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