Frederick Forrest Peabody (July 6, 1859 – February 23, 1927) was a prominent citizen of
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...
, in the early twentieth century. As chairman of the local Board of Education, he oversaw the construction of Santa Barbara High School, and as a philanthropist he contributed generously to the rebuilding of the city after the
1925 earthquake.
[Tompkins, Walker A. ''Santa Barbara History Makers''. McNally & Loftin, Santa Barbara (1983), pp. 355-56; ]
Life
He was born in
Northfield, Vermont
Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The town lies in a valley within the Green Mountains and has been home to Norwich University since 1866. It contains the village of Northfield, where over half of the population ...
, where he acquired a minimal formal education, entering business at the age of 17.
Described often as a
self-made man
"Self-made man" is a classic phrase coined on February 2, 1842 by Henry Clay in the United States Senate, to describe individuals whose success lay within the individuals themselves, not with outside conditions. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Foun ...
, he worked his way up to become President of Cluett, Peabody and Co. of
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...
, a post he held for ten years. He was instrumental in marketing the popular Arrow brand shirts and collars. In his later life he gave generously to causes that helped the less fortunate. He donated the Peabody Stadium to
Santa Barbara High School
Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the Dis ...
and the land for the Peabody Charter School.
Marriages
Peabody wed Sarah Blanche Griffith of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
on January 10, 1882, and married, secondly, to
Kathleen Burke
Kathleen B. Burke (September 5, 1913 – April 9, 1980) was an American movie actress of the 1930s and former model.
Early years
Born in Hammond, Indiana, in 1913, Burke was a graduate of Hammond High School. She moved with her parents t ...
of London on April 5, 1920.
Affiliations
* Bankers Club of New York City
* Bohemian Club of San Francisco
* University Club of Santa Barbara
* La Cumbre Country Club
* Montecito Country Club
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peabody, Frederick Forrest
1859 births
1927 deaths
Businesspeople from California
People from Santa Barbara, California