Edward Russell Thomas (December 30, 1875 – July 6, 1926) was an American businessman and sportsman.

Early life and education

Edward Russell Thomas was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

on December 30, 1875. He was a son of Ann Augusta (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Porter) Thomas (1847–1944) and Union general Samuel Russell Thomas (1840–1903), who left a fortune estimated at $20,000,000. His younger sister, Eleanor Thomas, was married to Robert Livingston Beeckman, who served as the

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

from 1915 to 1921. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1894.

Career

Thomas was a senior member of Thomas & Thomas, a Wall Street firm. In 1904, he acquired the '' New York Morning Telegraph'' from the estate of William Collins Whitney. On October 31, 1905, board vacancies of Consolidated 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. E.R. Thomas sold his interest in the Consolidated National Bank in October 1907, also resigning from his positions. He was a member of the

Union Club of the City of New York The Union Club of the City of New York (commonly known as the Union Club) is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City that was founded in 1836. The clubhouse is located at 101 East 69th Street on the corner of ...

Personal life

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On June 29, 1901, he married 17 year old Linda Lee Thomas, a member of the prominent

Lee family The Lee family of the United States is a historically significant Virginia and Maryland political family, whose many prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics and the military. The family became prominent in colonial Bri ...

of Virginia, at

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. 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 in Palm Beach, Manhattan, and Newport. They divorced on October 26, 1912 and she later remarried to well-known

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

composer

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

. 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. In 1924, he married actress

Lucy Cotton Lucy Cotton (August 29, 1895 – 12 December 1948) was an American actress who appeared in 12 films from 1910 to 1921. Biography Cotton was born in Houston, Texas and died in Miami Beach, Florida.

, the daughter of Adelaide Wisby Cotton and Warren Jefferson Cotton. Together, they lived at 320

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

and were the parents of one daughter: Lucetta Cotton Thomas (1925–1980), who changed her name to Mary Frances Thomas and married Kenneth Oscar Bailey. Thomas died after a three day illness at the Harbor Sanitarium in New York City on July 6, 1926. He was buried at

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the cemetery, final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground of the ...

Sleepy Hollow, New York Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about ...

. His daughter Lucetta inherited Thomas' fortune.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Edward Russell 1875 births 1926 deaths Yale University alumni American newspaper publishers (people) Journalists from New York City Consolidated National Bank people American racehorse owners and breeders Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery People from Columbus, Ohio