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George Wilbur Peck
George Wilbur Peck
17th Governor of Wisconsin
	In office; January 5, 1891 – January 7, 1895
Lieutenant	Charles Jonas
Preceded by	William D. Hoard
Succeeded by	William H. Upham
29th Mayor of Milwaukee
	In office; April 1890 – November 11, 1890
Preceded by	Thomas H. Brown
Succeeded by	Peter J. Somers
Personal details
Born	September 28, 1840; Henderson, New York, U.S.
Died	April 16, 1916 (aged 75); Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee
Citizenship	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Francena Rowley Peck
Parents	David B. Peck (father); Alzina P. (Joslin) Peck (mother);
Alma mater	Union College
Profession	Writer; politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army; Union Army
Years of service	1863–1866
Rank	2nd Lieutenant
Unit	4th Reg. Wis. Vol. Cavalry
Battles/wars	American Civil War

George Wilbur Peck (September 28, 1840 – April 16, 1916) was an American writer and politician from Wisconsin. He served as the 17th governor of Wisconsin and the 29th mayor of Milwaukee.^[1]

Biography

Peck was born in 1840 in Henderson, New York, the oldest of three children of David B. and Alzina P. (Joslin) Peck.^[2] In 1843, the family moved to what is now Cold Spring, Wisconsin. Peck attended public school until age 15 when he was apprenticed in the printing trade. He married Francena Rowley in 1860 and they had two sons. In 1863 he enlisted in the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment as a private. He was taken prisoner and held at Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. After he was released in a prisoner exchange, he was appointed to the United States Military Academy by Abraham Lincoln. He was promoted to lieutenant and served until the regiment mustered out in 1866.^[3]

Peck became a newspaper publisher who founded newspapers in Ripon and La Crosse, Wisconsin. His La Crosse newspaper, The Sun, was founded in 1874. In 1878 Peck moved the newspaper to Milwaukee, renaming it Peck's Sun. The weekly newspaper contained Peck's humorous writings, including his famous "Peck's Bad Boy" stories.^[4]

In the spring of 1890, Peck ran for mayor of Milwaukee. A Democrat, Peck was elected despite a Republican majority in the city.^[4] The state's Democratic leaders took notice and made Peck the party's nominee for the 1890 gubernatorial race. Peck won the election, beating the incumbent William Hoard, and resigned as Milwaukee's mayor on November 11, 1890. He was reelected as governor in 1892, defeating Republican John C. Spooner, but lost a third term to William Upham in 1894. He ran again in 1904 but lost to the incumbent Robert M. La Follette Sr.^[3]

Peck died in 1916 in Milwaukee at age 75 of Bright's disease and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery.^[5] After his death, his "Peck's Bad Boy" writings became the basis for several films and a short-lived television show, including Peck's Bad Boy and Peck's Bad Girl.^[6]^[7]

His former home in La Crosse is located in what is now known as the 10th and Cass Streets Neighborhood Historic District.

Works

Peck's Fun, 1879 (copy)
Peck's Sunshine, 1882 (copy)
Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa, 1883
Will He Marry Her? A Domestic Drama for Home Reading, 1885
How Private Geo. W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion, 1887 (copy)
Pecks Irish Friend Phelan Geoheagan 1887
Peck's Uncle Ike and the Red Headed Boy, 1899 (copy)
Peck's Bad Boy Abroad, 1904 (copy)
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus, 1905 (copy)
Peck's Bad Boy with the Cowboys, 1907
Peck's Bad Boy in an Airship, 1908 (copy)

Peck's Bad Boy and the Groceryman 1883

References

^ "Peck, George Wilbur 1840 - 1916 - Wisconsin Historical Society". August 3, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ Greasley, Philip A. (2001). Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume 1: The Authors. Indiana University Press. p. 406. ISBN 0253108411.
^ ^a ^b Wisconsin. Legislature. Senate (1917). Journal of Proceedings. Wisconsin. Legislature. p. 149. george wilbur peck died April 16, 1916.
^ ^a ^b Charles Rounds (1918). "George W. Peck". Wisconsin Authors and Their Works. Madison: Parker Educational Company. pp. 397–399. Retrieved March 30, 2017. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ "Historical People". Forest Home Cemetery. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^ "Academic Dictionaries and EncyclopediasPeck's bad boy". Wisconsin Electronic Reader. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^ Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 154. ISBN 9780786493050.

External links

Works by George Wilbur Peck at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about George Wilbur Peck at the Internet Archive
Works by George Wilbur Peck at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
George W. Peck at IMDb
George Wilbur Peck at Find a Grave
Many George W. Peck stories read in Mister Ron's Basement Podcast, now indexed for convenience
George W. Peck

Party political offices
Preceded by James Morgan	Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin 1890, 1892, 1894	Succeeded by Willis C. Silverthorn
Preceded by David Stuart Rose	Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin 1904	Succeeded by John A. Aylward
Political offices
Preceded by Thomas H. Brown	Mayor of Milwaukee 1890	Succeeded by Peter J. Somers
Preceded by William D. Hoard	Governor of Wisconsin 1891–1895	Succeeded by William H. Upham