thumb|Portrait by [[Mason Chamberlin ]]

Richard Peters (1704 – July 10, 1776), born in Liverpool became an attorney, Anglican minister, and civil servant. In 1735 he emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he served in numerous posts for the Penn family, including on the Governor's Council from 1749 to 1775, and eventually became rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia.

Early life and education

Richard Peters was born in Liverpool, England, where his father, Ralph Peters, was an attorney and the Town Clerk. He was educated at Westminster School and continued at the Dutch University of Leyden for additional studies. He read law at the Middle Temple and became ordained in the Church of England. He later undertook further studies at Wadham College, Oxford.

Marriage and family

Peters married a servant girl of Westminster. They later separated.

In 1734, believing that his first wife was dead, Peters remarried. A bigamy scandal arose when his first wife reappeared. The following year, he emigrated from Liverpool to exile in the colonies, settling in Philadelphia.

In 1754, Peters was among several men appointed to the Pennsylvania delegation for the Albany Congress, a meeting in Albany, New York of more than 20 colonial representatives to discuss plans for defense in the face of French threat in the Seven Years' War, which front in North America was known as the French and Indian War.

Peters also served as a director of the Library Company of Philadelphia (1750-1764), a manager of Pennsylvania Hospital (1751–1752), and a member of the American Philosophical Society (1769–1776).

Peters died in Philadelphia in 1776.

His brother William had also emigrated to Pennsylvania. He named his son Richard after his brother; the boy was later known as Richard Peters Jr. to distinguish him from his uncle. Richard Peters Jr. (1744-1828) would represent Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress and later was appointed as a U.S. District Court judge in Philadelphia.

References

  • Cummings, Hubertis Maurice. Richard Peters, Provincial Secretary and Cleric, 1704-1776, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1944.
  • Penn Biographies: "Rev. Richard Peters" (1704-1776), University of Pennsylvania Archives and Records Center