Donald Oliver Peterson, a liberal leader of the anti-Vietnam War faction of the Wisconsin Democratic Party during the late 1960s and early 1970s, was born in Renville, Minnesota, on March 9, 1925. Although a prominent businessman, Peterson is best known for his activities within the Democratic Party. During the late 1960s Peterson emerged as a leader of the state Democrats opposed to U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and in 1967 he helped to organize Concerned Wisconsin Democrats that eventually grew into the National Conference of Concerned Democrats. In this capacity Peterson was instrumental in persuading Senator Eugene McCarthy to enter the 1968 presidential race. As co-chair of the Wisconsin McCarthy for President Committee and chairman of the Wisconsin delegation to the national convention Peterson gained national recognition as a leader of the protest against the more conservative members of the party organization.