Francis Greenwood Peabody (1847-1936)
Immigration to the US Resources | Other Resources
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| Title Page of The Social Museum as an Instrument of University Teaching, by Francis Peabody, 1911. |
Francis Greenwood Peabody was born in Boston on December 4, 1847, to Mary Jane Derby and Ephraim Peabody, a Unitarian minister. After Ephraim Peabody's untimely death in 1856, his congregation provided the funds for his son's education. Francis graduated from Harvard College (1869) and received degrees from the Divinity School (1872) and from the Graduate School (1872).
After a brief time as chaplain and teacher at Antioch College in Ohio, Peabody served as minister at the First Parish Church (Unitarian), in Cambridge. In 1880, Peabody became a lecturer on ethics and homiletics at the Harvard Divinity School. Peabody subsequently served as Parkman Professor of Theology (1881-1886), Preacher to the University (1886-1906), Plummer Professor of Christian Morals (1886-1912), and Dean of the Divinity School (1901-1906).
Although Peabody strongly influenced the religious, moral, and philosophical climate of Harvard as University Preacher and Plummer Professor, his most enduring achievement was his introduction of the study of social ethics to the Divinity School and to Harvard College. Peabody's social ethics courses stressed the need to study the religious and social implications stimulated by industrialization. He also championed social science methodology, the case study method, and the liberal interpretation of the New Testament. In his teaching, preaching, and writing, Peabody characterized Christianity as a religion that required Christians to act as agents of social change, deemphasizing personal salvation in favor of social action. He also used photography to document social problems and to strengthen support for social reform. Peabody himself lived up to his philosophy by founding the Social Museum and the Department of Social Ethics. In addition, he was influential in founding Harvard's Phillips Brooks House, an organization that embodied the spirit of social ethics by promoting public service in the community.
Peabody's overarching goal was grand in scale: to promote social reform across the United States by drawing on the social sciences, photography, and organized religion. Besides his pioneering efforts in the discipline of social ethics, Peabody spearheaded the campaign to transform Harvard from an essentially Unitarian college into a nonsectarian one. He persuaded Harvard to make attendance at chapel optional, making Harvard the first traditional college in the nation to give students the freedom to choose whether or not to participate in university-organized religious worship. Some critics complained that Peabody's campaign meant that "God has become an elective at Harvard," but Peabody remained a highly respected Unitarian preacher. Peabody authored many books, including Jesus Christ and the Social Questions (1900) and Jesus Christ and the Christian Character (1905).
In 1872 Peabody married Cora Weld (1848-1914). He died in 1936 at the age of 89.
Some biographical material reprinted with permission from the Harvard Divinity School.
^ TOPImmigration to the US Resources
Listed below are digital resources from the Immigration to the US collection by, about, or related to Francis Greenwood Peabody. These resources represent only a selection of what exists on these topics. More physical materials on these topics may be available at the owning repositories, some of which are open to the public.
Published Works
Peabody, Francis Greenwood. The Approach to the Social Question: An Introduction to the Study of Social Ethics. New York: Macmillan, 1909.
Peabody, Francis Greenwood. The German Labor-Colonies for Tramps. New York: Forum Publishing, 1892.
Peabody, Francis Greenwood. The Social Museum as an Instrument of University Teaching; A Classified List of the Collections in the Social Museum of Harvard University in February, 1911. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1911.
Peabody, Francis Greenwood. The Social Museum as an Instrument of University Teaching; A Classified List of Collections in the Social Museum of Harvard University to January, 1908. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1908.
Photographs
Photographs from Francis Peabody's Social Museum are housed in the Fogg Art Museum.
View images from Francis Peabody's Social Museum collection. (600 photographs).
Finding Aids 
Harvard Divinity School. Andover-Harvard Theological Library. Finding Aid for the Addresses and Lectures of Francis Peabody, 1915-1923.
Harvard Divinity School. Andover-Harvard Theological Library. Finding Aid for the Papers of Ephraim Peabody, 1831-1884.
Harvard Divinity School. Andover-Harvard Theological Library. Finding Aid for the Writings of Francis Greenwood Peabody.
^ TOPOther Resources
Listed below are web sites about, or related to, Francis Greenwood Peabody. These resources are listed to point users to further information outside the context of the Immigration to the US collection. The Open Collections Program and Harvard University bear no responsibility for the contents of these web sites. This list is not intended to be comprehensive.
Harvard Divinity School at the Turn of the Last Century: "Francis Greenwood Peabody (1847-1936)"
http://www.hds.harvard.edu/library/exhibits/online/hdsturncentury/peabody.html
A brief biography of Francis Greenwood Peabody
Unitarianism in America: "Francis Greenwood Peabody (1847-1936)"
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/UIA%20Online/117peabody.html
A brief biography of Francis Greenwood Peabody
Harvard Divinity School
http://www.hds.harvard.edu
The web site for Harvard Divinity School, for which Peabody served as dean from 1901 to 1906.