William A. Slater
Born
William Albert Slater

(1857-12-25)December 25, 1857
Norwich, Connecticut
DiedFebruary 25, 1919(1919-02-25) (aged 61)
Washington, D.C.
Education
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
Ellen Burdett Peck
​
(m. 1885)​
Children2
Signature

William Albert Slater (1857–1919), was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist from Connecticut who was a member of the prominent Slater family.

Early life and career

John Fox Slater House where William Slater grew up

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

References

  1. 1 2 The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XVIII. James T. White & Company. 1922. p. 220. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 Mason, Marsha Levinson (March 20, 2021). "Trip to Norwich is a day of art, history". The Journal Inquirer. Manchester, Connecticut. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Slaters Go Round the World"
  4. ↑ America's Textile Reporter: For the Combined Textile Industries, Volume 33, March 13, 1919, p. (69)909
  5. 1 2 Landscape of Industry: An Industrial History of the Blackstone Valley by Worcester Historical Museum, pp. 56-57
  6. ↑ "William A. Slater, Once Boston Clubman, Dead". The Boston Globe. Washington. February 26, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Slater, William Albert, 1857-1919 | Archives Directory for the History of Collecting". research.frick.org. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
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