The Cabot family was part of the Boston Brahmin, also known as the "first families of Boston".

History

Family origin

The Boston Brahmin Cabot family descended from John Cabot (born 1680 in Jersey, a British Crown Dependencies and one of the Channel Islands), who emigrated from his birthplace to Salem, Massachusetts in 1700. The Cabot family emigrated from Jersey, where the family name can be traced back to at least 1274. In Latin, ''caput'' means "head", and the Rev. George Balleine writes that in Jersey the "cabot" is a small fish that seems all head. In French, the basis of the

Jèrriais (french: Jersiais, also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an island i ...

language, "cabot" means a dog, or a military corporal, "caboter" is to navigate along the coast, and "cabotin" means "theatrical".

Rise to prominence

John Cabot (born 1680 Isle of Jersey) and his son, Joseph Cabot (born 1720 in Salem), became highly successful merchants, operating a fleet of privateers carrying opium, rum, and slaves. Shipping during the eighteenth century was the lifeblood of most of Boston's first families. Joseph's sons, Joseph Cabot Jr. (born 1746 in Salem), George Cabot (born 1752 in Salem), and Samuel Cabot (born 1758 in Salem), Pg. 192 left

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

to work their way through shipping, furthering the family fortune and becoming extraordinarily wealthy. Two of the earliest U.S. Supreme Court cases, ''Bingham v. Cabot'' (1795) and ''Bingham v. Cabot'' (1798), involved family shipping disputes. In 1784, Samuel Cabot relocated to Boston.

George Cabot

George Cabot and his descendants went into politics. George Cabot became a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and was appointed but declined to be first Secretary of the Navy. His great-grandson, Henry Cabot Lodge (born 1850 in Boston) was also a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1893 until his death in 1924. In the 1916 election, Henry Cabot Lodge defeated

John F. Fitzgerald John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (February 11, 1863 – October 2, 1950) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. Representative and Mayor of Boston. He also made unsuccessful runs for the United ...

, former mayor of Boston and the maternal grandfather of John, Robert and Edward Kennedy. George's great-great-great grandson,

Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...

(born 1902 in

Nahant Nahant is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2020 census, which makes it the smallest municipality by population in Essex County. With just of land area, it is the smallest municipality by are ...

) was also U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1937 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1953, when he lost to John F. Kennedy in the 1952 Senate election. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. went on to be the

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

to United Nations under President Eisenhower and ambassador to

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

under President Kennedy. He was 1960 vice presidential candidate for Richard Nixon against Kennedy– Lyndon B. Johnson. George's other great-great-great grandson,

John Davis Lodge John Davis Lodge (October 20, 1903 – October 29, 1985) was an American film actor, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was the 79th governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955, and later served as U.S. ambassador to Spain, Argentina, and Swit ...

(born 1903 in Washington, D.C.) was the 64th Governor of Connecticut. George's great-great-great-great grandson,

George Cabot Lodge II George Cabot Lodge II (born July 7, 1927) is an American professor and former politician. In 1962, he was the Republican nominee for a special election to succeed John F. Kennedy in the United States Senate, but was defeated by Ted Kennedy. He ...

(born 1927, son of Henry Cabot Lodge) ran against the successful

Edward M. Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

in the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962.

Samuel Cabot

From John Cabot's grandson, Samuel Cabot's side,

Samuel Cabot Jr. Samuel Cabot Jr. (December 21, 1784 – September 2, 1863) was an American businessman in the early-nineteenth-century China Trade, a member of the wealthy and prominent Cabot family. Early life Cabot was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Decemb ...

(born 1784 in Boston) furthered the family fortune by combining the first family staples of working in shipping and marrying money. In 1812, he married Eliza Perkins, daughter of merchant king Colonel Thomas Perkins.

Samuel Cabot III Samuel Cabot III (September 20, 1815 – April 13, 1885) was an American physician, surgeon, and ornithologist, as well as a member of the wealthy and prominent Cabot family. Early life Samuel Cabot III was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Sept ...

(born 1815 in Boston) was an eminent surgeon, whose daughter,

Lilla Cabot Perry Lilla Cabot Perry (born Lydia Cabot; January 13, 1848 – February 28, 1933) was an American artist who worked in the American Impressionist style, rendering portraits and landscapes in the free form manner of her mentor, Claude Monet. Perry was ...

, was a noted Impressionist artist, and son,

Godfrey Lowell Cabot Godfrey Lowell Cabot (February 26, 1861 – November 2, 1962) was an American industrialist who founded the Cabot Corporation. Early life Godfrey Lowell Cabot was born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Boston Latin School. His father was Sa ...

(born 1861 in Boston) founded Cabot Corporation, the largest carbon black producer in the country, used for inks and paints. Godfrey's son, John Moors Cabot (born 1901 in Cambridge), a great-great-grandson of Samuel, was a

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Brazil, and Poland during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administration. Another great-great grandson, Paul Codman Cabot (born 1898Pg. 21–23 in Brookline), was cofounder of America's first mutual fund and "Harvard's ndowmentMidas".

Boston Toast

The widely known "Boston Toast" by Holy Cross alumnus John Collins Bossidy features the Cabot family:

''Kabotchnik v. Cabot''

In 1923, Harry H. Kabotchnik and his wife Myrtle petitioned to have his family name changed to Cabot. Some prominent Cabots of Boston (Judge Cabot of the Boston Juvenile Court; Stephen Cabot, headmaster of St. George's School, Middletown, R.I.; Dr. Hugh Cabot, dean of Michigan University Medical School) along with the Pennsylvania branch of the Order of the Founders and Patriots, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP) is a non-profit educational institution located at 2100 Byberry Road, Suite 111, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1892, GSP is one of the oldest genealogical societies in the United States. Its ...

counter-sued to prevent the change. Judge Charles Young Audenried eventually ruled for the Kabotchniks, as there was "nothing in the law to prevent it."

Notable members

John Cabot John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal North ...

(b. 1680 in Isle of Jersey) - successful ship merchant ** Elizabeth Cabot (b. 1715), married Stephen H. Higginson *** Stephen Higginson (b. 1743) *** Sarah Higginson (b. 1745), first wife of John Lowell **** John Lowell Jr. (b. 1769) ** Francis Cabot (b. 1717 in Salem) – ship merchant *** Susanna Cabot (b. 1754), second wife of John Lowell **** Francis Cabot Lowell (b. 1775 in Newburyport) – cofounded Harvard's Porcellian Club, helped introduce

power loom A power loom is a mechanized loom, and was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution. The first power loom was designed in 1786 by Edmund Cartwright and first built that same year. ...

in U.S. ** Joseph Cabot (b. 1720 in Salem) – successful ship merchant *** Capt. John Cabot (b. 1745 in Salem) – cofounded America's first cotton mill,

John Cabot House The John Cabot House is a historic house at 117 Cabot Street in downtown Beverly, Massachusetts. Built in 1781 by a prominent local businessman and ship owner, it was the town's first brick mansion house. It is now owned by Historic Beverly and ...

namesake *** Joseph Cabot Jr. (b. 1746 in Salem) – ship merchant *** George Cabot (b. 1752 in Salem) – successful ship merchant,

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Massachusetts, appointed but declined to be first Secretary of the Navy **** Henry Cabot Pg. 568 (b. 1783) ***** Anna Cabot (b. 1821) ****** Henry Cabot Lodge (b. 1850 in Boston) –

from Massachusetts and ardent opponent of Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations ******* George Cabot Lodge (b. 1873 in Boston) – poet ********

(b. 1902 in Nahant, MA) –

from Massachusetts, incumbent 1952 U.S. Senate candidate from Massachusetts against John F. Kennedy,

to United Nations and

, and 1960 vice presidential candidate for Richard Nixon against Kennedy– Lyndon B. Johnson *********

(b. 1927) –

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

professor, 1962 U.S. Senate candidate from Massachusetts against

********

(b. 1903 in Washington, D.C.) – 64th Governor of Connecticut *** Francis Cabot (b. 1757 in Salem)"Francis Cabot"
RootsWeb. Accessed January 7, 2016. **** Mary Ann Cabot (b. 1784) - married her first cousin, Nathaniel Cabot Lee (b. 1772),"Nathaniel Cabot Lee"
RootsWeb. Accessed August 15, 2018. son of Joseph Lee and Elizabeth Cabot (daughter of Joseph Cabot) *****

John Clarke Lee John Clarke Lee (April 9, 1804 – November 19, 1877) was an American lawyer, merchant, banker and politician who co-founded the prominent stock brokerage firm of Lee, Higginson & Co. Early life Lee was born on April 9, 1804 at Tremont Place in ...

(b. 1804 in Boston) ****** George Cabot Lee (b. 1830 in Boston) ******* Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt (b. 1861), first wife of President Theodore Roosevelt **** Frederick Cabot (b. 1786 in Salem) ***** Francis Cabot (b. 1825 in Newton, Massachusetts)"Frederick Cabot"
RootsWeb. Accessed January 7, 2016. ****** Francis Higginson Cabot (b. 1859 in Boston)"Francis Cabot"
RootsWeb. Accessed January 7, 2016. ******* Francis Higginson Cabot (b. 1896) — vice president,

Stone & Webster Stone & Webster was an American engineering services company based in Stoughton, Massachusetts. It was founded as an electrical testing lab and consulting firm by electrical engineers Charles A. Stone and Edwin S. Webster in 1889. In the early ...

********

Francis Higginson Cabot Francis Higginson Cabot, (August 6, 1925 – November 19, 2011) was an American financier, gardener and horticulturist. He founded The Garden Conservancy in 1989. Early life He was a member of the New York branch of the prominent Cabot fami ...

(b. 1925 in New York City) — noted gardener and horticulturistFox, Margalit
"Francis H. Cabot, 86, Dies; Created Notable Gardens"
''The New York Times'' (November 27, 2011): "A son of the New York branch of one of Boston's storied families ..." *** Samuel Cabot (b. 1758 in Salem) — successful ship merchant ****

(b. 1784 in Boston) — shipping businessman *****

(b. 1815 in Boston) – eminent surgeon ****** Lilla Cabot (b. 1848 in Boston) – among first

American impressionist American Impressionism was a style of painting related to European Impressionism and practiced by American artists in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. The style is characterized by loose b ...

artists, contributor to

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

****** Samuel Cabot IV (b. 1850) – chemist, founder of Valspar's Cabot Stains ******

Arthur Tracy Cabot Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

(b. 1852 in Boston) – progressive surgeon ******

(b. 1861 in Boston) – founder of Cabot Corporation, philanthropist who sponsored the restoration of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology's complete

Kronosaurus ''Kronosaurus'' ( ; meaning "lizard of Kronos") is a potentially dubious genus of extinct short-necked pliosaur. With an estimated length of , it was among the largest pliosaurs, and is named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos. It l ...

skeleton. ******* James Jackson Cabot (b. 1891 in Cambridge) ******* Thomas Dudley Cabot (b. 1897 in Cambridge) – businessman and philanthropist, Cabot House namesake ******** Louis Wellington Cabot – businessman, philanthropist, former chairman of

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, commonly known as the Boston Fed, is responsible for the First District of the Federal Reserve, which covers New England: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and all of Connecticut except ...

, married Mabel Hobart ******** Linda Cabot Black – cofounder of

Opera Company of Boston The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts, that was active from the late 1950s through the 1980s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Gr ...

and Opera New England ********* Sophie Cabot Black (b. 1958) – poet ******* John Moors Cabot (b. 1901 in Cambridge) –

, Brazil, and Poland during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations ********

Lewis Cabot Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

******* Eleanor Cabot –

Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate The Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate is a nonprofit country house and garden ground museum in Canton, Massachusetts. It is operated by The Trustees of Reservations. The grounds are open every day, sunrise to sunset, without charge. History In 1902, ...

namesake *****

Edward Clarke Cabot Edward Clarke Cabot (August 17, 1818 – January 5, 1901) was an American architect and artist. Life and career Edward Clarke Cabot was born April 17, 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts to Samuel Cabot Jr. and Eliza (Perkins) Cabot. He was the ...

(b. 1818) — architect and artist ***** Elizabeth Cabot Lee (b. 1819 in Boston) — philanthropist and co-sponsor of the Harvard Museum of Natural History's famous Glass Flowers exhibit. Widely known as Elizabeth C. Ware (her married name). ***** James Elliot Cabot (b. 1821 in Boston) — philosopher and author ****** Richard Clarke Cabot (b. 1868 in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

) — clinical physician, social work pioneer ****** Hugh Cabot (b. 1872 in

Beverly Farms Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in Massachusetts's North Shore region, about 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community with a population of about 3,500, ...

) ******* Hugh Cabot (b. 1905 in Boston) ********

Hugh Cabot III Hugh Cabot III (March 22, 1930 – May 23, 2005) was an American artist. Best known for his oil paintings, he also worked with watercolor, pastels, graphite, charcoal, sculpture, and photography. Cabot was born in Boston, Massachusetts, his pare ...

(b. 1930 in Boston) — painterEngle, Kathy
"Internationally known Western artist Hugh Cabot dies at 75"
''Green Valley News'' (May 27, 2005): "Born in Boston, the son of a decidedly patrician family ..." *****

Walter Channing Cabot Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

(b. 1829) ******

Henry Bromfield Cabot Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

(b. 1861 in Boston) – lawyer *******

Paul Codman Cabot Paul Codman Cabot (October 21, 1898 – September 1, 1994) was an American businessman. He served as chief executive and chairman of the State Street Corporation, State Street Investment Corporation. He was also treasurer of Harvard Universi ...

(b. 1898 in Brookline) *******

Charles Codman Cabot Charles Codman Cabot (November 22, 1900 – 1976) was an American judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Early life Cabot was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father was Henry Bromfield Cabot family, Cabot, a lawyer. His mother wa ...

(b. 1900 in Brookline) — associate judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts,

Boston Bar Association The Boston Bar Association (BBA) is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street in the historic Chester Harding House, across from the Massachusetts State House ...

president ******

Elise Cabot Forbes Elise or Elyse may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Elise, the unidentified person to whom Beethoven dedicated ''Für Elise'' * ''Elise'', a 1979 speculative fiction novel by Ken Grimwood * ''Élise ou la vraie vie'' (''Elise, or the Real Life' ...

(b. 1869) — maternal grandmother of

Michael Paine Michael Ralph Paine (June 25, 1928 – March 1, 2018) was an American engineer. He became notable after the John F. Kennedy assassination, assassination of President John F. Kennedy, because he was an acquaintance of the President's assassin Lee ...

****

Eliza Lee Cabot Follen Eliza Lee Cabot Follen (August 15, 1787January 26, 1860) was an American writer, editor, and abolitionist. In her early life, she contributed various pieces of prose and poetry to papers and magazines. In 1828, she married Prof. Charles Follen, w ...

(b. 1787 in Boston) – abolitionist and writer

References

External links

Papers, 1786–1945
Schlesinger Library,

Radcliffe Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

, Harvard University
The Cabot Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabot Family American people of French descent Business families of the United States Families from Massachusetts People from Boston Political families of the United States