Julian Livingston Peabody (March 29, 1881 – January 24, 1935) was a well-known American architect and soldier who drowned on board the SS ''Mohawk'' during a collision with a cargo ship.

Early life

Peabody was born on March 29, 1881, in New York City. He was the eldest of three children born to Charlotte Anita Damon (1842–1912) Charles Augustus Peabody Jr. (1849–1931), a

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

man. He had two younger siblings, John Damon Peabody, (who married Mary Cunningham Bishop, daughter of James Cunningham Bishop). and Anita Livingston Peabody (wife of polo player Hamilton Haddon). His paternal grandparents were Judge

Charles Augustus Peabody Charles Augustus Peabody (born July 10, 1814 – July 3, 1901) was a prominent New York attorney and a judge of the United States Provisional Court for the State of Louisiana during the American Civil War, from 1863 to 1865. Early life, education, ...

and, his first wife, Julia Caroline (née

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

) Peabody. His grandfather's second wife was Mary Eliza Hamilton, a cousin of

Mrs. Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...

, and a daughter of

John Church Hamilton John Church Hamilton (August 22, 1792 − July 25, 1882) was a historian, biographer, and lawyer. He was a son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Early life Hamilton was born on August 22, 1792, in Philade ...

and granddaughter of Founding Father

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

. His maternal grandparents were Anita (née Fales) Damon and John Wade Damon. Peabody prepared at the

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

, graduating with the class of 1899, before attending

Harvard University 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 ...

. After his 1903 graduation from Harvard, he spent a year at the

Columbia School of Architecture Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) is the architecture school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. It is regarded as an important and highly prestigious architecture school.

before three years spent studying in France at the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...

, beginning in the spring of 1905, where he joined the atelier Deglane.

Career

In 1907, Peabody returned to New York from Paris where he entered the office of

Howells & Stokes Howells & Stokes was an American architectural firm founded in 1897 by John Mead Howells and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes. The firm dissolved in 1917. Howells & Stokes designed, among other structures, St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University; Wo ...

(architects

John Mead Howells John Mead Howells, (; August 14, 1868 – September 22, 1959), was an American architect. Early life and education Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of author William Dean Howells, he earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard Unive ...

and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes), and later, the office of Grosvenor Atterbury, architect. In January 1911, he established the architectural firm of Peabody, Wilson and Brown, with offices at 389

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

in New York City. His partners were Archibald Manning Brown, who studied with Peabody at the École des Beaux-Arts, and

Albert E. Wilson Albert E. "A.E." Wilson ( 1813 – March 28, 1861) was an American pioneer and merchant in Oregon Country. Raised in the United States, he moved to what would become the U.S. state of Oregon where he operated stores, was involved in politics, ...

. ''See also:'' They later moved to 140 East 39th Street. Peabody earned a reputation as being one of the foremost American architects for the design of large

country houses An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

, including the president's houses at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

and Wake Forest University. The firm was responsible for the 1921 renovation of the

Hotel Astor Hotel Astor was a hotel on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1905 and expanded in 1909–1910 for the Astor family, the hotel occupied a site bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, and 44th and 45th Stre ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

as well as various schools and public buildings. He designed homes for

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His ...

Augustus St. Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

, and author

James Norman Hall James Norman Hall (22 April 1887 – 5 July 1951) was an American writer best known for '' The Bounty Trilogy'', three historical novels he wrote with Charles Nordhoff: ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1932), '' Men Against the Sea'' (1934) and '' Pitca ...

, a personal friend of the Peabodys, in

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

. The

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

in Mineola is the only federal commission the Peabody, Wilson firm is known to have undertaken, and was one of its last. After Peabody's death, Brown left the firm that same year to head the design team planning the

Harlem River Houses The Harlem River Houses is a New York City Housing Authority public housing complex between 151st Street, 153rd Street, Macombs Place, and the Harlem River Drive in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The complex, which cov ...

, the first federally financed housing project in New York City.

Military service

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, due to the ill health of his wife, he obtained a position in the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Headquarters in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he was quickly made director of the Bureau of Allied Prisoners' Relief. In the spring of 1918, after his wife's health recovered sufficiently for him to serve, he obtained a commission in the Aviation Division of the U.S. Navy for service in France as an Intelligence officer. After several months of preparation at

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, he went to France in May 1918 and served there until the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

Personal life

On March 27, 1913, Peabody was married to Celestine Eustis Hitchcock (1892–1935) in Aiken, South Carolina, by the Right Rev.

Henry P. Northrop Henry Pinckney Northrop (May 5, 1842 – June 7, 1916) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as vicar apostolic of North Carolina (1882-1888) and bishop of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina (1883-1916). Biog ...

, Bishop of South Carolina. Celestine was a daughter of polo player

Thomas Hitchcock Sr. Thomas Hitchcock (23 November 1860 – 29 September 1941) was one of the leading American polo players during the latter part of the 19th century and a Hall of Fame horse trainer and owner known as the father of American steeplechase hor ...

and Louise Marie (née Eustis) Hitchcock. Together, they lived at Pond Hollow Farm in Westbury on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

(across the road from his parents-in-law's estate, Broad Hollow Farm), and were the parents of a son who died in infancy, and two surviving children: * Julian Livingston Peabody Jr. (1914–2014), a graduate of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and Columbia Law School who was a lawyer with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby, * Daphne Peabody, who married Edward Eugene Murray, a

graduate who was the son of the Democratic

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from Montana,

James E. Murray James Edward Murray (May 3, 1876March 23, 1961) was an American politician and United States Senator from Montana, and a liberal leader of the Democratic Party. He served in the United States Senate from 1934 until 1961. Background Born on a f ...

, in 1944. Peabody was a member of the

Harvard Club Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan cler ...

, the Racquet and Tennis Club, the New York City Club, the

Piping Rock Club Piping Rock Club is a country club in Matinecock, New York. It falls within the ZIP Code boundaries of Locust Valley, New York. History The Piping Rock clubhouse was designed by American designer Guy Lowell and built in 1911. Lowell based his ...

, the Locus Valley Club, the Seawanhaka Yacht Club, the Oyster Bay Club, the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

and the Beaux Arts Society. Peabody and his wife were traveling to Mexico on board the liner SS ''Mohawk'' (owned by the

Clyde-Mallory Line Agwilines Inc was a passenger and cargo shipping company of New York City. Agwilines is short for Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship Inc. AGWI Lines group operated four main lines in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s: *Ward Line *Clyde line * Mall ...

and under charter to the

Ward Line The New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company, commonly called the Ward Line, was a shipping company that operated from 1841 until liquidated in 1954. The line operated out of New York City's Piers 15, 16, and 17—land which later became the site ...

) when it was involved in a collision with the Norwegian cargo ship '' Talisman'' off the coast of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Fifteen passengers, including the Peabodys, and thirty crew members died in the sinking. After a double funeral at the Church of the Resurrection at 119 East 74th Street, the Peabodys were buried at Westbury Friends Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peabody, Julian Livingston 1881 births 1935 deaths Livingston family Groton School alumni Harvard University alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni Architects from New York City Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni Peabody family