Boston has long been famous for political personalities and the changes they brought about in America as a whole. Another group has also brought notoriety to this city throughout its history. These families began as the Boston Brahmin, a group of influential industrialists who formed the city’s philosophical atmosphere.

The Adams family was one of these families. Charles Francis Adams IV was born in Boston, graduated from Harvard in 1932 and attended Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. In later life he was awarded honorary degrees from Bates College, Northeastern University, Suffolk University and Tufts University. He spent his working life in industrial electronics and was the first president of the Raytheon Company.

Boston’s Lowell family was another of the Brahmins. The Honorable John Amory Lowell became first Treasurer of both the Merrimack Manufacturing Company and Boott Cotton Textile Mills. He acted as Director of the Winnipiseogee Lake Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company. Lowell was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Harvard College. He was a member of the Linnean Society of London and Harvard honored him with an LLD. His financial acumen and high intellect allowed the Lowell Institute to flourish, supporting celebrated personalities in science, literature, politics, economics, theology and philosophy. Read the rest of this entry »