Frederick Converse Beach (March 27, 1848 – June 8, 1918), was a New York patent attorney, editor and co-owner of ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'', and

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the new ''

Encyclopedia Americana ''Encyclopedia Americana'' is a general encyclopedia written in American English. It was the first general encyclopedia of any magnitude to be published in North America. With '' Collier's Encyclopedia'' and ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclo ...

'' in the early 1900s.Beach, Stanley
Archives at Yale, Stanley Yale Beach papers
Number: GEN MSS 802, 1911-1948 He became President of the oldest operating yacht club in Connecticut. He was also the father of

Stanley Yale Beach Stanley Yale Beach (1877 – 1955) was a wealthy aviation pioneer, who was an early financier of Gustave Whitehead, who claimed to have made powered controlled flight before the Wright brothers. He was among the first technically trained men to b ...

, an aviation pioneer and early financier of Gustav Whitehead.

Biography

Frederick Converse Beach was born on March 27, 1848, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, to

Alfred Ely Beach Alfred Ely Beach (September 1, 1826 – January 1, 1896) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, publisher, and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is known for his design of the earliest predecessor to the New York City Subwa ...

, builder of New York's first subway. His grandfather was

Moses Yale Beach Moses Yale Beach (January 15, 1800 – July 19, 1868) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and publisher, who founded the Associated Press, and is credited with originating print syndication. His fortune, as of 1846, amounted t ...

, publisher of the ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American conservative news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) online-only publisher of political and economic opinion pieces, as we ...

'', and his uncle was Moses Sperry Beach, publisher of the '' Boston Daily Times''. His other uncle William Yale Beach was a banker and real estate developer, and his cousin Charles Yale Beach was a manufacturer and real estate investor. Frederick's son was

, an aviation pioneer, and the Beaches were all members of the

Yale family Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges char ...

. Frederick Converse Beach graduated from Yale's

Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale University, Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Jos ...

in 1868. In 1869, he was made night superintendent of the

Beach Pneumatic Transit The Beach Pneumatic Transit was the first attempt to build an underground public transit system in New York City. It was developed by Alfred Ely Beach in 1869 as a demonstration subway line running on pneumatic power. The line had one stop in t ...

tunnel under

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, and then in 1870, operated a pneumatic car and explained its working to the public. From 1871 to 1876, he was engaged in the manufacture of electrical instruments in New York, making telegraphs. He later became editor for ''

'', their family magazine, and became one of its co-owners. He was also co-owner of Munn and Company, a family owned patent agency, and ''American Photography'' magazine. After working on improving the telephone technology, he became the first, in 1880, to transmit sermons over the telephone, communicating from

Plymouth Church (Brooklyn) Plymouth Church is an historic church (building), church located at 57 Orange Street between Henry and Hicks Streets in the Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City; the Church House has the address 75 H ...

, to his father's house at 31 Union Place, in front of Union Square, New York. In 1884, he founded the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York, becoming its first President, and joined the Postal Progress League and became also its President. He secured a parcel post for the United States, brought many reforms, and looked forward to the time when aerial transport of all kinds of mail will happen by the atmosphere. He was a member of the New York Electrical Society, the Camera Club, the American Institute, and the

National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'', to "stimulate, foster, and promote publi ...

in Manhattan, with members including

J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * '' Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Pa ...

and President

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...

.Biographical record, classes from eighteen hundred and sixty-eight to eighteen hundred and seventy-two of the Sheffield scientific school
/ref> He was made President of the Housatonic

Yacht Club A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...

, the oldest operating Yacht club in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The club was founded by his family on his father's property in

Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut, Greater Bri ...

. In 1889 he was the editor of '' American Photography'', and in 1896 he became a director of ''

''. In 1898, he introduced the first electric automobile in Stratford, Connecticut, and built a power plant for its maintenance. From 1902 he was

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

of the ''

'', which was the first major multivolume encyclopedia published in the United States. Frederick also funded, in thousands of dollars, the airplane designs of his son Stanley from 1903–1910. He died on June 8, 1918, at his home in

Family legacy

Frederick Converse Beach was the father of Alfred Gilbert, Ethel Holbrook, who married to caricaturist James Albert Wales, and

, a wealthy aviation pioneer, partner of

Gustave Whitehead Gustave Albin Whitehead (born Gustav Albin Weisskopf; 1 January 1874 – 10 October 1927) was a German–American aviation pioneer. Between 1897 and 1915, he designed and built gliders, flying machines, and engines. Controversy surrounds publish ...

. Frederick's grandson was Frederick Converse Beach Jr. He graduated from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, and became editor of the ''

Boston University Law Review The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. App ...

'', Deputy Judge of Stratford Town Court, and Prosecuting Attorney with his law practice.Trinity College Bulletin, 1940-1941 (Necrology)
/ref> He also served during the World War in the Ambulance Company, Field Hospital, and Medical Attachment, and was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

and a member of the Housatonic Yacht Club. His father was

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beach, Frederick Converse 1848 births 1918 deaths American magazine editors Journalists from Brooklyn Lawyers from Brooklyn Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science alumni Beach family Yale family