Peabody was born in
Chicago, Illinois, on July 24, 1859. His father was a prominent Chicago attorney, Francis Peabody graduated from
Yale University intending to follow in his father's footsteps. But, after trying the law he switched to working in a bank. Working there provided him with an opportunity to recognize a business advantage. Peabody Coal started out as a retail coal vendor, buying coal and re-selling it to retail consumers to use in their homes and businesses. Peabody married May Henderson on November 23, 1887. Peabody Coal is now
Peabody Energy, currently the largest private-sector coal company in the world. He constructed the
Mayslake Peabody Estate in
Oak Brook, Illinois. The property is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. Only a year after Mayslake Hall was completed, Francis Peabody died of a heart attack during a
fox hunt on his property. He was 63. Peabody had amassed a personal fortune of $35 million and a business fortune of $75 million. He was buried at his estate in Oak Brook. His body was reinterred at
Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside in 1992. About four years after his death, Peabody's family erected the Portiuncula Chapel on the
Mayslake Estate in his honor. A plaque on the side of the chapel says that it is "a replica of the
chapel in Italy where
St. Francis of Assisi received the call to serve God's poor in 1208." ==Thoroughbred racing==