Arthur Peabody, prominent Madison, Wisconsin architect, was born at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on November 16, 1858. Much of his boyhood was spent in Chicago, and he graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign, in 1882 in architecture. Returning to Chicago, he was employed by several architectural firms and later tried establishing his own firm, first in Chicago and then in Wichita, Kansas. He was working again in Chicago when approached by a representative of the University of Wisconsin and invited to become University Architect. He served in this position from 1906 to 1915, and then became State Architect until his retirement in 1938. Among the many buildings which he designed are the Memorial Union; Lathrop and Sterling halls; Barnard, Tripp, and Adams halls; Camp Randall stadium and field house; the Carillon Tower; Wisconsin General Hospital; and the Wilson Street State Office Building.
Peabody was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and of several architectural professional societies. He also wrote short stories, some of which were published. In 1930, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Wisconsin. Married to Agnes Langdon Cochrane in 1895, he was father to two daughters and one son. Peabody died at Madison, September 6, 1942, after a long illness.
