Lucius Morris Beebe (1902-1966), the other famous Lucius, was the son of Junius Beebe (1854-1934, Lucius and Sylenda’s 9th child) and quite a personality in his own right. He was the last of four children, one of whom died before Lucius was born, and he spent much of his childhood at the Beebe Farm in Wakefield. His youth involved a seemingly continual string of antics, pranks, and altercations and he had the dubious distinction of being asked to leave both Yale and Harvard Universities. He later worked as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked from 1929 to 1950, and the San Francisco Examiner and was a contributing writer to magazines such as the New Yorker, Gourmet, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Esquire, and Town and Country. A well known bon vivant, Lucius was known for his acerbic wit, extravagant personal style, and gourmet taste and was named one of the ten best-dressed men in America for several years, and appeared on the cover of Life magazine in their January 16, 1939 issue. He wrote over 30 books, many on the topic of railroading, one of his primary interests, as well as witty social commentary. He owned elaborate private railroad cars and traveled the country in them with his literary collaborator and longtime personal companion, Charles Clegg. The top photo depicts the “Gold Coast”, now on display at the California State Railroad Museum. The bottom photo shows the “Virginia City”, still privately owned and used for excursion service. In 1950 Beebe and Clegg moved to Virginia City, Nevada, near Reno, where they purchased and ran the Territorial Enterprise newspaper for eight years. In 1960 they sold the paper and began dividing their time between Virginia City and Hillsborough, California, a wealthy suburb of San Francisco. Beebe died at the age of 63 of a heart attack at his winter home in Hillsborough on Friday, February 4, 1966. A memorial service was held three days later, on Monday, February 7, at 11:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Churchon Newbury Street in Boston. His ashes, reportedly along with those of two of his dogs, were returned to Massachusetts and are buried in Lakeside Cemetery on North Avenue in one of the Beebe family plots, located on “Rainbow Avenue” at the extreme north end of the cemetery. Lucius Morris Beebe was also generous toward the town’s library, continuing the tradition started by his forebears. His brother Junius Oliver (1894-1933) was also active in the library, serving on the board of trustees.

Lucius Beebe