John Murray Forbes (February 23, 1813 – October 12, 1898) was an American railroad magnate, merchant, opium merchant, philanthropist and abolitionist. He was president of both the Michigan Central railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in the 1850s. He kept doing business with Russell & Company.

His paternal uncle was John Murray Forbes, lawyer and diplomat, and his maternal uncle was merchant Thomas Handasyd Perkins. Among his cousins was the botanist Francis Blackwell Forbes. In addition, he founded J.M. Forbes & Co., an investment firm in Boston in 1838.

Politician

thumb|Pamphlet containing the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, published by Forbes in December 1862 and distributed to Union soldiers.|right

In 1860, he was an elector for Abraham Lincoln. He served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln. Staunchly pro-Union, he is given credit for founding the New England Loyal Publication Society in early 1863 (Smith 1948). After the Civil War, Forbes was elected as a 3rd Class (honorary) Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Between January 22 and December 16, 1881, Forbes served as the honorary consul general for Sweden–Norway in Victoria, British Hong Kong.

Personal life

thumb|right|Forbes at 68

thumb|Forbes' [[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay residence, designed by Peabody & Stearns]]

Forbes married Sarah Swain Hathaway (1813–1900). They resided in Milton, Massachusetts, and summered on Naushon Island in Dukes County, Massachusetts.

  • Ellen Randolph Forbes (1838–1860). William became the first president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and father of William Cameron Forbes.
  • Mary Hathaway Forbes (1844–1916), who married Henry Sturgis Russell (1838–1905) in 1863.

Descendants

His cousin Francis Blackwell Forbes (1839–1908) is the great-grandfather of 2004 U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Forbes Kerry. His 4x great-grandson is Jonathan Meath, a renowned Emmy award-winning television producer.

Legacy

In the September 1899 issue of Atlantic magazine, Edward Waldo Emerson (Ralph Waldo Emerson's son), published Forbes' biography. The Emerson and Forbes families were close as Forbes' son, William, married Ralph's daughter, Edith Emerson. In Letters and Social Aims, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of Forbes:

<blockquote>"Never was such force, good meaning, good sense, good action, combined with such domestic lovely behavior, such modesty and persistent preference for others. Wherever he moved he was the benefactor... How little this man suspects, with his sympathy for men and his respect for lettered and scientific people, that he is not likely, in any company, to meet a man superior to himself," and "I think this is a good country that can bear such a creature as he."</blockquote>

The small community of Forbes, Missouri, is named for him.

References

Further reading

  • Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography: John Murray Forbes
  • Old Plank Road Trail history and development. Retrieved October 2, 2013.