John Burroughs Drake was born on January 17, 1826 in Lebanon, Ohio, United States. He was the son of John Burroughs Drake, a harness-maker from Trenton, New Jersey and of Nancy (Hurry) Drake, a Pennsylvanian. He was one of six children. When he was eleven his father died, and the mother’s problem of meeting the needs of the family was not easy.
John augmented their budget by working in a store, although he somehow obtained what was called a “common school” education.
When sixteen he became boy-of-all-work at the Williamson House, the tavern in Lebanon. From this humble beginning in the hotel business he was destined to rise till he became one of the country’s foremost landlords.
In 1845 he went to seek his fortune in Cincinnati, seventy-five cents in one pocket and a letter of introduction from Tom Corwin.
For ten years he was a hotelclerk, first at the Pearl Street House, then at the Burnett House. He managed to accumulate the capital necessary for his next venture.
In 1855 he purchased a quarter interest in the leading hotel in Chicago, the Tremont House. His affairs prospered; in fifteen years he was the sole owner of the hotel.
Then came the fire of 1871. The Tremont House was burned, but Drake was still a landlord. While the fire was at its height he made a payment on the Michigan Avenue Hotel at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Congress St. He gambled that it would not burn, although the fire was across the street. It was the only hotel on the South Side to escape the flames.
In 1873 he took charge of the Grand Pacific Hotel and here he rose to nation-wide fame as a landlord.
On February 24, 1863 Drake married Josephine C. Corey, daughter of Francis Edward Corey, a prominent citizen of Chicago. They had five children, three sons and two daughters.
