Charles Jeffery Peters (October 8, 1773 – February 3, 1848) was a lawyer, judge and politician in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He was born in

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...

, the son of James Peters, a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...

, and Margaret Lester. Peters came to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

with his father in 1783. He studied law with

Ward Chipman Ward Chipman (July 30, 1754 – February 9, 1824) was a New Brunswick lawyer, judge, and political figure. He briefly served as administrator for New Brunswick from 1823 until his death in 1824. Early life He was born in Marblehead, Massac ...

and was admitted to practice as an attorney in New Brunswick in 1794. He practiced law for a brief time in Kingston before returning to Saint John. In 1797, he married Elizabeth Baker. In 1799, Peters became common clerk of the city. Later that year, he was named deputy surrogate and probate judge for St. John County. In 1809, Peters was named judge in the

vice admiralty court Vice Admiralty Courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

. He was named

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1823. Peters married Marianne Elizabeth Forbes that same year, after the death of his first wife. In 1825, he was named solicitor general and, in 1828, Peters became

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. In 1846, he was named to the province's Executive Council. Peters died near

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

at the age of 74. His brother Benjamin Lester was a merchant, militia officer and police magistrate for the city of Saint John.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Charles J 1773 births 1848 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Canadian King's Counsel Colony of New Brunswick judges Attorneys General of the Colony of New Brunswick 19th-century King's Counsel Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick