Hamilton S. Peck (October 22, 1845 – October 12, 1933) was an American attorney and politician from

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, among the offices in which he served were alderman (1883-1885), city court judge (1888-1894), and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

(1896-1898).

Early life

Hamilton Sullivan Peck was born in

Royalston, Massachusetts Royalston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,250 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Royalston is a small town in the North Quabbin Reservoir, Qu ...

on Oct. 22, 1845, a son of Sullivan and Czarina (Davis) Peck. He was educated in Royalston, and attended high school in

Athol, Massachusetts Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,945 at the 2020 census. History Originally called Pequoiag when settled by Native Americans, the area was subsequently settled by five families in Septe ...

. He moved to

with his family in 1865, and completed his high school education after becoming a resident of Vermont. In 1866, Peck began attendance at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

, from which he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1870. While in college, Peck was a member of the

Sigma Phi The Sigma Phi Society () was founded on the Fourth of March in the year 1827, on the campus of Union College as a part of the Union Triad in Schenectady, New York. It is the second Greek fraternal organization founded in the United States.

fraternity and was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

Career

Peck taught school in Burlington for three years while studying law at the firm of Torrey E. Wales and

Russell S. Taft Russell Smith Taft (January 28, 1835 – March 22, 1902) was a lawyer, politician and judge who served as the 29th lieutenant governor of Vermont and chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Early life Russell Smith Taft was born in Will ...

, and attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1873. He established a practice in Burlington became active in politics as a

. From 1878 to 1880, Peck served as

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

of Chittenden County. He served as an alderman from 1883 to 1885, and was judge of Burlington’s city court from 1888 to 1894. From 1892 to 1896, Peck was secretary of the Vermont Republican State Committee, and he was president of the state Republican League from 1896 to 1898. From 1896 to 1898 he served as

of Burlington. In 1900, he was appointed judge advocate general of the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and her served until 1904. Peck represented Burlington in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

from 1910 to 1912. Peck served as Burlington’s city attorney from 1918 to 1918 and 1923 to 1925. From 1917 to 1919 he represented Chittenden County in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives again from 1927 to 1931 From 1929 to 1932, Peck again served as judge of Burlington’s city court. After settling in Burlington, Peck was long active in civic and philanthropic organizations. In addition to attaining the 33rd Degree of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, he was a member of the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. He was also a member of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Modern Woodmen of America Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is one of the largest (based on assets) fraternal benefit societies in the United States, with more than 750,000 members. Total assets reached US$15.4 billion in 2016. Though it shares the same founder, it is not ...

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, and Ethan Allen Club.

Death and burial

Peck died in Burlington on October 12, 1933. He received Masonic honors at his funeral, which was held in Burlington’s Congregational church. Peck was buried at

Lakeview Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

in Burlington.

Family

On January 28, 1875, Peck married Selina Atwood Aiken of Hardwick, Vermont. They were the parents of a son, Dr. Roy Hamilton Peck of

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

References

Sources

Books

Newspapers

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peck, Hamilton S. 1845 births 1933 deaths People from Royalston, Massachusetts Politicians from Burlington, Vermont University of Vermont alumni Vermont lawyers 19th-century American legislators Mayors of Burlington, Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party Vermont state senators Vermont state court judges National Guard (United States) generals Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) Military personnel from Massachusetts