Peterson was the founder and President of Peterson & Sons, which he ran with his two sons,
Charles Gilbert Peterson and
Jesse Peterson. The company executed contracts building the waterworks of
Toledo, Ohio;
Grand Rapids, Michigan;
Milwaukee; part of the
Genesee Valley Canal Railroad and worked on multiple reservoirs in the
Washington, D.C. area. He was a partner at Hunt, Peterson & Kinsley, responsible for enlarging Erie Canal between
Middleport, New York, and
Gasport, New York, in 1855, and canal repairs in
Albany, New York,
Frankfort, New York, and Kilburn Hill, New York. Peterson was superintendent of both the eastern and western divisions of the
Erie Canal, and in 1867–1868 he was
alderman of the 2nd Ward of
Lockport, New York. == Personal life ==