Charles "Charley" Klein was born in London, England, on 7th January 1867, the son of Hermann and Adelaide Klein (née Soman). His father had emigrated from Prussia and settled in Norwich, Norfolk, where he met and married his wife, Adelaide. Both his parents were teachers, his father of languages, and his mother, dancing. He had at least two brothers, Alfred who was an actor, and Manuel, a renowned composer and music critic. Charles was educated at North London College.
In 1882, Charley Klein left England for the United States of America to try to make his fortune in the acting profession. His brother, Alfred, had preceded him there and suggested that he, too, try his hand at acting. This was not a natural choice for Charley Klein, as he was not very tall and was of a nervous disposition. As a result, he was only
really offered character parts, but he was moderately successful in these and performed particularly well in four plays, Romany Rye, A Messenger from Jarvis Section, Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Schatchen. This latter was performed at The Old Star Theatre, in New York in 1890 and 1891, and it was an important milestone for him as he was asked if he would try to alter it to make it more acceptable for audiences. This he did, and although it was still not a success, it encouraged him to try and write his own plays. His first one was named A-Mile-a-Minute, and was only a minor success, but encouraged him to try again. His next play was A Paltry Million, which he followed with El Capitan, De Wolfe Hopper, and By Proxy.
Perhaps more importantly, however, this phase of his life brought him into contact with theatrical impresario Charles Frohman, who then employed him to read potential plays for him to put on. Over a period of time, Charley Klein read over a thousand plays, although ultimately, of the three that Frohman actually put on the stage, not one was successful! He also made the acquaintance at this time of another eventually successful playwright, Miles Forman.
However, success, fame, and fortune were gradually arriving for Charley Klein, and he returned for a while to London to present his plays there. One legendary exploit that was often spoken about at this time was that in 1900, he took a taxi to The Strand, in London, to Edinburgh, in Scotland and from there he ordered it to take him to Glasgow and then by steamer, to Londonderry, in Ireland, whereupon he embarked upon a holiday tour of the entire country. He later described it as an ideal vacation.
On 10th July 1888, he married Lillian Gottlieb in Manhattan, New York City, and they later settled in Rowayton, Connecticut, with their sons, Philip, born in 1889, and John Victor, born in 1909. They also had a London home at 3, Netherhall Gardens, Hampstead. In 1909, Charles filed a declaration to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, but never completed the procedure, remaining a British subject.
Charley had a narrow escape in 1912, when he booked passage on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. A last minute business appointment caused him to cancel his plans, thus avoiding the fate that befell many on that voyage.
By the outbreak of the Great War, he was internationally respected as an author and playwright, his best known plays being The Music Master, The Third Degree, The Money Makers, The Gamblers, The District Attorney and The Lion and the Mouse. He was also the co-author of the popular play Potash and Perlmutter, one of the successes of the 1914 - 15 theatrical season in London.
By this time, he was a regular trans-Atlantic traveller, and on the Lusitania's final voyage, he was on a round trip from London as a saloon passenger. He boarded the liner at Pier 54 in New York, (having stayed at The Astor Hotel), with ticket number D1345, on the morning of 1st May 1915, and was escorted to room D23, which was under the personal supervision of First Class Bedroom Steward William McLeod. McLeod came from Birkenhead, on the opposite side of the River Mersey from Liverpool, and was a long established ‘time-server’ with the Cunard Steamship Company. He had reached the rank of Chief First Class Bedroom Steward, but was serving in an ordinary capacity on what was to become the Lusitania’s final Atlantic crossing.
The liner’s sailing was delayed until the early afternoon of 1st May because she had to
embark some of the crew, the passengers and some of the cargo from the Anchor Lines steamer Cameronia, which the British Admiralty requisitioned as a troop ship. Thereafter, having no doubt enjoyed the opulence of his surroundings and the company of his fellow saloon passengers, everything came to an abrupt end on the afternoon of 7th May. Six days out of New York, Charley Klein was killed as a result of the torpedoing and sinking of the liner when she was within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. He was aged 48 years.
In The Last Voyage of the Lusitania, by Adolph and Mary Hoehling, the authors’ state: -
James Brooks identified the body of Charles Klein from Connecticut. Because of the playwright's club foot, he could not mistake him.
Despite this firm assertion, Klein's body was not officially found and identified so James (Jay) Brooks must have been mistaken, despite the Hoehling’s description of Klein's apparent deformity! Jay Brooks himself came from Bridgeport, Connecticut, so he may well have known Klein before the Lusitania's last voyage. This would make his apparent identification and its lack of official acceptance even more unusual!
Charles Frohman and Miles Forman also accompanied Charley Klein on the Lusitania’s last voyage as saloon passengers and like him, they both perished, as did Bedroom Steward McLeod, who had looked after Klein in room D23.
Administration of Klein's will was granted to his widow Lillian, on 25th September 1915 when his home address was given as New York. His effects amounted to £1,847-6s-4d, (£1847.31p). This would probably only include those effects resting in Great Britain and not any that were held in the U.S.A..
At the time of Charley Klein’s death, his son, Philip, was apparently serving in the French Army, taking motion pictures of the fighting.
A claim was filed by Philip, and Victor’s guardian, presumably his mother, for compensation for the death of their father which was decided by the Mixed Claims Commission on 25th February 1925. Charles’ wife was not eligible to make a claim in the United States due to the fact that she was a British subject at the time of her husband’s death, and by the time the Commission announced their decision, she had married Frank C. Flanagan, another British subject. The wedding had taken place in England in October 1921.
The Commission awarded Philip Klein the sum of $20,000.00, and John Victor Klein the sum of $30,000.00. The Commission refused to consider any compensation for the loss of Charles’ personal belongings, which were estimated at $7,000.00, due to the fact that as he was a British subject at the time of his death, any claim in this regard should have been addressed by a British Court.
New York Extracted Marriage Index 1866 – 1937, 1871 Census of England & Wales, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 476, The Times, New York Times, Norwich Mercury, The Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Tragedy of the Lusitania, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/394, Graham Maddocks, Dick Rayner, Stuart Williamson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.