Former Delaware Governor Russell Peterson has died.
Former Delaware governor Russell W. Peterson, known for his environmental efforts, died Monday evening at age 94.
His most memorable effort came in the Coastal Zone Act of 1971, for which he was known worldwide. He also was known globally for his efforts to protect coastlines beyond Delaware. Peterson advised Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter on environmental policy, and later became president of the National Audubon Society.
His wife, June, said he died at 8:10 p.m. at home. She said he had been declining for some time. He suffered a stroke Monday morning and his system gave up, she said.
Just by reading this short excerpt of his biography, you can already see how unusual he was. He could work across party lines and was a fierce protector of the environment. What governor could you say that about today? Plus, he was a chemist!
Some of the highlights of his career include:
• Peterson’s first official act as governor was to send the National Guard home after 10 months of duty in Wilmington, where they had been deployed by Gov. Charles Terry after rioting that followed the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Peterson reshaped Delaware’s government by eliminating more than 100 commissions and boards, called “fiefdoms” by some observers, and forming an 11-man Cabinet.
• He did away with Delaware’s scourge — Red Hannah — the nation’s last whipping post.
• He defended Delaware’s coastline from Shell Oil Co.’s expansion plans — first ordering a moratorium on coastal development, then working tirelessly for passage of the Coastal Zone Act. The landmark 1971 law outlawed heavy industrial development on the state’s coasts, infuriated many in Delaware’s business and political communities, and spawned similar efforts around the world.
• He appointed the first black member of the University of Delaware’s board of trustees — Arva Jackson — insisted on recruitment of the first black members of the Delaware State Police, and pressed for the state’s open housing law.