Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is a Jewish-American singer best known as Peter from Peter, Paul and Mary. It was Yarrow who wrote that group's most famous song, "Puff the Magic Dragon". He received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cornell University in 1959.
On March 26, 1970 he pleaded guilty to taking "immoral and indecent liberties" with a 14-year-old female fan and served three months in prison. In 1981 he was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter. Yarrow called the incident "the most terrible mistake I have ever made."
In December 2000, Yarrow's Larrivee acoustic guitar was stolen while on an airplane flight. In early 2005, the guitar was spotted by fans of Yarrow on eBay. The guitar was recovered in the suburbs of Miami and returned to Yarrow. Charges were not filed against the thieves at Yarrow's request.
In an effort to combat school violence, Yarrow started Operation Respect. The project brings children in schools and camps a curriculum of tolerance and respect for each other's differences.
