Joseph Burnett educator, was born in Southborough

Southborough, Massachusetts

Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 in November, 1820 and died there in 1894. He was an innovator in the production of premium vanilla extract

Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract is a solution containing the flavor compound vanillin. Pure vanilla extract is made by macerating and percolating vanilla beans in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S...

 in the United States. Vanilla extract was previously imported from France and made by processes which were proprietary secrets. He was a manufacturer of pharmacy and foods and the family remained in business for over a century. He was the founder of St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)

St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)

St. Mark’s School is a coeducational, Episcopal, preparatory school, situated on in Southborough, Massachusetts, from Boston. It was founded in 1865 as an all-boys' school by Joseph Burnett, a wealthy native of Southborough who developed and marketed the world-famous Burnett Vanilla Extract . ...

 an Episcopalian boarding school. His son Edward Burnett

Edward Burnett

Edward Burnett was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Burnett attended St. Paul's School.He was graduated from St...

 served a term as a United States Congressman. Edward's wife Mabel Lowell the daughter of James Russell Lowell

James Russell Lowell

James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...

 inherited her father's house Elmwood currently home to the President of Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

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