Monroe-Knox-Mcminn County TN Archives Biographies.....Peck, Thomas F. 1865 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com October 25, 2005, 5:05 am Author: Will T. Hale THOMAS F. PECK, commissioner of agriculture for the state of Tennessee, was born on a farm in McMinn county, Tennessee, the place of his birth being now represented by the town of Etowah. His natal day is August 15, 1865. He is the second son of William T. and Nannie (Cooper) Peek, the former being the son of Jacob F. Peck, who came to Tennessee from Botetourt county, Virginia, in 1812. His maternal grandfather, Thomas Cooper, came to Tennessee from South Carolina, and his material great-grandfather, William H. Cooke, also came to Tennessee from the Palmetto state. Thomas F. Peck was reared on the farm and attended the country schools until he was seventeen years of age, when he followed a strong natural bent and entered the agricultural department of the University of Tennessee. When he had finished his university course he entered the employ of Bolivar H. Cooke & Company, of Nashville, Tennessee, with which firm he remained for one year, and then engaged in farming and railroad construction work until he returned to the experiment station at Knoxville, Tennessee. He was occupied at the experiment station for about five years, where he acquired a vast fund of agricultural knowledge. Upon leaving that post Mr. Peck established a weekly newspaper at Madisonville, Tennessee, making it a great financial success. While he was engaged in his newspaper work, Mr. Peck also successfully directed his farm and real estate business, in which he had become interested at an earlier date, and he continued to carry on his divers enterprises with all success until the outbreak of the Spanish-American war, when he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Sixth United States Volunteers. He saw service at Porto Rico and in the Phillipine Islands, continuing in the service until the end and winning the esteem and affection of his men and fellow, officers. Returning to his home in Madisonville when martial difficulties had been adjusted permanently, Mr. Peck resumed his newspaper, farm and real estate activities, and he established the Etowah Enterprise, the first newspaper to be published in Etowah, and the origin and phenomenal growth of which was due wholly to the patriotic and sustained efforts of Captain Peek. He was also the leader in the organization of the First National Bank of Etowah. the Etowah Bank and Trust Company, and the Etowah Water & Light Company, all of which have been moneymakers for the stockholders. He has acquired a large acreage in the Coker creek gold belt and has already made a financial success of his operations in that field. He owns and operates some of the finest farming land in East Tennessee, and is known to be one of the most able scientific farmers in the state. When Governor Hooper was elected to the gubernatorial chair he chose Captain Peck as commissioner of agriculture, and in his work since that time Captain Peck has commanded the attention of the entire country as a result of his thorough knowledge of agricultural conditions and needs, and the ease which he displays in carrying on the work which is rapidly being demonstrated to be the most important of its kind undertaken by any state. His extraordinary executive ability is evidenced in a most telling manner in the simple and straightforward, but altogether effectual way, in which he directs the large force of his department in the various branches covering the state. He is one of the busiest men in the state, and has demonstrated on many occasions his ability to perform more different kinds of work in a day than the average man allots to three. Captain Peck's desire is, and has long been, to see established in every county of the state, a county demonstration farm, to place in convenient reach of the farmers of the counties the results of the investigations and work of experiment stations, and to show them what can he done on soil similar to that on their own farms under scientific direction. Such demonstration farms or stations would inevitably tend to an improvement in all things pertaining to farm life and would bring an increased income to the farmer, in consequence of which would be realized a more comfortable and pleasant life on the farm, and an inducement to the young people to remain on the farm, where comfortable and, in this day, luxurious living would be more easily attainable than in the crowded cities. The work of farmers' institutes under the direction of the department of agriculture is spreading a knowledge of scientific farming, and there is a general and. growing interest over the entire state in agricultural matters. The splendid work of Captain Peck along this line is certainly a matter of much congratulation with all Tennessee, and the ultimate effect of his work would be impossible to estimate in an adequate manner. In 1886, Captain Peck was united in marriage with Miss Stella Cannon, oldest daughter of W. A. Cannon, of Madisonville, Tennessee, one of the oldest and best families in the state. Captain and Mrs. Peck have two bright and interesting children: William and Stella, aged nine and seven, respectively. Additional Comments: From: A history of Tennessee and Tennesseans : the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities by Will T. Hale Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/monroe/bios/peck188nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/tnfiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb