Thomas Slidell was born in Warrenton, Farquier County, Virginia, in the United States of America, on the 6th October 1873, the son of William Johnson and Ellen L. Slidell (née Collins). The family were quite wealthy, and his father was described as a “gentleman” with no stated profession. He was one of four children, and was a great-great-great-grandson of Dr. John Witherspoon, a Founding Father of the United States of America and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence in 1776!
In 1881, his father died, and his mother raised the family on her own. Thomas attended Princeton University, and by 1898, he was living with his mother in New York City. On the 8th June 1898, he enlisted as a private in Troop “A”, New York Volunteer Cavalry, to serve his country in the Spanish-American War. He stated that he was a banker on his enlistment. He served in Puerto Rico in August and September 1898 before returning to New York City, where the troop was discharged from service in November 1898.
Following his discharge, it is likely that he travelled to Europe, accompanied by his mother, to follow his dream of becoming an artist and painter. He made periodic return visits to New York City where he resided at 140, West 55th Street, New York. On one such visit, he boarded the Franconia at Liverpool on the 26th December 1914 and disembarked in New York City on the 4th January 1915. Having stayed in New York City for a number of months, he booked saloon passage for himself on the Lusitania's May sailing.
He joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour on the morning of 1st May. Having boarded, (with ticket number 46127), he was allocated room E41, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Vincent Settle, who came from Anfield in Liverpool.
The liner’s departure from the harbour was delayed until the early afternoon so that she could transfer passengers, crew and cargo from the recently requisitioned Anchor Lines vessel the S.S. Cameronia, and just six days later, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of southern Ireland, by the German submarine U-20. At that stage, she was about 250 miles away from the safety of her Liverpool home port!
Thomas Slidell managed to survive the sinking, however and having been rescued from the sea, was landed at Queenstown, from where he eventually made it to England. He was a personal friend of the American millionaire playboy Alfred Vanderbilt and later told of his friend’s gallant conduct and demise and his account was published in The Bradford Daily Times of Monday 10th May 1915: -
I saw Alfred Vanderbilt last, only a few minutes before I left the ship. He was standing with a lifebelt in his hand and I saw him place it round a woman. He had not one of his own, and I know that he could not swim.
Only the night before, we were talking of a day and a dawn some years ago when we went down to the river at New York in his yacht and waited to welcome and dip our flag to the Lusitania on her maiden voyage. We
This would have been when the vessel arrived at New York on 13th September 1907. He continued: -
Vanderbilt, who had given largely to the Red Cross, was returning to England in order to offer a wagon and himself as driver to the Red Cross Society, for he said he felt every day, that he was not doing enough.
Bedroom Steward Settle, who had looked after Thomas Slidell in room E41, also survived the sinking and eventually made it back to his Anfield home.
He returned to New York City on board the Adriatic on the 27th July 1915, and it is likely that he remained there for the duration of the War. By this time, his New York City residence was at 370. Park Avenue.
It would appear that his mother was residing at various times in Switzerland and Paris, France, and died at the Hotel Majestic, Avenue Kléber, Paris, on the 2nd November 1918 of heart failure. In March 1919, Thomas travelled to Europe to arrange his mother’s affairs.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Thomas Slidell spent most of his time in Paris, making occasionally visits back to the United States of America. Shortly after the German Army occupied Paris in June 1940, Thomas Slidell travelled to Portugal and boarded the Excambion at Lisbon on the 27th October 1940, and returned to New York City for the duration of the War/
Thomas Slidell returned to Paris after hostilities had ended and died of cancer at the Hotel California, 16. Rue de Berri, in the city, on the 5th April 1946, aged 72 years. His remains were cremated at Pierre-Lachaise Cemetery the following day and his ashes placed in the American Church, 65. Quai d’Orsay, Paris. Sometime later, his ashes were brought back to his native country and interred in the Slidell family vault in the grounds of Trinity Church, Manhattan, New York City.
U.S. Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad 1835 – 1974, 1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1895 New Jersey State Census, 1905 New York State Census, 1915 New York State Census, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, New York U.S. Spanish-American War Military and Naval Service Records 1898 – 1902, U.S. Word War I Draft Registration Cards 1917 – 1918, Bradford Daily Times, New York Times, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.