Francis Gorham Brigham, Jr.




Francis Gorham Brigham, Jr., of West Newton died at age 101 on September 1, 2016, at Clark House, Fox Hill Village, Westwood, MA.




Born in Boston, he had been a resident of West Newton for over 67 years.




He was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Francis Gorham Brigham (Helen Greeley McKissock) of Chestnut Hill. Mr. Brigham is survived by his cherished wife of nearly 75 years, Hester Amy Bull Brigham, and his children, Lorena Scotten Brigham Faerber and her husband, Kent William Faerber; Francis Gorham Brigham III and his wife, Susan Mack Brigham, and William McKissock Brigham, as well as a daughter-in-law, Lynette Eckes Brigham, the widow of his deceased son, Dana Slade Brigham. His grandson is William Paul Brigham, whose wife is Melissa Grover Brigham, and his great-granddaughter, Leigha Faye Brigham, and his granddaughter, Kara Marie Brigham. His daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Mary Brigham, also predeceased him. He also leaves Skye S. Souter and Lee K. Souter, children of Gorham, III and Susan Brigham. Most of all he loved his family and they loved him back.




A graduate of Milton Academy, Harvard College in 1937, and Harvard Business School in 1939, he also attended the National War College in Washington, D.C. After a year with Coopers and Lybrand, Mr. Brigham was called to active duty in September 1940 as a Lieutenant, U.S. Army, and served in the office of Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who decorated him with the Legion of Merit in 1945. He returned to the Army Reserve in 1946 as a Lt. Colonel and retired as a Colonel in 1967.




Mr. Brigham’s long business career included service as Treasurer, Saco-Lowell Shops; Treasurer, Epsco, Inc.; Vice-President, Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company; Vice-President, The Boston Five, and most recently, Senior Vice-President of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. Mr. Brigham retired at age 90 in 2005.




Related business activities included service as President, Financial Executives International, Boston Chapter, with which he enjoyed a long affiliation, and he was inducted into the FEI Hall of Fame in 2006. He was a founder and officer of the Treasurers’ Club of Boston. Mr. Brigham received the CFO Lifetime Achievement Award from Boston Business Journal in 2009, and the award is named after him. His lifelong avocation was counseling and assisting friends, colleagues and referrals in career advancement.




Over the years, Mr. Brigham was particularly interested in hospital governance and served on the boards of Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Children’s Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and its present parent, Partners HealthCare, and Joslin Diabetes Center, and as a founder and president of the former Hospitals Laundry Association.




Mr. Brigham was active as a volunteer for both Harvard College and Harvard Business School, serving as Treasurer, Class of 1937, for over 60 years, and most recently as President, Harvard Business School, Class of 1939. Service to Harvard also included Director, Harvard Alumni Association, and past President, Harvard Business School Club of Boston. He was honored in 2012 with the Inaugural HBS Volunteer Service Award by the Harvard Alumni Association.




Mr. Brigham’s principal charitable activity was serving as Co-founder, Chairman, and most recently, Trustee Emeritus of Carroll School of Lincoln, known worldwide for its work with dyslexic children. He counted his part in the founding of Carroll School as one of his proudest legacies. For many years, he also worked on behalf of The Salvation Army, which named him a life member of its Greater Boston Advisory Board. He was also a former overseer of The Museum of Fine Arts and a director of the former Peter Gray Corporation.




An avid golf and tennis player, Mr. Brigham was a member of The Country Club of Brookline as well as The Harvard Club of Boston. Throughout his life, he was affiliated with the Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill. He was also involved with several historical and patriotic societies, including serving as President, Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, and as a member of the governing boards of the Society of the Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Society of the Founders and Patriots of America. In addition, he was a member of The Society of Mayflower Descendants.




The Brigham family is most grateful to all the devoted caretakers, especially Mrs. Anne Rosen and the Clark House staff, who have assisted with Mr. Brigham’s care over the past several years. A funeral service and interment at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Brigham’s memory may be made by those who wish to do so to: Carroll School, 25 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.