In 1938, Peterson became a paid for the American Federation of Teachers. In her job she traveled around New England. In 1944, Peterson became the first for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. In 1948, the United States Department of State offered Peterson’s husband a position as a diplomat in Sweden. The family returned to Washington D.C., in 1957. Peterson joined the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO, becoming its first woman lobbyist.