William Albert Slater (1857–1919), was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist from Connecticut who was a member of the prominent Slater family.
William A. Slater | |
|---|---|
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| Born | William Albert Slater December 25, 1857 |
| Died | February 25, 1919 (aged 61) |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse |
Ellen Burdett Peck (m. 1885) |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
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Early life and career
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William Slater, the son of John Fox Slater and grandson of John Slater (Samuel Slater's brother and partner), was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on December 25, 1857.[1] He was educated at Norwich Free Academy,[2] then studied abroad, and later graduated from Harvard College in 1881. He studied art history under Charles Eliot Norton, and after graduating, Slater went on to acquire a notable art collection, including works by Rembrandt, and eventually began lending his paintings to the Slater Museum.[3]
Slater married Ellen Burdett Peck on June 11, 1885.[1] He worked in the family's textile business, the Slatersville Mills and Jewett City Mills.
William Slater also served as a trustee of the Slater Fund. In 1886, Slater presented the Slater Memorial Museum to Norwich Free Academy in memory of his father.[2] He also constructed Norwich's "Broadway Theater" and sponsored various shows there.
In 1894, the Slaters and their two young children, William and Eleanor, travelled around the world in their 232-foot yacht, the Eleanor, named after their daughter.[3] It had been constructed at Bath Iron Works in 1893–1894.[3] Slater had an office in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a member of the Somerset Club and Tavern Club.[4] In 1900 Slater sold the village of Slatersville, Rhode Island and the mill within it to James Hooper.[5]
Slater died in Washington, D.C., on February 25, 1919.[6] He was survived by his wife Ellen and two children – William A. Slater, Jr. of Norwich and Eleanor Halsey Malone of New York.[7] After his death, Slater's family sold the remaining Jewett City Mills.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XVIII. James T. White & Company. 1922. p. 220. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Mason, Marsha Levinson (March 20, 2021). "Trip to Norwich is a day of art, history". The Journal Inquirer. Manchester, Connecticut. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c "The Slaters Go Round the World"
- ^ America's Textile Reporter: For the Combined Textile Industries, Volume 33, March 13, 1919, p. (69)909
- ^ a b Landscape of Industry: An Industrial History of the Blackstone Valley by Worcester Historical Museum, pp. 56-57
- ^ "William A. Slater, Once Boston Clubman, Dead". The Boston Globe. Washington. February 26, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Slater, William Albert, 1857-1919 | Archives Directory for the History of Collecting". research.frick.org. Retrieved July 29, 2017.