Edward R. Thomas | |
|---|---|
.png) Thomas at Yale, c. 1894 | |
| Born | (1875-12-30)December 30, 1875 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 1926(1926-07-06) (aged 50) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, newspaper publisher |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Samuel Russell Thomas Ann Augusta Porter Thomas |
Edward Russell Thomas (December 30, 1875 – July 6, 1926)[1] was an American businessman and sportsman.
Edward Russell Thomas was born inColumbus, Ohio on December 30, 1875.[2] He was a son of Ann Augusta (née Porter) Thomas (1847–1944) and Union generalSamuel Russell Thomas (1840–1903), who left a fortune estimated at $20,000,000.[1][3] His younger sister, Eleanor Thomas,[4] was married toRobert Livingston Beeckman, who served as theGovernor of Rhode Island from 1915 to 1921.[5]
He graduated fromYale University in 1894.[3]
Thomas was a senior member of Thomas & Thomas, a Wall Street firm.[3] In 1904, he acquired theNew York Morning Telegraph from the estate ofWilliam Collins Whitney.[6]
On October 31, 1905, board vacancies ofConsolidated National Bank were filled by E. R. Thomas, O. F. Thomas,Robert Maclay, and George B. Hays, all who were selected by E. R. Thomas.[7] E.R. Thomas sold his interest in the Consolidated National Bank in October 1907, also resigning from his positions.[8]
He was a member of theUnion Club of the City of New York.[3]
On June 29, 1901, he married 17 year oldLinda Lee Thomas, a member of the prominentLee family of Virginia, atNewport, Rhode Island. Linda, who was "known as one of the country's most beautiful women," was introduced to Thomas by friends and after their marriage, they lived a life of luxury, with houses inPalm Beach, Manhattan, and Newport. They divorced on October 26, 1912 and she later remarried to well-knownmusical theatre composerCole Porter.
In 1912, on the day his first wife obtained her final divorce decree, he married Elizabeth Finley, a daughter of Henry Finley of New York City. Before their 1924 divorce in Florida, they were the parents of one son together: Samuel Finley Thomas (1913–1989), who became a medical doctor.[9]
In 1924, he married actressLucy Cotton, the daughter of Adelaide Wisby Cotton and Warren Jefferson Cotton. Together, they lived at 320Park Avenue and were the parents of one daughter:[10] Lucetta Cotton Thomas (1925–1980), who changed her name to Mary Frances Thomas and married Kenneth Oscar Bailey.[11]
Thomas died after a three day illness at the Harbor Sanitarium in New York City on July 6, 1926. He was buried atSleepy Hollow Cemetery inSleepy Hollow, New York.[1] His daughter Lucetta inherited Thomas' fortune.[10]
