Peterson, Newton Curtis

N. Curtis Peterson was born on August 23, 1922, in Lakeland, Florida. In 1940 he began attending George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While in school he served as intern in the House of Representatives for his uncle, J. Hardin Peterson. When the U.S. entered World War II, he enlisted in the Coast Guard and remained in the service until the end of the war. He married his wife, Ethel, while stationed in Tampa in 1944. After the war, Peterson attended Florida Southern College and then began working for his family's Peterson's Nursery.

In 1970, Peterson campaigned as a Democrat for the Florida House of Representatives. He lost the election, but was successful in 1972 when he ran for the Florida Senate in a special election. He remained in the Florida Senate until 1990, serving as President for two years starting in 1982. After his retirement, he lived in Lakeland until his death on July 19, 1996.

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