Frederick Octavius Prince (January 18, 1818 – June 6, 1899) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, politician, and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Boston, Massachusetts. He was the father of

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

Frederick H. Prince Frederick Henry Prince (November 30, 1860 – February 2, 1953) was an American stockbroker, investment banking, investment banker and financier. Early life Prince was born in Winchester, Massachusetts on November 30, 1860, the son of Frede ...

Early life

Frederick Prince was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 18, 1818, the son of Thomas J. and Caroline ( Prince) Prince. He was "of English stock on one side and Scotch on the other, and his ancestors were among the earliest settlers in New England." He was educated at

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1836. He studied law at the office of Dexter & Gardiner and was admitted to the bar in 1840.

Career

He engaged in politics as a member of the Whig Party. Prince was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1851 and served for three years. He was a prominent participant in the

Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met from May 4 to August 2 in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history, following the original constitutional conve ...

. In 1854, he was elected to the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

. After the Whig Party dissolved in 1860, Prince joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He was a delegate to the 1860

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

and was elected secretary of the convention. He served as secretary until 1888.

Mayor of Boston

In 1876, Prince was elected

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

, serving in 1877. He was defeated for re-election that year, but returned to office in 1879, serving until 1881. During his tenure as mayor, Prince oversaw improvements to the city's sewer system and the development of the city's park system. At the end of Mayor Prince's incumbency, the most important projects before the city were the erection of the new Court House, the Public Library building, and the establishment of public parks in different parts of the city. In 1880, the city government celebrated the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Boston. On this occasion the statue of

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...

was unveiled on

Scollay Square 300px, Scollay Square, Boston, 19th century (after September 1880) 350px, Scollay Square, Decoration Day, 19th century (after September 1880) Scollay Square (c. 1838–1962) was a vibrant city square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was na ...

Later life

After serving as mayor, Prince became a trustee of the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonweal ...

and served as president of its board of trustees for 11 years. During his trusteeship, he advocated and oversaw the construction of the library's McKim Building in

Copley Square Copley Square , named for painter John Singleton Copley, is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. Prior to 1883 it was known as Art Square due to it ...

. In 1879 Prince was named an Honorary Member of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

, the first year the award was bestowed.American Library Association
Honorary Membership.
/ref> Prince was the Democratic nominee for

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

in 1885 and 1896, losing both times.

Personal life

In 1848, Prince married Helen Susan Henry (1824–1885), a daughter of Bernard Henry of Philadelphia, the former U.S. Consul to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

from 1816 to 1832. After their marriage, they took residence in

Winchester, Massachusetts Winchester is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, located 8.2 miles (13.2 km) north of downtown Boston as part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It is also one of the List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income, wealt ...

and had one daughter and five sons, including: * Gordon Prince (1849–1902), who married Lillian Chickering, a daughter of Col.

Thomas Edward Chickering Thomas Edward Chickering (October 22, 1824 – February 14, 1871) was a piano manufacturer and soldier. The Chickering and Sons piano manufacturing company was established by Thomas Chickering's father and was among the first and most celebrated p ...

. * Bernard Prince (b. ), who died young. * Charles Albert Prince (1852–1943), who married Helen Choate Pratt, daughter of Edward Ellerton Pratt and granddaughter of

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 ...

Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799July 13, 1859) was an American lawyer, orator, and Senator who represented Massachusetts as a member of the Whig Party. He is regarded as one of the greatest American lawyers of the 19th century, arguing over a th ...

, in 1881. *

Morton Prince Morton Henry Prince (December 22, 1854 – August 31, 1929) was an American physician who specialized in neurology and abnormal psychology, and was a leading force in establishing psychology as a clinical and academic discipline. He was part o ...

(1854–1929), a physician who married Frances "Fannie" Lithgow Payson, daughter of Arthur Lithgow Payson and Claire Endicott Peabody. They divorced and she later married Roger Wolcott (son of Gov. Roger Wolcott), and Stedman Shumway Hanks. * Helen Susan Prince (1857–1880), who died unmarried at age 22. * Frederick Henry Prince (1858–1953), a financier who married Abigail Norman, daughter of George H. Norman of Newport. In Boston, they lived at 311 Beacon in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

. After the death of his wife in 1885, Prince married the widow of Samuel P. Blanc, a "distinguished member of the bar of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

" in 1899. Frederick Prince died in Boston on June 6, 1899.

Legacy

A bust of Frederick Prince now stands in the Cushman Room of the Boston Public Library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Frederick O. 1818 births 1899 deaths Harvard College alumni Massachusetts Whigs 19th-century American politicians Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts lawyers Massachusetts state senators Mayors of Boston Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Trustees of the Boston Public Library 19th-century American lawyers