The first Tribal Chairman during the early 70's and the longest serving, the shrewd leader and a dozen Mashpee Wampanoag filed the famous land suit to reclaim land taken and developed illegally. Peters also initiated the quest for recognition that was achieved in 2007 after his death in 2002. Like many Mashpee Wampanoag men, Peters was a war veteran. He was a college educated executive and received a Master's Degree from Harvard. Well known and respected in Indian country, he authored numerous books abut Old Mashpee and its unique traditions. And like all of the tribes' leaders, he was passionate about his people.