William A. Slater
William Albert Slater, was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist from Connecticut who was a member of the prominent Slater family.
Early life
Slater was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on December 25, 1857. He was the son of John Fox Slater and grandson of John Slater.He was educated at Norwich Free Academy, 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.
Career
Slater worked in the family's textile business, the Slatersville Mills and Jewett City Mills.He 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. He also constructed Norwich's "Broadway Theater" and sponsored various shows there.
Personal life
On June 11, 1885, Slater married Ellen Burdett Peck, a daughter of Frederic Mathew Peck and Ellen Louise Peck. Together, they were the parents of two children:- Eleanor Halsey Slater, who married Baron Boris de Struve, an attaché of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and son of Baron Karl de Struve, in 1909. After his death in 1912, she married A. Halsey Malone in 1914.
- William Albert Slater, Jr., who married Madeleine Allen of New York. They divorced in 1920, and he married Frances Worthington Ames, a daughter of architect Worthington Ames of Ames & Dodge, in 1929.
Slater died in Washington, D.C., on February 25, 1919. He was survived by his wife Ellen and two children. After his death, Slater's family sold the remaining Jewett City Mills.