He prepared at the Choate and Hun schools. At Princeton he majored in English, joined Tiger Inn, played rugby and IAA hockey, and was active in the Republican Club, the Jazz Club, and the Advertising and Selling Forum.
Peter served in the Army in Germany from 1954 to 1956. After studying marketing at Columbia Business School for a year he joined the family cosmetic company, George W. Luft/Tangee, where he worked in sales and marketing with national variety chains and directed the F.W. Woolworth private-label cosmetics line. After the family company was sold, he became a broker for various health and beauty lines, eventually founding Northside Sales, a cosmetic and beauty-aid brokerage.
Peter married Thelma Cremer in 1957. They had three children — Peter Jr., Philip, and Constance — and lived in Locust Valley, N.Y. He later married Anne Bordley and gained a stepdaughter, Alexandra Sherrer.
In 1984 Peter and Anne moved to Chestertown, Md., where they enjoyed 24 years living on the waterfront. Peter immersed himself in hunting, fishing, bird-watching, and cruising the Chesapeake Bay in his boat, the Ballyhoo. In 2008 Peter and Anne moved to Charleston, S.C. Peter is remembered for his love of family, kindheartedness, sharp wit, and contagious laugh.
Peter is survived by his wife of 55 years, Anne; four children; six grandchildren; and his brother George.