W. Scott Peters

Winfield Scott Peters (May 25, 1861 – July 20, 1919) was an American lawyer and politician who served as District Attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts from 1899 to 1911.

W. Scott Peters
District Attorney for Essex County, Massachusetts
In office
1899–1911
Preceded byAlden P. White
Succeeded byHenry C. Atwill
Personal details
Born
Winfield Scott Peters

(1861-05-25)May 25, 1861
Porter, Maine, U.S.
DiedJuly 20, 1919(1919-07-20) (aged 58)
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Mary's Cemetery
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
Alma materBoston University School of Law
OccupationLawyer

Early life

Peters was born in Porter, Maine. His family moved to Haverhill, Massachusetts when he was 14 years old. He graduated from Haverhill High School and the Boston University School of Law.[1]

Public service

Peters was elected Haverhill city solicitor in 1894. In 1898 he was elected district attorney of Essex County.[1] In 1901, Peters, Massachusetts Attorney General Hosea M. Knowlton, and Assistant District Attorney Roland H. Sherman prosecuted John C. Best for the murder of George E. Bailey.[2] Best was found guilty of murder in the first degree.[3][4] Peters was unable to run for reelection in 1910 due to term-limits, so he ran for the 4th Essex District seat in the Massachusetts Senate.[5] He lost the Republican nomination to incumbent Arthur L. Nason. The main issue in the campaign was that year's United States Senate election. Nason supported Butler Ames and Peters backed Henry Cabot Lodge.[6]

Private practice

In 1905, Peters was retained by two cousins of Stephen Salisbury III who sought to contest his will. Salisbury left the bulk of his estate to the Worcester Art Museum and the cousins were two of the five blood relatives not mentioned in Salisbury's will.[7]

Peters represented Jessie M. Chapman, who was arrested for killing her neighbor and former friend, Eva F. Ingalls. On May 15, 1913, Chapman pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree.[8]

He defended Arturo Giovannitti, a leader of the 1912 Lawrence textile strike who was charged with the murder of Anna LoPizzo, a striker who was killed in the protest.[9] Giovannitti and co-defendants Joseph James Ettor and Joseph Caruso were found not guilty.[10] In 1913 he was counsel for Charles L. Eaton, who was charged with manslaughter in the shooting of Michael Bernstein.[11] The case ended in a mistrial when the jury was unable to reach a verdict.[12]

In 1916, Peters defended Haverhill mayor Albert L. Bartlett and aldermen Roswell L. Wood, Albert E. Stickney, Charles M. Hoyt, and Christopher C. Cook, who were charged with failure to suppress an unlawful assembly after the Leyden riot.[13] The jury returned not guilty verdicts on all of the charges against Hoyt and on one of the two charges against Bartlett. They were unable to come to an agreement on the charges against Cook, Wood, and Stickney.[14]

In 1919 Peters represented the Haverhill Shoe Manufacturers' Association in negotiations with the Shoe Workers' Protective Union, who were represented by Frederick Mansfield.[15]

Death

Peters died suddenly on July 20, 1919, in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.[1]

References
  1. "W. Scott Peters Dies Suddenly". The Boston Globe. July 31, 1919.
  2. Massachusetts Superior Court (1903). The Official Report of the Trial of John C. Best for Murder. Boston: Attorney General of Massachusetts.
  3. "Best Guilty of Bailey Murder in the First Degree". The Boston Daily Globe. March 29, 1901.
  4. "John C. Best Convicted of Murder". The New York Times. March 29, 1901.
  5. "Atwill Unopposed". The Boston Globe. October 6, 1910.
  6. "Nason Renominated". The Boston Globe. October 6, 1910.
  7. "Heirs to Contest Salisbury Will". The Boston Globe. December 5, 1905.
  8. "Murder in the Second Degree". The Boston Globe. May 16, 1913.
  9. "Will Announce Decision Today". The Boston Globe. September 24, 1912.
  10. "Lawrence Police Break Up Attempt at Parade". The Boston Globe. November 27, 1912.
  11. "Claims Self-Defense". The Boston Globe. May 22, 1913.
  12. "Out More Than 22 Hours". The Boston Globe. May 24, 1913.
  13. "Bars Religion From Riot Trial". The Boston Globe. October 25, 1916.
  14. "Leyden Case Jury In Disagreement". The Boston Daily Globe. October 29, 1916.
  15. "Arbitrators May Decide Haverhill Labor Dispute". The Boston Globe. June 21, 1919.
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