View source for Frederic Cameron Church Jr.

{{Short description|American businessman (1897–1983)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
|birth_date={{birth date |1897|5|22|mf=y}}
|birth_place=[[Lowell, Massachusetts]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age |1983|11|14|1897|5|22|mf=y}}
|death_place=[[Beverly, Massachusetts]], U.S.
|occupation=Businessman
| module         = {{Infobox college football player|embed=yes
|school=Harvard Crimson
|currentposition=[[Running back]]
|pastschools=[[Harvard Crimson football|Harvard]] (1916&ndash;1920)
|bowlgames=
*[[Rose Bowl game|Rose Bowl]] ([[1920 Rose Bowl|1920]])
|highlights=
* [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1919 Harvard Crimson football team|1919]])
}}
}}
'''Frederic Cameron Church Jr.''' (May 22, 1897 – November 14, 1983) was an American businessman. His father founded Fred C. Church Insurance company in 1865 as a [[sole proprietorship]] in [[Lowell, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fredcchurch.com/|title=Fred C Church|work=fredcchurch.com}}</ref>  Fred. C. Church, Inc. currently has around 130 employees, with branch offices in [[Andover, MA]], [[Dracut, MA]], [[Haverhill, MA]], [[Tewksbury, MA]], [[Westford, MA]], and [[Portsmouth, NH]].<ref name="fredcchurch.com">{{cite web |url=http://fredcchurch.com/about/history.php?PHPSESSID=a70f3f4ae8d2dc644ec8e08f6b2a808c |title=Fred C. Church Insurance :: About Fred C. Church |website=fredcchurch.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629025308/http://fredcchurch.com/about/history.php |archive-date=2006-06-29}} </ref>
==History==
In February 1882, Fred C. Church (Sr) joined about twenty other prominent young men of Lowell to form a [[gentleman's club]] called the Highland Club, later named the "[[Yorick Club (Lowell, MA)|Yorick Club]]", with, other members included architect, [[Frederick W. Stickney]] and [[Percy Parker]].<ref>"History of Lowell and its people, Volume 1", p.383, By Frederick William Coburn</ref>
Fred Church set up shop in down town Lowell, at 53 Central Street in the Center Block building.
His son, Fred C. Church Jr., attended [[Harvard]] in 1916, where he was very popular, elected 1920 Class President, and a star member of the Football team  scoring the winning touchdown against Oregon to win the national championship in 1920.<ref>"The Harvard Crimson" article "Church 1920 President" March 1, 1917</ref><ref>"The Harvard Crimson" article "F.C. Church 1920 Football Leader" November 2, 1916</ref> He was also played on the Crimson Hockey team where he was captain and was also on the track team.  In 1920, F.C. Jr. was acting first marshal at the [[Harvard]] Commencement exercises.  He continued his education after serving in the Navy during World War I and graduated from Harvard in 1922.
Fred Jr. was poised to take over the business, as described by the July 3, 1920, article, in "The Standard" as; <blockquote>"F.C.Jr," comes of first grade successful stock.  Ask any company doing business with the Church Agency.</blockquote>
In July 1925, with 400 of societies' elite in attendance,<ref>St. Petersburg Times - Jul 26, 1925</ref> Fred Jr. married into the wealthy [[Vanderbilt family]], in [[Newport, RI]], as first husband to the "Golden Girl" [[Muriel Vanderbilt]]. They resided at "Dudley Place" in Newport, which was her father's wedding present, and where she kept her show horses.  They divorced four years later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.glabarre.com/images/File/AA/AA-Glabarre.pdf |title=RARITIES SALE 10 |work=googleusercontent.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221115236/http://www.glabarre.com/images/File/AA/AA-Glabarre.pdf |archivedate=2015-02-21 }}</ref>  According to the March 18, 1929 [[Time magazine]] article, "on grounds of nonsupport."  By 1931, Ms. Vanderbilt was on her second husband.
In 1928, Fred Jr. teamed up with two others to form Boit, Dalton & Church Insurance located on 40 Kilby Street in Boston.  According to a January 19, 1948 [[Life magazine]] article, Fred Jr. remarried Agnes Devens Boardman, and had five children with his wife and resided on Beacon Street in [[Boston]].
In 1936, Fred Jr. helped form summer camps for the [[Boys & Girls Clubs of America|Boys Clubs]] in Boston,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crossroads4kids.org/|title=Crossroads for Kids|work=crossroads4kids.org}}</ref> and in 1956, he was one of the founding fathers of the [[Boys & Girls Clubs of America]].  He also served as President of Boys Clubs of Boston for 20 years. Also, in 1956, the Frederic C. Church Foundation, was established in Boston (1956–1966). Fred Jr. served as general chairman of the Greater Boston Development Committee whose work lead to the establishment of the Boston Port Authority, to the construction of Route 128 around Boston and to the construction of the Mystic-Tobin bridge.
In 1968, Fred. C. Church, Inc. was organized as a domestic profit [[corporation]], registering in Massachusetts.  Currently it one of [[New England]]'s largest privately owned, independent insurance agencies,<ref name="fredcchurch.com"/> with its principal office located at 41 Wellman Street in Connector Park in Lowell, MA.<ref>The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secretary of Commonwealth, Corporations Division, 2010 Annual Report</ref>
==Presidents/CEOs==
* Michael S. Reilly (2015-current)
* Herman P. Laturnau (2007-2014)<ref>The Sun (Lowell, MA)"Laturnau takes reins at Fred C. Church"January 3, 2007</ref>
* John Reilly Jr. (1980–2006)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.funeraldigest.com/obituaries/?id=135739887 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-03-25 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171012/http://www.funeraldigest.com/obituaries/?id=135739887 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Edward D. Howe (-19__-1979)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/content/view/827/40/|title=Brown Alumni Magazine - Obituaries|work=brownalumnimagazine.com}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Find a Grave}}
{{1919 Harvard Crimson football navbox}}
{{1920 Harvard Crimson football navbox}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Fred C.}}
[[Category:1897 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Harvard Crimson football players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lowell, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]