Libbey was born April 17, 1854, in
Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA. After attending
Boston University, he worked for the
New England Glass Company beginning in 1874, becoming president from 1883 to 1886. In 1888 Edward Libbey moved the New England Glass Company from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to
Toledo, Ohio. In 1892 the company changed its name to
Libbey Glass Company. He was the founder of the
Toledo Museum of Art in 1901, serving as its president from 1901 to 1925, funding building construction, and bequeathing to the museum his collection of Dutch and English art.
Libbey High School in Toledo, Ohio, was named after him.
Ojai, California Edward Libbey's coming to the
Ojai Valley in
Southern California was the main turning point in the development of the city of
Ojai, located in
Ventura County, California. He saw the Ojai Valley and 'fell in love,' thinking up many plans for expansion and beautification of the existing rustic town. A fire destroyed much of the original western-style downtown Nordhoff/Ojai in 1917. Afterwards Libbey helped design, finance, and build a new downtown more in line with the newly popular
Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture. The projects included a Spanish-style
arcade along the main street, a bell-tower reminiscent of the famous
campanile of the
Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis in
Havana, and a
pergola opposite the arcade. To thank Libbey for his gifts to the town, the citizens proposed a celebration to take place on March 2 of each year. Libbey declined their offer to call it "Libbey Day", and instead suggested "Ojai Day". The celebration still takes place each year in October. The arcade and bell tower still stand, and have come to serve as symbols of the city and the surrounding valley. Libbey's pergola was destroyed in 1971, after being damaged in an explosion. It was rebuilt in the early 2000s to complete the architectural continuity of the downtown area. ==Legacy==