Born: October 19 1850, United States
Died: July 18 1935
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Annie Smith Peck was an American mountaineer and adventurer. In her honor, the northern peak of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountain range, Huascarán, was named Cumbre Aña Peck. She was also a strong advocate for women’s suffrage, a captivating speaker, and an author of four books that inspired travel and exploration.
Peck’s academic journey began at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with honors in 1878, majoring in Greek and classical languages. She obtained her master’s degree in Greek from the same university in 1881 and subsequently taught Latin and speech at Purdue University from 1881 to 1883.
In 1884, Peck traveled to Europe to continue her education, attending schools in Hannover, Germany, and Athens, Greece. Notably, in 1885, she became the first woman to attend the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, focusing on archaeology.
While initially a teacher, Peck’s interest in mountaineering emerged in the mid-1880s. Starting in 1892, she pursued a career as a public lecturer, mountaineer, and author of travel guides. During her explorations in Latin America, she climbed mountains and advocated for Pan-Americanism and geographic education through her lectures and publications.
In 1895, Peck made her mark by following in the footsteps of British mountaineer Lucy Walker and ascending the Matterhorn. Her unconventional climbing attire, including a hip-length tunic, tall climbing boots, baggy-kneed knickerbockers trousers, and a felt hat secured with a veil, attracted considerable attention and sparked discussions in the New York Times and elsewhere about women’s aspirations and capabilities.
Peck’s mountaineering achievements continued with her ascent of Mexico’s 18,406-foot Pico de Orizaba and Popocatepetl in 1897, setting a record as the highest ascent in the Americas by a woman at that time. In 1900, she added further accomplishments by scaling Monte Cristallo in the Italian Dolomites, the Jungfrau in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, and the Fünffingerspitze in Austria. Her contributions extended to the founding of the American Alpine Club in 1902.
From Famous Women: An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women. Written by Joseph Adelman, published 1926 by Ellis M Lonow Company:
Annie Smith Peck, an American mountain climber, born in Providence, R.I. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1878, she spent some years studying in Europe and afterwards became professor of Latin at Smith College.
In 1895 Miss Peck ascended the Matterhorn and other peaks in the Alps, but her subsequent and most notable feats in mountaineering were performed in South America. She reached a height of 20,500 feet on Mount Sorata, Bolivia, in 1904, and four years later attained the summit of the north peak at Huascaran, Peru, an altitude of 21,812 feet.
The government of Peru presented Miss Peck with a gold medal. She is the author of A Search for the Apex of American (1911), and The South American Tour (1913).
IW note: Peck was also an active suffragist who planted a “Votes for Women” pennant on Mount Coropuna when she reached the summit at age 61 in 1911. She became the president of the Joan of Arc Suffrage League. She was also a professor of Latin at Smith College when she took up mountain-climbing at age 44.