At 21, she and grandpa are USNH trustees

CONCORD – Walter Peterson looks across the table during a University System of New Hampshire board of trustees meeting and sees the same confident young student representative that other members do.

But Peterson sees something more: his granddaughter.

The former governor can look with pride on University of New Hampshire senior Anna Peterson, who won the elected post in a runaway last year.

Although it would be all but impossible to confirm, USNH officials speculate they may boast the nation's only grandparent-grandchild relationship on a board of its kind.

Chancellor Stephen Reno said the family connection never comes up as the board conducts business.

Anna Peterson smiles at Dr. Sara Jayne Steen, president of Plymouth State University, as former Gov. Walter Peterson reads papers. (THOMAS ROY)

The former governor, a longtime member, and Anna, one of two students from USNH institutions with one-year terms and full voting rights, treat each other as colleagues.

"I will say, however, there are times I will look over and see her grandfather smiling broadly. And vice versa," said Reno.

"It's fun for me to see her involved," Peterson said during a break in last week's quarterly board meeting at the Grappone Center.

"When I was governor, the state passed legislation to create the office of student trustee," he said. "It's kind of come full circle."

Peterson was the state's chief executive from 1969 to 1973. Before and since those two terms, the Peterborough Republican has played an active role in shaping the Granite State.

He's had an interest in higher education since his days as an undergraduate athlete at Dartmouth, and his third four-year term on the USNH board - not counting four years he served as an ex-officio member while governor - will end in June.

"I think I'll probably retire," the 85-year-old says with a smile.

Don't bet on it.

The inclination to say "yes" when asked to serve is pretty deeply ingrained in the Peterson family.

"We believe in it as a concept," said the former governor.

Peterson has been president of Franklin Pierce College and UNH. He had been House speaker for four years before being elected governor.

His daughter, Meg, is an English professor at Plymouth State University and heads the New Hampshire Writing Project. His son, Andy, is a former state senator now serving in the House.

Now comes the third generation.

Anna, 21, the second of Andy Peterson's four daughters, will graduate in June with a dual major in history and justice studies. She's a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the honor societies of both her majors. She plans to attend law school, has been accepted at Tulane University and then ...

"I'm not sure about politics," she said. "I'm very interested in going to law school."

A minute later, however, after saying she's seen the "wear and tear" of a life in the public eye, Anna concedes she's also seen the public good a politician can accomplish.

"There's always an influence growing up with it," she said. "If I move back to New Hampshire (after law school), there'd be some interest."

Anna didn't run for the USNH board seat at the urging of her grandfather. ("I had nothing to do with it," he insists.) But she knew it would present a unique opportunity.

"It's really nice to see him in his element," she said.

One thing she has to guard against is being too familiar when following up on a point he's made, by saying: "As Poppa said.' ... I haven't figured out how to do that yet," she says with a laugh.

Peterson said it was Anna's older sister, Jennifer, he had pegged for politics. That changed during Anna's senior year in high school when she was elected Senate president of the statewide Youth and Government Program in 2004.

"She was always the one working behind the scenes," said Peterson. "I was surprised to learn she had got herself elected."

Then the former governor gazed at his granddaughter and smiled.

"I told myself I'd better look again."