Scandal-hit Astronomer HR chief has ties to Boston Brahmins. Who are they?
The term was coined in the 1860s by writer and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, who likened Boston's elite class to the 'Brahmins' of India for their intellectualism, self-restraint, and inherited status. The name has stuck since then.These families - Cabots, Lowells, Adamses, Peabodys, Eliots, and Winthrops - helped shape America's political, cultural, and educational institutions. These families helped create Harvard, launched shipping empires, and wrote some of the country's earliest laws.The Boston Brahmins were among the earliest to campaign for ending slavery and liberating enslaved people. They also bankrolled some of America's earliest museums and journals.These Anglo-American elites earned massive wealth through multiple business ventures - whale oil, opium, and later carbon black manufacturing (a critical component in the production of tyres).However, what set them apart was not just their wealth, but their cultural refinement. They preferred to stay out of the spotlight and married within their circle.FADING INFLUENCEEven though the grip of the Boston Brahmin families has begun to wane, the Cabot name still carries weight in Boston. Their estimated wealth is reported to be around USD 15 billion.However, their legacy isn't without its share of controversy. Some of these families had backed the Immigration Restriction League - an anti-immigration organisation - that worked against migration from Southern and Eastern Europe. This was to protect their lineage and the idea of American identity.However, as Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants arrived in Boston, leaving their imprint on Boston's culture, the Boston Brahmins began to fade into the background.When Cabot's fleeting kiss-cam video went viral, it brought with it a cacophony of opinions on the scandal involving two married people. And also threw the spotlight on America's oldest elite, whose legacy has been built on discretion.- EndsTrending Reel
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