Biography Franklin Benjamin Sanborn

1 biography

1.1 years , education
1.2 professional life
1.3 personal life
1.4 death , significance

biography
early years , education

franklin sanborn born @ hampton falls, new hampshire, son of aaron , lydia (leavitt) sanborn. believed himself capable of making stir in world age of two, having held stick in thunderstorm , experienced being struck lightning. @ age nine, following careful reading of pro-emancipation journals national era , horace greeley s new-york tribune, frank announced family slavery wrong , united states constitution should revised or revoked.

in 1850, @ suggestion of future wife ariana walker, sanborn arranged study exeter teacher , private tutor john gibson hoyt. focus on greek year, enter phillips exeter academy. followed enrollment @ harvard, graduated in 1855.

professional life

frank sanborn @ age 21

sanborn active in politics member of free soil party in new hampshire , massachusetts. in 1856, became secretary of massachusetts kansas commission , came close touch john brown. sanborn 1 of 6 influential men supplied brown support raid on harper s ferry on october 16–18, 1859. group later termed secret six. although sanborn disavowed advance-knowledge of attack, defend brown end of life, assist in support of widow , children, , make periodic pilgrimages brown s grave.

on night of april 3, 1860, 5 federal marshalls arrived @ frank sanborn s home in concord, handcuffed him , attempted wrestle him coach , take him washington answer questions before senate in regard involvement john brown. approximately 150 towns-people rushed sanborn s defense. judge ebenezer r. hoar issued writ of replevin, formally demanding surrender of prisoner. in letter friend, louisa may alcott wrote, sanborn kidnapped. great ferment in town. annie whiting immortalized herself getting kidnapper s carriage not put long legged martyr in.

frank sanborn of concord, ma, resists arrest federal marshals in regard support of abolitionist john brown

from 1863 1867 sanborn editor of boston commonwealth, 1867 1897 of journal of social science, , 1868 1914 correspondent of springfield republican. 1 of founders of, , closely identified with, american social science association (secretary 1865–1897), national prison association, national conference of charities, clarke school deaf, massachusetts infant asylum, , concord school of philosophy. lectured @ cornell, smith, , wellesley.

in october 1863, became secretary of massachusetts state board of charities, first established in america. secretary 1863 1868, member 1870 1876, , chairman 1874 1876. in 1875, made searching investigation abuses of tewksbury almshouse, , in consequence institution reformed. in 1879 helped reorganize system of massachusetts charities, special reference care of children , insane persons, in july 1879 becoming state inspector of charities under new board, serving until 1888.

personal life

franklin sanborn in 1900

sanborn lived @ concord, massachusetts. twice married, first ariana walker in 1854 8 days until died. following first wife s death, sanborn courted nineteen-year-old edith emerson, daughter of ralph waldo emerson of concord. sanborn proposed miss emerson in 1861, , rejected. apparently took offense, , launched series of letters miss emerson s mother. letters apparently inflamed emerson family, result ralph waldo drafted chilly letter sanborn, informing sanborn of emerson s wife s displeasure @ having been accused. matter did not end happily, mrs. emerson writing own letter of reproach sanborn.

ultimately, sanborn begrudgingly apologized , moved on. married second wife cousin louisa augusta leavitt in 1862—said enough sanborn sister—the daughter of sanborn s uncle joseph melcher leavitt, boston merchant (sanborn s other uncle benson leavitt, once partner of wife s father , later acting mayor of boston). louisa leavitt had worked schoolteacher @ concord school sanborn founded. couple married @ church of disciples in boston abolitionist minister james freeman clarke. had 3 sons, poet thomas parker sanborn, genealogist victor channing sanborn, , francis bachiler sanborn.

the sanborn home in concord

in 1880, frank sanborn built large house on banks of sudbury river in concord, placing plaque name of first wife, ariana, in gable end. in home sanborns eldest son, tom, committed suicide in 1889, @ age of twenty-four, after sanborns stayed several months in emerson home. in 1891 frank sanborn moved ailing , elderly friend, transcendental poet , walking-companion of thoreau, ellery channing, home, channing subsequently died in 1901. although sanborns second son, victor channing sanborn, engaged in real estate living, wrote father , authored book researching ancestor thomas leavitt s origins.

death , significance

photo of elderly fbs obituary in harvard crimson

frank sanborn died february 24, 1917, after being struck railroad baggage cart during visit son francis in new jersey. buried @ sleepy hollow cemetery in concord near graves of friends , mentors ralph waldo emerson, bronson alcott, ellery channing, , henry thoreau. concord s flags flown @ half-mast 3 days. @ end of month, february, 1917, prior america s entering world war i, massachusetts house of representatives recognized sanborn’s dedication unfortunate, diseased, , despised, citing sanborn s role confidential adviser john brown, sake arrested, mistreated, , deported.

people loved , hated him. walt whitman described sanborn fighter, in arms, devotee, revolutionary crusader, hot in collar, quick on trigger, noble, optimistic. henry david thoreau feared passionate concord schoolteacher steadfast , earnest , type, thoreau put it, calmly, calmly, ignites , throws bomb after bomb. sanborn lived long life. revered in end relic golden age gone by—a tall , venerable figure moving picturesquely through boston , concord.