John Wingate Weeks (1860-1926) was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire and raised on a local farm. After graduating from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, he spent two years in the navy, became a land surveyor in Florida, and then returned to New England where he helped establish the well-known brokerage firm, Hornblower and Weeks, in Boston. Following several years in local government, he was elected in 1904 as the U.S. representative for Newton, Massachusetts, and was appointed U.S. senator from Massachusetts in 1913.

At the Republican convention in 1916, Weeks was put forward as a possible presidential candidate, but did not receive the nomination. He later served as Secretary of War (1921 - 1925) under Presidents Harding and Coolidge.

After resigning this job due to failing health, Weeks returned to his home on Mt. Prospect, satisfying a deep desire to spend his last days in beloved surroundings. He died in the lodge on July 12, 1926. President Coolidge wrote about Weeks, "He was blessed with wisdom and discretion, great energy and deep patriotism. He had about him, the vigor of the hills combined with the culture of the city."

Weeks is best known for his efforts at establishing the eastern national forest system. In the early 1900s, all the forest lands in the eastern half of the United States were privately owned, and many were in poor condition. There were no national forests in the east, and the government was not empowered to purchase private lands. Congress finally passed the Appalachian-White Mountains Forest Reservation Bill in 1911, largely due to the efforts of Representative Weeks. The "Weeks Law" authorized the federal government to purchase lands to be "permanently reserved, held and administered as national forest lands," for the protection, development and use of their natural resources.