Henry Valentine Peck was born on July 4, 1842, in New York to George and Ann Peck. His father was a farmer who owned $7,500 of real estate and $5,500 of personal property by 1860. The family eventually moved to Greenwich, Connecticut.
He enlisted in the Union army on August 13, 1862, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company I of the 17th Connecticut Infantry on August 28. The regiment took part in the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg. He was promoted to sergeant on November 1, 1863, and he mustered out on July 19, 1865.
He returned to Greenwich after the war, and he earned a living as a merchant. He married Mary Frances Smith around 1870, and they had two children: Elizabeth, born around 1872; and Rhoda, born around 1875. He worked as a gardener and carpenter. He supported the Democratic Party, and he served as assistant town clerk. He died of apoplexy in Greenwich on December 24, 1900.