Frederick Marion Hubbell

• Frederick's birth, photograph, and death information are available at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44057349/frederick-marion-hubbell
• Frederick's photograph is used courtesy of Jean Wilson, Find A Grave ID 48841367
• The following write-ups are available at the above-mentioned URL:
  • "The Wilkes-Barre Record. Wilkes Barre, Penn.12 Nov. 1930, Wed.
    • "Noted Iowa Builder Dies At Age of 91. Des Moines, Iowa. Nov, 11. Frederick M. Hubbell, 91, financier and for more than a half century a vital figure in the development of Iowa, died at his home here today after a long illness.

Mr. Hubbell came to Iowa in 1855 from Connecticut. He built the first railway line into Des Moines and operated in real estate on an extensive scale.

• ** "Contributor: Jean Wilson (48841367)
  • "Iowa City Press Citizen. Iowa City, Iowa. 11 Nov., 1930, Tue.
    • "RICHEST IOWA RESIDENT DIES. Fred M. Hubbell, Lending Financier, Found Dead in Bed.
    • "Des Moines. Fred M. Hubbell, Des Moines Financier, was found dead in his bed Tuesday.
    • "He was reputed to be the wealthiest man in Iowa. And also was one of the oldest of the state’s pioneers, having been born January 17, 1839. Hubbell was the oldest member of the Iowa bar.
    • "PIONEER RAILROAD BUILDER. A pioneer railroad builder of central Iowa, Hubbell was associated with the beginnings of many state and municipal institutions.
    • "He was found dead at 5 a.m., at his palatial home which for several decades had been one of the finest in the city, standing on the crest of a hill surrounded by hundreds of trees and with a huge lawn sloping gradually toward the city’s main thoroughfare, Grand avenue.
    • "Hubbell had, been in failing health for several months and seldom had left, his fireside in recent weeks.
    • "Several years ago, Hubbell gave his formula for amassing a large fortune.

“I never buy property if it is not within 15 minutes walk of my office”, he said.

• ** "CREATED FIRST LIFELONG TRUST. In 1903, he created the first lifelong trust ever devised in Iowa. He put $2,000,000 into it at that time, but arranged that more could be added later. The trust fund was limited to all his beneficiaries living at that time, his two sons, Frederick C. Hubbell and Grover Hubbell of Des Moines, his daughter, Reulah, now Countess Wachmeister of Paris, and two grandchildren and five great grandchildren born since that time.
  • * "Hubbell’s long career in Iowa paralleled the growth of transportation and commerce in the state. He came west from his Connecticut birthplace in 1855, first worked in a land office and then joined a real estate partnership with J.S.Polk and P.M. Casady.
    • "He left Des Moines for several years, during which he aided in organizing Sioux county. When he returned, he renewed his connections and in 1867, though still a young man, was the prime force in the organization of the Equitable Life Insurance company of Iowa. He was the first secretary and himself purchased the first policy of the company which now is one of the two largest in the state.

His wife, Mrs. Frances Elizabeth Cooper Hubbell, preceded him in death by several years.

• ** "Contributor: Jean Wilson (48841367)"