James Hardin Peterson

James Hardin Peterson (February 11, 1894 – March 28, 1978) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Florida who served nine consecutive terms in the United States Congress from 1933 to 1951. He was born in Batesburg, South Carolina, and in 1903 his family moved to Lakeland, Florida, where he attended the public schools. His early relocation to central Florida established the community ties that would shape his long legal and political career and his later service in the House of Representatives.

Peterson pursued higher education in law and graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 1914. That same year he was admitted to the bar and began his professional career as a law clerk in the United States General Land Office. In 1915 he returned to Lakeland and entered private legal practice. His early years as an attorney were marked by growing involvement in municipal and county legal affairs, laying the groundwork for his prominence in local government and public service.

Alongside his legal practice, Peterson became deeply involved in municipal legal work across Polk County. He served as city attorney of Lakeland in 1916 and 1917, and again from 1919 to 1932. He also served as city attorney of Frostproof, Florida, from 1918 to 1929; of Lake Wales, Florida, from 1920 to 1930; and of Eagle Lake, Florida, from 1923 to 1933. In addition, he was prosecuting attorney and county solicitor of Polk County from 1921 to 1932, and served as special counsel for the Florida Department of Agriculture from 1930 to 1932. During the early 1930s, he was active in religious and community life as a Sunday school teacher at the First Methodist Church in Lakeland.

Peterson’s public service extended to military duty during World War I. From 1917 to 1919 he served in the United States Navy as a chief yeoman. His wartime service coincided with his early legal career and reinforced his credentials as a public servant. After the war, he resumed and expanded his legal responsibilities in Polk County, continuing to build a reputation as an experienced attorney and local official across multiple municipalities in central Florida.

In the political realm, Peterson emerged as a significant Democratic figure in Florida during the early New Deal era. In the 1932 election he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Florida’s 1st congressional district, defeating incumbent Herbert J. Drane, who had served in Congress since 1917. Peterson took office in the 73rd Congress on March 4, 1933, and was subsequently reelected to the eight succeeding Congresses, serving continuously until January 3, 1951. His tenure in the House spanned a transformative period in American history, including the Great Depression, World War II, and the early Cold War, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Florida constituents.

During his time in Congress, Peterson held important committee responsibilities. He served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands during the 78th, 79th, and 81st Congresses, giving him a significant role in shaping federal policy on public lands and related resources. His long service and leadership positions reflected both seniority and the confidence of his colleagues in his legislative abilities. After nine terms in office, Peterson chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1950 to the 82nd Congress, concluding his congressional service on January 3, 1951.

Following his departure from Congress, Peterson resumed the practice of law in Lakeland, maintaining his longstanding professional base in the community where he had grown up and first entered public life. He continued to serve in public and quasi-public capacities, including as special counsel for the Territorial Government of Guam. In that role he was involved in legal and governmental matters affecting the territory, and he served as chairman of the Commission on Federal Application of Laws to Guam, helping to address the relationship between federal statutes and territorial governance. In the private sector, he also served as chairman and vice chairman of the board of directors of the First State Bank of Lakeland, reflecting his engagement in local financial and civic affairs.

James Hardin Peterson spent his later years in Lakeland, Florida, where he had lived for most of his life. He died there on March 28, 1978, closing a career that spanned local legal practice, municipal and county office, military service, and nearly two decades in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was interred in Roselawn Cemetery in Lakeland.