Educational Philanthropist George Peabody (1795-1869) and U.S.-British Relations, 1850s-1860s.

This paper is about Massachusetts-born merchant George Peabody's social contacts with 10 U.S. ministers (now called ambassadors) to Britain during the 1850s and 1860s, especially Peabody's contact with John Lothrop Motley, U.S. minister to Britain at the time of Peabody's death. The paper begins with Peabody's life and commercial career; describes his transition from that of a U.S. merchant to London-based merchant banker; tells how he made his fortune; describes how and why he gave most of his fortune to found libraries, museums, and foundations; and explores why historians have called him the founder of modern American educational philanthropy. Peabody's association with Motley offers insights into Peabody's unusual funeral and helps explain why the people and press of two nations gave it so much solemnity and grandeur. The paper concludes with an assessment of George Peabody as a merchant turned international banker and educational philanthropist whose promotion of U.S.-British friendship has largely escaped historians' attention. The paper's "Afterword" sums up public memory events of Peabody since his death. Contains 194 references. (BT)