Quick Facts
Biography
Henry E. Petersen (1921-1991) was an attorney and United States federal government official. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney General during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations. Petersen conducted many interviews during the Watergate scandal. He also engaged in ethically questionable communications with Nixon and his staff, providing inside information about the investigation prior to the appointment of the Special Prosecutor.
Personal
Petersen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921 and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. Petersen served in the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific during World War II. After returning, Petersen studied at Georgetown University and received his law degree from the Catholic University of America.
Petersen died of emphysema in Sunderland, Maryland in 1991 at age 70.