Bio taken from Wiki: "Frederick Valdemar Erastus Peterson (July 18, 1903 – October 17, 1983), also known as Val Peterson, was an American politician who served as the 26th Governor of Nebraska from 1947 to 1953; as director of the Federal Civil Defense Administration from 1953–1957; as U.S. ambassador to Denmark 1957–1961; and as U.S. Ambassador to Finland, 1969–1973."

http://www.nba.com/history/players/pettit_bio.html

 Played for the NBA - from article "Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1970); NBA champion (1958); NBA MVP (1956, '59); 10-time All-NBA First Team (1955-64); All-NBA second team (1965); Rookie of the Year (1955); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)."