Take me back to the Oral History landing page.
Howard Peters - Governor Jim Edgar Project
Born in Arkansas and raised in Tennessee, Howard Peters moved to Illinois in 1969 to attend Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. In 1971, he began working at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles, Illinois, and over the next twenty years stayed with the IL Department of Corrections, steadily moving up the ranks. In 1990, while serving as warden at the Pontiac Maximum Security Prison, newly elected Governor Jim Edgar selected him as the Director of the Department of Corrections. He later served as Edgar’s Deputy Chief of Staff and became the first Secretary of Human Services.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Second grade teacher changed his life
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Early life thru joining IL Dept. of Corrections
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Dept of Corrections thru Flood of 1993
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Dept. of Corrections and Dept. of Human Services years
Transcript
Videos
Photos
Caption
Howard Peters, at age 2, while the family lived in Memphis, Tennessee.
Where:
Memphis, Tennessee
When:
1947
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Howard Peters.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1957
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
A teacher and Howard Peters.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1961
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Howard Peters was selected as Mr. Yearbook for Mitchell Road High School.
Where:
Memphis, Tennessee
When:
1964
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Howard Peters and Delois Mills were chosen by their classmates as "Most Talented" in the Mitchell Road High School class of 1964.
Where:
Mitchell Road High School
When:
1964
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
The Peters family poses at a 1986 school function for one of the boys while at Sheridan. From the left are Beverly, Halton, Howard IV and Howard.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1986
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Peters, while serving as Regional Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, plays Santa Claus for the children at a daycare center.
Where:
Chicago IL
When:
1987
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Director Peters works out the first week after being appointed Director of the Department of Corrections.
Where:
Pontiac IL
When:
1991
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Governor Edgar announcing his first term cabinet; Directors Brent Manning for Department of Natural Resources, Jan Grayson for the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and Howard Peters as director for the Department of Corrections.
Where:
Unknown
When:
March 26, 1991
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters speaking to the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce. The town had a minimum security prison.
Where:
Vandalia Chamber of Commerce
When:
September 4, 1991
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters, Governor Edgar and the 1992 Correctional Officer of the Year Pedro Mata.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1992
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Peters makes a hiring announcement for the new high-medium Big Muddy Correctional Center.
Where:
Big Muddy Correctional Center
When:
October 1, 1992
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters touring sandbagging efforts of Corrections' inmates during flooding along the Mississippi River.
Where:
Banks of the Mississippi, River
When:
summer of 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters, Governor Edgar and Warden Welborn tour flooding at Menard Correctional Center.
Where:
Menard Correctional Center
When:
August 10, 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Ribbon cutting at Big Muddy Correctional Center.
Where:
Big Muddy Correctional Center
When:
March, 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters with youth at the Springfield Boys
Where:
Springfield Boys
When:
circa 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters, Nic Howell, Nancy DeMarco and Doris Davidson arrive at the Big Muddy Correctional Center.
Where:
Big Muddy Correctional Center
When:
March, 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters and Secretary of State George Ryan.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Mayor Gordon Bush, Director Peters, and Governor Edgar tour the Illinois Correctional Industries tire recycling program the site of the Southwestern Correctional Center (former Assumption High School). Tires were recycled into chips for playgrounds.
Where:
East St. Louis, IL
When:
circa 1994
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar and Director Peters celebrate the Tamms Correctional Center groundbreaking.
Where:
site of Timms Correctional Center
When:
June 1, 1994
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar with recipients of the African American History Maker award.
Where:
Unknown
When:
February 28, 1994
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Jack Kemp visiting Illinois during the 1996 Presidential campaign.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1996
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar, clockwise around the table, Chief Legal Counsel Bill Roberts, Deputy Chief of Staff Peters, two of Attorney General Burris' staff members, Exec Dir of IAMG (Ill Assoc of Minorities in Government) and John Lambert in Governor's Office.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1996
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Secretary Peters, Governor Edgar, and Mrs. Brenda Edgar at a Kid Care announcement.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1997
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
being interviewed upon becoming Secretary of the state's newly established Department of Human Services.
Where:
Unknown
When:
July 1997
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar announces a partnership with UPS to hire welfare-to-work clients.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1997
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar and Secretary Peters.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1997
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Secretary Peters made the cover of Newsbreak Magazine upon becoming DHS Secretary.
Where:
Unknown
When:
July 1997
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Secretary of the Department of Human Services Howard Peters reads to youth during an African American History Month event.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa 1998
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
President Clinton at a welfare-to-work town hall meeting in Chicago. Peters appears in the right rear of the photo.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
August, 1999
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Howard Peters attends a Senate hearing with Senator Walter Dudycz to his right, and DCFS director Jess McDonald on his left.
Where:
Illinois Senate chamber, Springfield, Illinois
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Governor Edgar presents Peters, then director of the Department of Corrections, with an African American History Maker award.
Where:
Unknown
When:
February 29, 1994
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Director Peters, Laura Gaines, President, Correctional Healthcare Solutions (CHS), Walter Lomax, Owner, CHS, and Governor Edgar after signing of a health care contract for the Department of Corrections, the first for a African American owned company.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.