Frederic Tudor was born on
September 4, 1783 in Boston to William Tudor and his wife, Delia. Coming from a
well educated family of lawyers and Harvard graduates, Frederic himself pursued
a somewhat more informal education than many of his family members. Although he
attended Boston Latin School between the ages of ten and thirteen, by his later
teenage years he began an apprenticeship at a firm on State Street. Enjoying
the support of his family’s not-unsubstantial resources, by his early twenties
he had become a trader in commodities like nutmeg, flour, sugar, tea, and
candles.
Frederic Tudor circa 1830 Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts |
It was from this experience
in international trade that Tudor first developed the idea to export around the
world one of Boston’s most readily available commodities: ice. The idea,
needless to say, was met skeptically by the public, who wondered how Tudor
would be available to preserve the cargo through its long journey to market in
the Caribbean. As the first shipment prepared to leave Boston in 1806, one
local newspaper published the headline: “No Joke, Ship Full of Ice Sets Sail
for Martinique: Let’s Hope This Doesn’t Prove to be a Slippery Speculation!”
The first shipment,
unfortunately for Tudor, seemed to prove the skeptics right. Although the
future-Ice King’s technique of preserving the ice in sawdust aboard his ships
ensured that they arrived in a relatively solid condition in Martinique, the
tropical climate rapidly took its toll on their arrival. Tudor’s now-liquid
inventory lost him a small fortune.
From this failure, however,
Tudor would refine his business model into a more profitable venture. He began
working on designs for an icehouse, which would be able to preserve his cargo
once it reached port in the Caribbean, the first of which would be built in
Cuba in 1810. He would begin turning a modest profit that same year – although
bad business deals and the War of 1812 would grind his business to a halt and
find him briefly confined to debtors’ prison.
Nathaniel Wyeth's Horse-Drawn Ice Cutter Courtesy of the Atlantic |
Although Tudor began by
selling inventory to doctors and scientists, who used the ice to experiment with
food preservation and medical treatment, he began to expand his market by
catering more towards tropical residents hoping to enjoy chilled drinks – a
distinct novelty at the time. As the business’s popularity expanded, Tudor’s
empire would grow to cater to the entire world over – and from his base in
Boston, he would launch expeditions to cities as far away as Singapore and
Calcutta.
"Ice-Cutting at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, Mass." 1853 Photo Courtesy of Friends of Fresh Pond |
Nevertheless, Tudor’s own
fortunes would continue to increase. As Henry G. Pearson of the Massachusetts
Historical Society explained: “Whereas in 1846 the number of tons of ice
shipped had been 65,000, in 1856 the total rose to 146,000, the amount being
sent in 363 cargoes to 53 different places in the United States, the West
Indies, the East Indies, China, the Philippines, and Australia.” Tudor would
grow fabulously wealthy on the profits from his ever-expanding empire, and
would die a rich and well-liked local icon on February 6, 1864.
Fresh Pond Recreation Area in Fall 2014 Photo by Brian Pollock |
Sources
MacDonald, Katie. "Comercial Use of Ice - Fresh Pond." Cambridge Historical Society. N.p., 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Mitenbuler, Reid. "The Stubborn American Who Brought Ice to the World." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Neyfakh, Neon. "How a Massachusetts Man Invented the Global Ice Market - The Boston Globe." Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, 19 Dec. 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Pearson, Henry G. "Frederic Tudor - Ice King." Ice Harvesting USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.