Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-01-02
neaah 0f Hon. L. b. Peck.

400 at Lowell, Mass, died last ffioay moEN-
ing. at the Merrimac House, in that cisy.
Mr.. Peck was born in Waterbury, 10 ABOUT
the wear 1902. His father was General John
Peck. one of several brothers who came into
this section near the close of the last century,
General John Peck settling in Waterbury,
and the other brothers in Montpelier. 1t IS
good family stock and has produced several
men of note, among whom IS Judge Asanei
Peck, of the Supreme Court, son OF one OF
the Montpelier brothers. Mr.. Peck, after
brief preparatory course of study, entered the
U. S. Military Academy at West Point at
the age of eighteen or nineteen, where he re-
manned TWO years. He then entered himself
az student at law in the ofhce OF the don.
Samuel Prentiss of Montpelier, but completed
the usual course of legal studies with Hon.
Denison Smith of Barre, and was admitted
to the bar in 1926. lie soon entered IN
to q partnership at Barre with Mr.. Smith,
then q lawyer of extensive practice, which
practice, owing to MIR. Smiths failing health,
devolved mainly on his outhfui partner, Mr.
Peck, end thus forced on him responsibilities
which few of his age are called ON to Dear
| but which, doubtless, haj much TO do IN max
ing him the thorough lawyer he afterwards
| became IN u short time alter Mr.. Smith 8
death Mr. Peck removed to Montpelier where
| be has ever since resided.
| Soon after settling Montpelier, be u ar
ried daughter of Ira Day of Barre. Mrs.
Peck died twelve or fifteen years ago. leaving
one child, daughter, now Mrs VIM NJ
| Mallory, of Towanda, Penn.
| Mir. Peck, We shlnk, represented Barre once
or twice. and Mon pelier certainly twice, IN
| the Legislature; and he was elected twice as
the representative of his district in the Con-
gress Of the United States. The duties Ut
these offices of trust aud honor he discharged
with very fair credit 10 himself, and accep1a-
| by 10 his constituents He was also twice
nominated by his party for Governor Of this
State but declined the second nomination
For several years PRO; 10 his death be had
been president of the Vermont and Canada
Railroad Company. But his fame rests
mainly on his reputation as q lawyer, which
at length became so widely known, and so
| well established, that hs eonfessedly stood
with few peers, and no superlors at the bar
IN this State.
Mr.. Peck was not person of varied attain
ments, but he was thorough lawyer. His
mental energies were devoted almost exclu-
sively to his profession, which, with his pat
ural discrim nation and industry Of research,
soon made him an unusually safe counsellor
and able and successful practitioner. ~
disting uished Chief Justice OF Supreme
Court once ga i he considered MIR. Peck the
model lawyer of Vermont, and be probably
deserved The high compliment. de was a
ways honorable well able practitIon-
err, and his example IN frowning down all Tet-
ty lawsuits and Encouraging all unwarranted
litigation, Was his habit, made him By no
means unim portan. benetactor to the pub
lie u; and FURNISHED example which ought
to be lass exceptional in the profession.
We regard Mr Plck's peculiar excellence
as lawyer, Us consisting IN bis uprghtness IN
ma profession, and IN the singular c!earness oi
his intellect in its comprehension OF ali egaI
questions lie at once separated the pivotal
, points OF his trom All Imme.eri4l Issues,
and he never allowed the court or tie jury 70
lose sight of these points in the ls'ai. lie
was not man OF many ride in his otEce,
al the bar, ~ the street. Ills lure Tea
son was HtIle Illuminated with the coloTs OF
J fancy or Imagination or anIcioiC-s hica give
l TO many lawyers their HE: ri utAtioI--b.s
1t was clear white light, which brought out
, with wonderful dlstnctDess the case as it was
IN his own mind lie was thoroughly ground
Ell ID the general principles and the reason of
the law, and knew the leading cases perfectly,
and had the ability, quite too rare in the pro-
fession, of applying the general principle to
The particular case. He seldom quoted
large array OF authorities, which some law
A, yeIs delight, but the few books he carried into
court rendered it Unnecessary to multiply ia
=. vorable quotations. Ills briefs were always
short, and his addresses to the bench or he
jury occupied lees time than those OF any at
torney approaching him in reputation yet
few served their cause or their client
more successfully.
Mr.. Peck was not su ecesstul lawyer ia
i bad cause. He could never per. utde him
self otneis that his arguments were sound
or his facts sufficient, when they were Lot. He
was, therefore, not much soughg after by those
clients who expected to gain their Cause by
suborning witnesses, wheediing jury, Or mis-
leading the court. Some lawyers seem 10 de-
light IN working in case III W hich both facts
aud law are against them, and sometimes per
suade themselves, but seldom convince the
court, that The worse is he better reason but
MIR. Peek had d conscientious integrity and
clearness OF Judgment which betrayed him
whenever he undertook to present the wrong
side of any cause. This integrity Of judg-
ment, together with his pre-emrent iegal al
tainments, aud his clear judicial mind gave
him the sonf ence and respect of the court
~ degree which few lawyers possess ; and
would have made him, II he would have con
sented to go upon the bench, The equal Of the
best judges who ever presided in or courts.
10 politics Mr.. Peck has been associated
with the ID. mocTatic party, but, though be
Was four years IN Congress he never was
politician. Unoer P.erce's adninissra ion be
was United States District Attorney in .his
State, but the office sought him and not he
the of6ce. During the war he sympathixed
with the government, but he was held too
strongly by conservative opinions respecting
sla very, and other questions arising at that
time, to break away entirely from his for
mer political associates, and to the last, we
believe. he acted and voted with his party. so
far as he took any part 10 politics. His De
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