Frederick Forrest Peabody (July 6, 1859 – February 23, 1927) was a prominent citizen of

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) 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 Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, 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 New England town, 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 Northfield (CDP), Vermont, village of No ...

, where he acquired a minimal formal education, entering business at the age of 17. Described often as a

self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...

, he worked his way up to become President of Cluett, Peabody and Co. of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

, 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 Di ...

and the land for the Peabody Charter School.

Marriages

Peabody wed Sarah Blanche Griffith of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

on January 10, 1882, and married, secondly, to Kathleen Burke 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