Frank Lusk Babbott (August 14, 1854 – December 7, 1933) was an American jute merchant, art collector, patron, and philanthropist.
Frank Lusk Babbott | |
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Born | Frank Lusk Babbott August 14, 1854 |
Died | December 7, 1933 New York City, US | (aged 79)
Occupation(s) | Jute merchant, art collector, patron, and philanthropist |
Known for | Babbott Field and Babbott Avenue, both in Waterville, New York, named in his honor |
Babbott was born in Waterville, New York on August 14, 1854, the son of Miller Babbott and Mary Elizabeth Crandall.[1]
He was a childhood friend of George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak.[2]
He was educated at Amherst College, graduating in the class of 1878.[3] He then studied at Columbia University, graduating with an LLB in 1880.[1]
Babbott was Director of Chelsea Jute Mills from 1883 to 1901. He was a member of the Brooklyn Board of Education, and president of the Brooklyn Free Kindergarten Society.[1]
He was a trustee of various organisations:
He was vice-president of the New York Board of Education, 1902–1904.[1]
Babbott died on December 7, 1933, at his home at 149 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn.[6]
Babbott's family home was 153 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, New York. They also owned an estate at Glen Cove, Long Island, advertised for sale in 2008 at $4.2 million.
Babbott married Lydia Richardson Pratt (1857–1904), daughter of Standard Oil magnate Charles Pratt on February 18, 1886.[7]
They had four children:
A public park (Babbott Field) and a street (Babbott Avenue), both in Waterville, New York, were named in his honor. The Babbott Room in the Octagon at Amherst College was named in memory of him.
He left a bequest of over $540,000 to Vassar College to establish the Lydia Richardson Babbott Endowment.[5]
The Frank L. Babbott Chair of Literature & The Arts at Packer Collegiate Institute is named in his honour, established by his family in 1977.[4]