Frederic Beecher Perkins (27 September 1828, Hartford, Connecticut - 27 January 1899, Morristown, New Jersey) was an American editor, writer, and librarian. He was a member of the Beecher family, a prominent 19th American religious family.
Frederic Beecher Perkins | |
|---|---|
 Frederic Beecher Perkins | |
| Born | September 27, 1828 |
| Died | January 27, 1899 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Librarian Writer Editor |
| Spouse | Mary Anne Wescott |
| Children | Thomas Adie Perkins Charlotte Perkins |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Clap Perkins and Mary Foote Beecher |
Early Life
Frederick Beecher Perkins was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Mary (Beecher) Perkins and Thomas Clap Perkins. He is the grandson of Lyman Beecher, A Presbyterian minister best known as a revivalist and social reformer.[1] He is also the father of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a prominent American feminist, sociologist, novelist, and a lecturer for social reform. Perkins entered Yale University in 1846 and though he left two years later before he finished his degree, Yale awarded him a master of arts degree in 1860.[2] In 1848, he would work in his father’s law office and by 1851, Perkins was admitted to the Connecticut Bar. In 1852, Perkins graduated as a librarian from Connecticut Normal School,[3] now Central Connecticut State University, and became a teacher for a short time in Greenwich, Connecticut.[4]
He held various posts in Hartford until 1854, in which year he went to New York City, remaining until 1857. Then, returning to Hartford, he became assistant editor of Henry Barnard's American Journal of Education for three years, and was also appointed librarian of the Connecticut Historical Society. Two editing positions brought him into cooperation with his uncle Henry Ward Beecher and his brother-in-law Edward Everett Hale on Christian Union and Old and New respectively.[2] Later he worked at the Boston Public Library from 1874 to 1879.[2] From 1880 to 1887, he was librarian of the San Francisco Public Library, where he published his Rational Classification of Literature for Shelving and Cataloguing Books in a Library (San Francisco, 1881; revised ed., 1882).
He was married to Mary Fitch Wescott, and together they had two children, Thomas Adie in 1859 and Charlotte in 1860. They had only two children because after Charlotte's birth, a physician advised Perkins that his wife's life would be in danger if she were to bear any more children. While Charlotte was still in infancy, Perkins moved out and abandoned his wife and children, leaving them in an impoverished state. Charlotte would grow up to be a notable author and feminist. Her father's love for literature influenced her, and years later he contacted her with a list of books he felt would be worthwhile for her to read.
Writings
He was editorially connected with various papers and magazines. Among his writings are:
- Scrope, or the Lost Library, a novel (Boston, 1874)
- My Three Conversations with Miss Chester (New York, 1877)
- Devil-Puzzlers, and other Studies (1877)
- Charles Dickens: his Life and Works (1877)
He also edited or compiled bibliographical works, for example:
- Check-List of American Local History (Boston, 1876)
- The Best Reading (1872; 4th ed., New York, 1877)
Notes
- ^
Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1888). "Perkins, Frederic Beecher". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ a b c Utley, George B. (1934). "Perkins, Frederic Beecher". Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
- ^ Kessler, Carol Farley, Ann J. Lane, and Sheryl L. Meyerling. "To" Herland" and Beyond: The Life and Works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman." (1990): 158-161.
- ^ "Yale Obituary Record" (PDF).
References
- Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.