Jedediah Peck - Father of The Common School System of New York State

Father of The Common School System of New York State

While in the State Assembly (in 1801, 1803 and 1804), Jedediah Peck sponsored bills to establish common schools in the state, but each resolution was rejected. In 1811, after Peck's retirement from active politics, Governor Daniel D. Tompkins appointed Peck chairman of a five man commission to study the problem of public school education. In five months the commission reported the fundamental principals of New York's educational system. In 1812, a bill become law and the basic foundation of the state's public school system was established. The law requires:

• that there be a division of towns into school districts;
• that there be trustees in each district to superintend those schools;
• that each town raise taxes as much as it received from the state school fund;
• that the funds be divided among the various towns on a population basis, and then subdivided among the school districts.

In addition to his work in establishing the common school system of New York, he introduced a bill for the abolition of imprisonment for debt which later became a law.

Although nearly seventy years of age at the time, he served in the War of 1812, and took part in the Battle of Queenston Heights. He died at age 74 and is buried at the in the Town of Burlington, New York. A New York State Historical Marker at the site reads:

In memory of Hon. Jedediah Peck, a Revolutionary Patriot, who died Aug 15, 1821, in the 74th year of his age. The annals of the State bear record of his public usefulness and the recollection of his virtues bear testimony of his private work.