18 Facts About Frederick Layton

Frederick Layton was an English-American businessman, philanthropist and art collector.

Frederick Layton immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, with his father in 1843, when the city was still a pioneer village.

Frederick Layton played a major role in the creation of Milwaukee's meat packing industry and established a trans-Atlantic business exporting his meat products to Great Britain.

Frederick Layton was personally able to purchase over 200 works of art for the institution before dying at the age of 92.

Frederick Layton was born in Little Wilbraham, a village in Cambridgeshire, England, the only son of Mary and John Frederick Layton.

The family moved to Great Wilbraham in 1836, where Frederick Layton's father established a small country butcher shop and taught his son the trade.

Mary Frederick Layton rejoined the family and immigrated to Milwaukee in 1847.

John Layton remained head of the plant until his death in 1875, whereupon Frederick took over until his retirement in 1900 at the age of 73.

Frederick Layton continued long after Layton's retirement, until 1935, when it liquidated its assets.

In 1999, Frederick Layton was inducted to the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame.

Frederick Layton Avenue was designated by Patrick Cudahy in 1892 when he named the streets of the city of Cudahy.

In 1883, Frederick Layton commented that something must be done to build an art gallery for the city of Milwaukee.

Frederick Layton utilized his business trips to secure works, making purchases in Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands In 1888, Layton gifted part of his collection to the new Layton Art Gallery he had commissioned in downtown Milwaukee.

Frederick Layton made other contributions to Milwaukee's growing art community by lending works of art to local exhibitions, as well as providing prize money to other arts organizations that awarded local artists for their entries in special exhibitions.

Additionally, Frederick Layton helped formally organize the Milwaukee Art Association and was elected its first vice president in 1910.

In 1908, Mr and Mrs Frederick Layton donated to the Milwaukee Hospital a home for chronic diseases, the Frederick Layton Home for Incurables.

In 1901, Frederick Layton revisited his birthplace of Little Wilbraham and erected three cottages for elderly villagers who could not afford their own residence.

Frederick Layton made other smaller donations to local charities on a frequent basis and was therefore given the unofficial titles of "Milwaukee's First Citizen" and Milwaukee's "Grand Old Man" by the local press.