K. Berry Peterson (July 24, 1891 – 1952) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as

Attorney General of Arizona The Arizona Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorne ...

from 1928 to 1933.

Life and career

Peterson was born in

Montgomery County, Indiana Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 37,936. Its county seat is Crawfordsville. The county is divided into eleven townships which provide local services. Montgo ...

in 1891, the son of Hannah N. Duckworth (born 1868) and Dr. Charles Arthur Peterson (1867-1928). Peterson earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1913 from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

when he was 22 years old. He served in the Army during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a 1st Lieutenant of Cavalry. After the war, he attended law school at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, graduating in 1920. In 1922, Peterson was elected Pima County Attorney. He was then Attorney General from 1929 to 1933.K. Berry Peterson
at ''ancestry.com'' As Attorney General, Peterson filed suit against California for rights to the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

and leading to numerous

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

decisions in ''

Arizona v. California ''Arizona v. California'' is a set of United States Supreme Court cases, all dealing with disputes over water distribution from the Colorado River between the states of Arizona and California. It also covers the amount of water that the State of ...

''.Dividing Western Waters:
Mark Wilmer and Arizona v. California By Jack L. August In 1932, he unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for Arizona governor against

Benjamin Baker Moeur Benjamin Baker Moeur (December 22, 1869 – March 16, 1937) was an American physician who served as the fourth governor of Arizona. Biography Born in Decherd, Tennessee, Moeur attended medical school in Little Rock, Arkansas. After graduating i ...

. Later, Peterson was appointed an assistant U.S. Attorney for Arizona.

Life and career

References

Further reading