Ice harvesting at Spy Pond, Arlington, Massachusetts, 1852, showing the railroad line in the background, used to transport the ice.
Frederic Tudor, Born 1783
ICE HARVESTING ENTREPRENEUR
Frederic Tudor was an American businessman and merchant. Known as Boston's "Ice King", he was the founder of the Tudor Ice Company and a pioneer of the international ice trade in the early 19th century. He made a fortune shipping ice cut from New England ponds to ports in the Caribbean, Europe, and as far away as India and Hong Kong. Tudor was the third son of William Tudor, a wealthy Boston lawyer, and Delia Jarvis Tudor. Although his older brother William Tudor (1779–1830) would become one of Boston's leading literary figures, Tudor spurned the chance to be educated at Harvard and from the age of 13 occupied himself with business. After a visit to the Caribbean, he decided he could make a fortune exporting ice from the ponds of Massachusetts. After many setbacks he built a commanding position in the international ice trade and became a very rich man.