John Peterman (born 1941) is an American catalog and retail entrepreneur from Lexington, Kentucky, who operates the J. Peterman Company. He grew up in West Nyack, New York as the son of a banker and secretary. He is known for founding the J. Peterman Company after finding a cowboy duster on a business trip. He is also known for being fictionalized in the TV series Seinfeld. Peterman was also a minor-league baseball player, Kentucky rancher, and author.