Henry Peterson (1818 - 1891) was an American editor, novelist, poet, and playwright. He was also an abolitionist. For twenty years, Peterson edited The Saturday Evening Post. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to son of George and Jane (Evans) Peterson. His eldest brother was the publisher Robert Evans Peterson, and his cousin was the publisher Charles J. Peterson. He was a clerk in a hardware store at fourteen, and in 1839 a member of the firm of Deacon and Peterson, who became publishers of the Saturday Evening Post, with Peterson as sole editor. He was married to Sarah Webb, who edited The Lady's Friend magazine for ten years, and their son, Arthur Peterson, became assistant editor of the Post.