His mother and uncle John were the grandchildren of merchant Joseph Peabody, one of the wealthiest men in the United States at the time of his death in 1844.

From 1890 to 1894, he lived in Brazil where he was a first hand witness to a period of vast political developments and a six-month fight between the Brazilian Army and Navy in the Bay of Rio.

He resigned in anger when no apology was forthcoming after a demonstration, ostensibly celebrating Taft's victory in the election, was disbanded and a U.S. flag confiscated in the process, despite an effort on the part of the State Department to calm him down.

Their summer home, Ashdale Farm, in North Andover, Massachusetts, now known as The Stevens-Coolidge Place, is a nonprofit museum today.

[5] The couple hired architect Joseph Everett Chandler to remodel the estate's homes.