Windsor

BILLINGS, Frederick

Men of Vermont: an Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters & Sons of 
Vermont. Ullery. Brattleboro: Transcript Pub. Co., 1894, pp 27-28 (portrait p 
27)

Frederick BILLINGS, was born 27 September 1823 in Royalton [Windsor County, 
Vermont], son of Oel [Ole?] and Sophia (WETHERBE) BILLINGS. He received his 
preparatory education at Kimball Union Academy and graduated at the 
University of Vermont in 1844. He then studied law in the office of Oliver 
P. CHANDLER of Woodstock [Windsor County] and was admitted to the bar in 
1848. In the spring of 1849 Mr. BILLINGS began the practice of law in San 
Francisco [San Francisco County], California, and for thirteen years 
continued it as a member of the firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings. Three 
years later he made a trip to Oregon and Washington to restore his health, 
after which he returned to the East and settled in Woodstock, purchasing 
about 1870 the property known as the Marsh estate. There he made the most 
beautiful home in Vermont.

Mr. BILLINGS not only took first rank as a lawyer but was equally prominent 
among the men of great business ability who spanned the continent with 
railways. His energies were specially devoted to the Northern Pacific 
Railroad, in which he was long a director, for many years the manager of its 
land department and for two years its president. He did signal service in 
saving California to the Union during the rebellion, and when President 
LINCOLN was considering the reconstruction of his cabinet for his second term 
he assured the California delegation of his intention to appoint Mr. BILLINGS 
a member to represent that state. After the death of Mr. LINCOLN the 
Legislature of California passed a resolution requesting his successor to 
give Mr. BILLINGS a cabinet position as the representative of the Pacific 
coast.

On 31 March 1862 in New York he [Frederick BILLINGS] was married to Julia 
PARMLY, daughter of Dr. Eleazer and Annie M. (SMITH) PARMLY. Their children 
were seven: (1) Parmly, who died in 1888; (2) Laura; (3) Frederick; (4) 
Mary Montago; (5) Elizabeth; (6) Ehrick, who died in 1889; and (7) 
Richard. Mr. [Frederick] BILLINGS died 30 September 1890 in Woodstock 
[Windsor County, Vermont]. His was a manhood not absorbed in great 
professional and business successes; it went out to his fellow men in 
benefactions large and innumerable.

Rev. L. G. WARE, himself since deceased, wrote of him in November 1890, the 
following words of one Christian gentleman of another: "The trustees of the 
Vermont State Library desire to place on their record, and to express in 
their report to the General Assembly, their regret in the lamented death of 
their fellow trustee, the Hon. Frederick BILLINGS. Occurring within the 
first of his membership of the board, it leaves them to miss the friendly 
presence and genial companionship which they promised themselves, and 
deprived of the sympathy and aid they were looking forward to from the wise 
interest he was known to have in library affairs; an interest in the 
collection of valuable books and their proper bestowal, which he specially 
manifested in the gift he made to the University of the state of the 
scholarly library of the late Hon. George P. MARSH, and in the erection of 
the beautiful library building which bears his name and has become his fit 
and noble monument. But regret in Mr. BILLINGS' decease, the trustees are 
well aware, is to had on larger grounds than those personal to themselves in 
the intimacy and conduct of their board. They have to lament in his 
departure the loss of a true lover of Vermont, who had a quick eye for the 
beauty of its hills and a heart quick for the tradition of patriotism and 
integrity among its people. He was the large-minded citizen, to whom all the 
interests of his native state were dear, but dearest its highest concerns of 
education and all intellectual advantage of moral worth and religious 
conviction."

Submitted by Cathy Kubly