daughter of Philip A. White, a former member of the Brooklyn Board of Education. Together they had three children. She died in 1926 in New York City after surgery. His son, Jerome Sidney Peterson (1903–1987) worked for the

New York City Department of Health The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcem ...

, and later served as a medical director for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO).

References

External links

Photos of Peterson (1939)
by Carl Van Vechten from

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library () is the rare book library and literary archive of the Yale University Library in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated to rare books and manuscripts. Es ...

at Yale University {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Jerome B. 1859 births 1943 deaths African-American diplomats African-American journalists African Free School alumni American newspaper founders People from Brooklyn Editors of New York City newspapers African-American history in New York City