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HOW THE PEABODY LITTLE ROCK DUCKS GOT THEIR NAME
What’s in a name? Why The Peabody Little Rock? Why are The Peabody Little Rock
Ducks named “Peabody?” Is there a specific “Peabody Duck” species? Was there a
Mr., Ms., or Mrs. Peabody?
Once upon a time, long ago, back in 1865 to be precise, a very wealthy man named
Robert Brinkley decided to build a beautiful, new, hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
He wanted it to be the finest hotel in the South, an oasis of elegance and good
taste, where the local gentry, wheelers and dealers could congregate in comfort
to wine and dine on the finest foods and rarest wines; where their ladies could
meet and greet for genteel afternoon tea, in opulent, exquisite surroundings.
The hotel was to be named The Brinkley House Hotel.
No expense was spared. Craftsmen, artisans, carpenters, bricklayers, interior
designers and decorators of the highest order worked on the building. They
designed impressive public areas and comfortable guestrooms which reflected
state-of-the-art hotel facilities of the day. The finest bone china, silverware
and crystal glassware were purchased. The best of chefs and hotel management and
staff were hired.
Just before the official opening of the hotel in 1869, Mr. Brinkley’s best friend,
George Peabody, an international financier and philanthropist, died suddenly in
London, England. Brinkley was devastated by the sudden loss of his dear friend.
Without hesitation, Brinkley decided to honor the name of his cherished friend,
and changed The Brinkley House Hotel, to The Peabody Hotel.
Today, Peabody Hotel Group, The Peabody Little Rock, The Peabody Memphis, and The
Peabody Orlando, proudly bear the name of George Peabody, an extraordinary American,
whose generous, enlightened, spirit seems to mirror those of our existing owners and
management.
Mr. Peabody was a successful owner-operator of a dry goods warehouse business with
branches in Georgetown,Washington, DC., Philadelphia, PA and New York City. His
business took him on frequent visits to London, where Her Royal Majesty, Queen
Victoria, ruled a then-vast British Empire on which the sun never set.
On one of these trips, Mr. Peabody negotiated an $8-million loan for the near-bankrupt
State of Maryland, accepting no commission on the transaction. Eventually, he moved to
London permanently and established a merchant banking business specializing in foreign
exchange.
He amassed a huge fortune, which at his death he bequeathed to philanthropic works
benefiting the poor on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, he especially
assisted universities through foundations to provide higher education for Southern
children of all races. He was dedicated to the elevation of the performing and visual
arts, founding libraries, museums, art galleries and music academies. Both he and Mr.
Brinkley would be proud, indeed, of the newest hotel to bear the Peabody name: The
Peabody Little Rock.
His kind and generous spirit, and his goodwill towards all peoples, earned him the
attention and admiration of Queen Victoria, who offered him the most coveted honor
which can be bestowed on a native Englishman, let alone an expatriate American: the
rank of Baron and the Order of the Bath. An American citizen, Mr. Peabody declined
the honors, but remained very much in the good graces and affections of Her Royal
Majesty, Her court and government.
Unexpectedly, on November 4, 1869, George Peabody drew his last breath, sending shock
waves through the corridors of royal palaces, the Houses of Lords and Parliament in
London, and back home across the Atlantic, in Washington, DC., and in Memphis,
Tennessee.
His hometown, South Danvers, Essex County, MA., was renamed “Peabody” in his memory;
and, today, George Peabody’s name lives on through the George Peabody College for
teachers, a private, non-sectarian, co-education college in Nashville, Tennessee,
founded in 1875. It was the first such institution in the South, and one of the
first in the nation to offer advanced degrees in education. By 1867, he had founded
the Peabody Education Fund.
The George Peabody Historical Society is making sterling efforts to have a commemorative
U.S., postage stage struck in Peabody’s name. The Peabody Little Rock avidly supports
this project. If you’d like to support this bid, please send a letter or postcard to:
Mr. William J. Henderson
U.S. Postmaster General
US Postal Service Headquarters
473 l’Enfant Plaza, S.W.
Washington, DC 20260-2437
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