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George Wilbur Peck

 
Who2 Biography: George Wilbur Peck, Humorist / State Governor
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  • Born: 27 September 1840
  • Birthplace: Henderson, New York
  • Died: 16 April 1916
  • Best Known As: Author of the "Peck's Bad Boy" stories

George Wilbur Peck created Peck's Bad Boy, a popular character of newspaper stories, books and early movies. A printer and newspaperman by trade, Peck hit his stride when he began his own humorous paper, the Sun, in 1874. His whimsical observations (somewhat in the style of his contemporary Mark Twain) attracted a wide following, and he built the Sun into a financial success while also becoming active in Wisconsin politics: he was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1890 and then served as governor of Wisconsin from 1891-95. Despite his political successes, Peck remains best known for his ongoing series of "Peck's Bad Boy" yarns, featuring a naughty little tyke who plays pranks on others for the simple love of mischief. Collections of his stories include Peck's Fun (1879) and Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa (1883).

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Works: Works by George Wilbur Peck
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(1840-1916)

1871Adventures of One Terence McGrant. Peck's comic commentaries on political events written in Irish dialect are collected in his first book. He would later make his reputation with the adventures of "Peck's Bad Boy," first collected in Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa (1883).
1883Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa. A collection of sketches featuring an unscrupulous Midwestern boy who plays practical jokes, particularly on his father. The articles had been originally published in Peck's Milwaukee newspaper, the Sun, and won wide popularity. Numerous collections of Bad Boy stories would follow, including Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa, No. 2 (1883), Peck's Boss Book (1884), Peck's Irish Friend, Phelan Geohagan (1887), Peck's Uncle Ike and the Red-Headed Boy (1899), and Peck's Bad Boy with the Cowboys (1907). Twentieth-century readers would object to the violence and racial prejudice that appear in the sketches.
1887How Private Geo. W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion. Peck treats his Civil War experiences in a series of humorous sketches.

Wikipedia: George Wilbur Peck
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George Wilbur Peck

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

Peck was born in 1840 in Henderson, New York, the oldest of three children of David B. and Alzina P. (Joslin) Peck. In 1843, the family moved to 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.

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.

In the spring of 1890 Peck ran for mayor of Milwaukee. A Democrat, Peck was elected despite a Republican majority in the city. 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.

Peck died in 1916 at age 75 of Bright's disease and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery. After his death, his "Peck's Bad Boy" writings became the basis for several films.

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1690&keyword=peck

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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
v • d • e
Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin
Great Seal of Wisconsin
 
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State (since 1848)
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Peck's bad boy (person)
George W. Peck
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Who2 Biography. Copyright © 1998-2008 by Who2, LLC. All rights reserved. See the George Wilbur Peck biography from Who2.  Read more
Works. The Chronology of American Literature, edited by Daniel S. Burt. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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