PECK, George, clergyman, born in Middlefield, New York, 8 August, 1797; died in Scranton, Pennsylvania, 20 May, 1876. He began preaching in 1816, and rapidly rose to leadership in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was principal of Cazenovia seminary in 1835-'9, editor of the "Methodist Quarterly Review" in 1840-'8, and of the New York "Christian Advocate" in 1848-'52. He was a member of every general conference from 1824 till 1872, and was also a delegate to the first evangelical alliance in London in 1846, taking an active part in its deliberations. One of his contemporaries says of him : "I view him as one of the most remarkable men of our times--one whose genius and piety are indellibly stamped on the ecclesiastical polity and wonderful growth of the church--whose wise counsels and herculean labors are interwoven in its development for the past fifty years." His published works are " Universalism Examined" (New York, 1826) ; "History of the Apostles and Evangelists" (1836); "Scripture Doctrine of Christian Perfection" (1841) ; "Rule of Faith" (1844); " Reply to Dr. Bascom on Slavery" (1845); "Manly Character "(1852) ; "History of Wyoming" (1858); " Early Methodism within the Bounds of the Old Genesee Conference" (1860) ; '; Our Country, Its Trials and its Triumphs" (1865); and "Life and Times of G. Peck, D. D." (1874).--His son, Luther Wesley, clergyman, born in Wyoming valley, Pennsylvania, in 1825, was graduated at New York university in 1845, and entered the ministry. He has published "The Golden Age," a poem (New York, 1858).--George's brother, Jesse Truesdell, M. E. bishop, born in Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, 4 April, 1811 ; died in Syracuse, New York, 17 May, 1883, was educated at Cazenovia seminary, began to preach in 1829, and became a member of the Oneida conference in 1832. He was principal of Gouverneur seminary in 1837-'41, of Troy conference academy in 1841-'8, and president of Dickinson college, Pennsylvania, in 1848-'52. After a short pastorate in Washington, D. C., he was appointed secretary and editor of the Tract society, removing to New York. In 1856 he became pastor of a church in that city, but after two years he was transferred to California, where he served as pastor and presiding elder for eight years in San Francisco and Sacramento. He was also president of the board of trustees of the University of the Pacific, and president of the California state Bible society. Subsequently, he was pastor of churches in Peekskill, Albany, and Syracuse, where he became the chief founder of Syracuse university, serving as president of the board of trustees and chairman of the building committee. In 1872 he was elected bishop, and in 1881 he was a delegate to the Methodist ecumenical conference in London, where his ability as a presiding officer won recognition. In the summer of 1881 he made a tour of Europe, holding conferences and studying educational systems and facilities. His principal works are "The Central Idea of Christianity" (New York, 1855); "The Trim Woman" (1857) ; " What Must I do to be Saved ?" (1858) ; and " The Great Republic" (1868).