Andrew James Peters

Who was Andrew James Peters?

Andrew James Peters was an American politician. He was born on April 3, 1872 in Jamaica Plain, a section of Boston. His family had been in Massachusetts since the first Andrew Peters arrived there in 1657. Peters attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He served two terms in the Massachusetts State Legislature. In 1906 he was elected to Congress where he would serve from 1907 to 1914. In 1914 he was appointed to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under William Gibbs McAdoo in the first administration of President Woodrow Wilson. He served there until 1918 when he began his term as Mayor of Boston.

Peters' term as Mayor is remembered for his handling of the Boston Police Strike in 1919.

Peters was considered for the governorship later in the 1920s but was not nominated.

Peters' reputation also suffered because of his relationship with a young relative of his wife. He had married Martha Phillips in 1910, and together bore six children. Mrs. Peters cousin, Mrs. Helen Faithfull, had a young daughter named Starr Wyman, later Starr Faithfull, who attracted Peters' attention.