J. Coleman Drayton

James Coleman Drayton (June 4, 1852 – November 11, 1934) was an American lawyer and socialite. He is known for his marriage and eventual divorce from Charlotte Augusta Astor, which became the subject of international controversy in the 1890s.

J. Coleman Drayton
Born
James Coleman Drayton

(1852-06-04)June 4, 1852
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedNovember 11, 1934(1934-11-11) (aged 82)
Newport, Rhode Island
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationLawyer
Spouse(s)
Charlotte Augusta Astor
​
(
m. after 1879, divorced)
Parent(s)Henry E. Drayton
Sarah Hand Coleman

Early life and education

J. Coleman Drayton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 4, 1852, the son Henry E. Drayton and Sarah Hand (née Coleman) Drayton. He attended Princeton University in New Jersey, earning a bachelor's degree in 1873 and a master's degree in 1876. After leaving Princeton, Drayton studied law and was admitted to the New York Bar Association. He was known to travel often, touring Europe for eighteen months in the 1870s, and later touring the world. He was a member of numerous social clubs, including the Union Club of New York, the St. James Club of London, and the Princeton Club of Philadelphia.[1]

Marriage and divorce of Charlotte Astor

On October 20, 1879, Drayton married Charlotte Augusta Astor, a member of the prominent New York Astor family.[2] Her parents were Caroline Schermerhorn Astor (also known as "the Mrs. Astor") and William Backhouse Astor Jr.,[3] and her youngest brother was John Jacob Astor IV, who perished during the sinking of RMS Titanic in April 1912.[4] Together, they were the parents of:

  • Caroline Astor Drayton (1880–1965),[5] who in 1910 married William Phillips, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy.[6]
  • Henry Coleman Drayton (1883–1942), who married Mary Constance Knower (1884–1920).[7] After their divorce, she became the Countess Knower De Suzannet.[8]
  • William Astor Drayton (1888–1973),[9] who married Alberta Averill (1888–1961), daughter of Albert William Averill. Alberta was the widow of William Phelps Eno.[10][11]

Their marriage and eventual divorce became the center of international gossip in 1892, when accounts of an affair were published in the Pittsburgh Dispatch and many other newspapers. According to reports, Charlotte and Alsop Barrowe, a member of another wealthy New York family, began spending considerable time together in London.[12] This alarmed Drayton, who subsequently challenged Barrowe to a duel in Paris. However, the duel never took place and Drayton and Charlotte were soon after divorced.[13] The story of the Drayton-Astor divorce was quickly sensationalized, sparking intense scrutiny from newspapers. According to an editorial posted in The Cincinnati Enquirer, "the thunder of Mr. Drayton's suit rocked New York's Mayfair to its very foundation".[14]

Controversies

Contact with Mary Mallon

In 1902, Drayton and his children spent the summer in Dark Harbor, Maine. However, most of the household soon fell ill to typhoid fever. According to reports, the family had employed Mary Mallon, later known as “Typhoid Mary”, as a cook.[15] It is believed that Mallon was responsible for infecting the Drayton family, and further spreading typhoid to other families in the area that summer.[16]

Imposter controversy

In December, 1903, a man named J.J. Carlisle was caught impersonating J. Coleman Drayton and was arrested on the charge of swindling. Accounts of the incident describe how Carlisle reportedly swindled a Minneapolis woman out of $250, claiming to be J. Coleman Drayton. Reports also show that in the past, Carlisle had pretended to be a cousin of J. Coleman Drayton, using this influence to join the staff of the Denver Journal.[17]

Death

J. Coleman Drayton lived in Newport, Rhode Island for the last nine years of his life, where he died on November 11, 1934, at the age of 83.[18][19] He reportedly died of a lingering illness, which had plagued him for a number of years. He left behind a daughter and two sons.[1]

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References
  1. "Obituary: J. Coleman Drayton". Princeton Alumni Weekly, V 35. Princeton Alumni Weekly. 1934. p. 223.
  2. "The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina · Page 3". The Charlotte Observer. October 24, 1879. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. "MRS. ASTOR DIES AT HER CITY HOME; Only Her Daughter, Mrs. M. Orme Wilson, with Her When the End Came Early Last Night. HEART TROUBLE KILLED HER Col. Astor and His Wife Had Left His Mother When the Last Sinking Spell Set In -- Her Notable Career". The New York Times. 31 October 1908. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  4. "Noted Men On The Lost Titanic. Col. Jacob Astor, with His Wife. Isidor Straus and Wife, and Benj. Guggenheim Aboard". The New York Times. April 16, 1912. Retrieved 2013-12-10. Following are sketches of a few of the well-known persons among the 1,300 passengers on the lost Titanic. The fate of most of them at this time is, of course, not known. Col. John Jacob Astor and Mrs. Astor, Isidor Straus and Mrs. Straus, J. Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line: Benjamin Guggenheim, and Frank D. Millet, the artist, are perhaps the most widely known of the passengers...
  5. "Mrs. William Phillips" (PDF). The New York Times. 9 January 1965. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  6. "William Phillips, Former Ambassador, Dies at 89. Career Diplomat Also Was Twice Under Secretary | Tried to Dissuade Mussolini in '40 From Entering War" (PDF). The New York Times. February 24, 1968. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  7. Times, Special to The New York (26 June 1907). "DRAYTON DIVORCE GRANTED IN SECRET; Justice Tompkins Awards Interlocutory Decree to Wife and Seals the Papers. PARTED TWO MONTHS AGO Marriage Two Years Ago of Henry Coleman Drayton and Miss Knower a Notable Society Function" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  8. Miller, Tom (14 June 2019). "The Benjamin Knower House - 4 East 77th Street". Daytonian in Manhattan. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  9. "William Astor Drayton, 85, Gold Mining Expert, Dies". The New York Times. 16 December 1973. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  10. "W. A. DRAYTON TO MARRY; He and Mrs. Alberta Averill Eno Take Out License Here" (PDF). The New York Times. 22 April 1952. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  11. "MRS. ALBERTA ENO BECOMES A BRIDEI; For,nor Miss Averill Wed inf t Madigon Avanua Church to William Astor Drayton" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 April 1952. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  12. Lewis, Arnold; Turner, James; McQuillin, Steven (2016). The Opulent Interiors of the Gilded Age: All 203 Photographs from "Artistic Houses," with New Text. Courier Corporation. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9780486319476.
  13. "J COLEMAN DRAYTON". Pittsburgh Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  14. "The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio · Page 60". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 18, 1934. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  15. Leavitt, Judith Walzer (2014-02-18). Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health. Beacon Press. pp. 16–17, 77. ISBN 9780807095591.
  16. Dyer, Barbara (October 5, 2013). "Typhoid Mary came to Maine - By Barbara Dyer". Village Soup Knox. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  17. "25 Dec 1903, Page 2 - The Saint Paul Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  18. Times, Special to The New York (12 November 1934). "J. C. DRAYTON DEAD; RETIRED BANKER, 82; Newport Resident for Several Years Was Son-in-Law of the Late William Astor. AN EXPERT PIGEON SHOT kJ Issued Challenge to Hallett A. Borrowe to Duel, Which Never Took Place". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  19. Times, Special To The New York (16 November 1934). "J. C. DRAYTON WILL FILED.; His Daughter, Mrs. William Phillips, Is Made Chief Beneficiary". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
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