LUCIUS BEEBE

'Lucius Morris Beebe' (December 9, 1902 – February 4, 1966), was an American author, gourmand, photographer, railroad historian, journalist, and syndicated columnist.

Contents

Early Life and Education

Journalist

Gourmand

Author

Railroad History

Ship Travel

Sartorial Splendor

Death

Quotes

References

Bibliography

Notes

External links

Early Life and Education

Beebe was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts, to a prominent Boston family. Beebe attended both Harvard University and Yale University. During his tenure at boarding school and university, Beebe was known for his numerous pranks. One of his more outrageous stunts included an attempt at festooning J. P. Morgan's yacht ''Corsair'' with toilet paper from a chartered airplane.^[1] His pranks were not without consequence and he proudly noted that he had the sole distinction of having been expelled from both Harvard and Yale, at the insistence, respectively, of the president and dean of each.^[2] Beebe eventually was readmitted to Harvard where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1926.

Journalist

During and immediately after obtaining his degree from Harvard, Beebe published several books of poetry, but eventually found his true calling in journalism. He worked as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner, the Boston Telegram, and the Boston Evening Transcript and was a contributing writer to many magazines such as Gourmet, ''The New Yorker'', Town and Country, Holiday, American Heritage and Playboy. Beebe re-launched Nevada's first newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise in 1952.
Beebe wrote a syndicated column for the New York Herald Tribune from the 1930's through 1944 called ''This New York.'' The column chronicled the doings of fashionable society at such storied restaurants and nightclubs as El Morocco, the 21 Club, the Stork Club, and the Colony. Mr. Beebe is credited with inventing the term "cafe society" which was used to describe the people mentioned in his column.
In 1960 Beebe began work with the San Francisco Chronicle where he wrote a syndicated column, ''This Wild West''.^[3] During the six years that he wrote the column, Beebe covered such topics as economics, politics, journalism, religion, history, morals, justice, finance and travel.^[4]

Gourmand

Beebe was a noted gourmand. He wrote numerous articles in Gourmet, Holiday, and Playboy about restaurants and dining experiences around the world. Some of the restaurants he covered include The Colony, The Pump Room, the 21 Club, Simpson's-in-the-Strand, and Chasen's. A noted wine aficinado, he was a member of the ''Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin''.

Author

In addition to his work as a journalist, Beebe wrote over 30 books. His books dealt primarily with railroading and café society. Many of his railroad books were written with longtime companion, Charles Clegg.

Railroad History

Along with Charles Clegg, Beebe owned two private railcars, the ''Gold Coast'' and ''The Virginia City''. The ''Gold Coast,'' Georgia Northern / Central of Georgia No. 100, was built in 1905 and is now at the California State Railroad Museum. After Beebe and Clegg purchased ''The Virginia City'' they had it refurbished and redecorated by famed Hollywood set designer Robert Hanley in a style known as ''Venetian Renaissance Baroque''. ''The Virginia City'' has been restored and currently operates as an excursion carriage.^[5]

Ship Travel

Beebe was also a noted partisan of the Cunard Line and passenger liner travel in general. He wrote several articles about trans-Atlantic passage on Cunard ships during the "Golden Era" of the 20's, 30's and 40's.

Sartorial Splendor

A noted ''boulevardier'', Beebe had an impressive and baroque wardrobe. Beebe's clothing included 40 suits, at least two mink-lined overcoats, numerous top hats and bowlers, a collection of doeskin gloves, walking sticks, and a substantial gold nugget watch chain.^[6] Famed columnist Walter Winchell referred to Beebe and his wardrobe as "Luscious Lucius."^[6] Beebe's sartorial splendor was recognized when he appeared in full formal day attire on the cover of ''Life'' over the title of "Lucius Beebe Sets a Style."^[8][1]
Many of Beebe's articles and columns addressed men's traditional fashion. He was especially fond of English bespoke tailoring and shoes and wrote glowing articles about noted court tailor Henry Poole and Company and noted bootmaker John Lobb, whom he patronized on a regular basis. He also liked men's hats and wrote of the history of the bowler hat.^[9]

Death

Beebe died from a heart attack at the age of 64.

Quotes

References

★ A Passion for Trains: The Railroad Photography of Richard Steinheimer with text by Jeff Brouws, , , , , ,

★ The Provocative Pen of Lucius Beebe, Esq., , , , , ,

★ The Lucius Beebe Reader, , , , , ,

Bibliography

★ Fallen Stars, , Lucius, Beebe, Cornhill Publishing, 1921,

★ Corydon and Other Poems, , Lucius, Beebe, B.J. Brimmer, 1924,

★ The Awful Seeley Diner, , Lucius, Beebe, F.R. Publishing, 1932,

★ Boston and the Boston Legend, , Lucius, Beebe, D. Appleton-Century Company, 1935,

★ The Ritz Idea: The Story of a Great Hotel, , Lucius, Beebe, privately published, 1936,

★ High Iron, A Book of Trains, , Lucius, Beebe, D. Appleton-Century Company, 1938,

★ Highliners, A Railroad Album, , Lucius, Beebe, Bonanza Books, 1940,

★ Trains in Transition, , Lucius, Beebe, , ,

★ Snoot if You Must, , Lucius, Beebe, D. Appleton-Century Company, 1943,

★ Highball, A Railroad Pageant, , Lucius, Beebe, , 1945,

★ Mixed Train Daily: A Book of Short-line Railroads, , Lucius, Beebe, Howell-North, 1947,

★ The Plaza: Fortieth Anniversary, 1907-1947, , Lucius, Beebe, Hilton Hotels, 1947,

★ The Stork Club Bar Book, , Lucius, Beebe, , ,

★ Hear the Train Blow: A Pictorial Epic of America in the Railroad Age, , Lucius, Beebe, Dutton, 1952,

★ Comstock Commotion, The Story of the Territorial Enterprise and Virginia City News, , Lucius, Beebe, Stanford University Press, 1954,

★ Narrow Gauge in the Rockies, , Lucius, Beebe, Howell-North, 1958,

★ Mansions on Rails, the Folklore of The Private Railway Car, , Lucius, Beebe, Howell-North, 1959,

★ Mr. Pullman's Elegant Palace Car, the Railway Carriage that Established a New Dimension of Luxury and Entered the National Lexicon as a Symbol of Splendor, , Lucius, Beebe, Doubleday & Company, 1961,

★ 20th Century, The Greatest Train in the World, , Lucius, Beebe, Howell-North, 1962,

★ The Overland Limited, , Lucius, Beebe, Howell-North Books, 1963,

★ Two Trains to Remember: The New England Limited, The Air Line Limited, , Lucius, Beebe, privately published, 1965,

★ The Big Spenders, , Lucius, Beebe, Doubleday & Company, 1966,

★ The Provocative Pen of Lucius Beebe, Esq., , Lucius, Beebe, Chronicle Publishing Company, 1966,

★ The Lucius Beebe Reader, , Lucius, Beebe, Doubleday & Company, 1967,

Notes

1.
2. ''The Lucius Beebe Reader'', p. 7.
3. ''The Provacative Pen of Lucius Beebe, Esq.'', p. vii.''
4. ''The Provocative Pen of Lucius Beebe, Esq.'', p. vii.
5. VC History
6. Emrich, D. "Biographical Sketch" in ''The Lucius Beebe Reader'', p. 391.
7. Emrich, D. "Biographical Sketch" in ''The Lucius Beebe Reader'', p. 391.
8. "Lucius Beebe Sets a Style",''Life Magazine'', cover page, January 16, 1939.
9. "The Bowler" in ''The Lucius Beebe Reader'', p. 278.

External links

★

★ Piper Beebe House

★ California State Railroad Museum

★ Territorial Enterprise

★ Lucius Beebe's Photo & Gravesite

★ Beebe ''Life'' Cover Photo