Mrs. CAROLINE
"CARRIE" HICKSON KENNEDY, Saloon Class Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
Caroline Hickson Kennedy, 53, was sister to fellow passenger Kathryn
Hickson. Caroline and Kathryn were two of at least seven
children, all girls and one boy, Richard. Their father was a
cobbler and was said to have a drinking problem. Caroline, called
Carrie, Kathryn, called Kate, and Richard went into business in women's
fashion with Hickson and Co. in 1902 at 657 5th Avenue, New York City,
New York. 657 Fifth Avenue was the former residence of Madame
Restell, America's first
millionaire abortionist. The Hicksons' customers included
Julian Etinge, the famous female impersonator.
To establish Richard in the business of women's apparel, Carrie had
advanced Richard $800 to start. Carrie joined the company with a
starting salary of $2600 a year plus expenses, which had
increased to $5000 by 1915. Kate had a similar salary, but most
of the
income, $30 000 yearly, went to Richard. Richard attributed
Hickson's success to Carrie's business acumen, and the profit for
Hickson and Co. by the end of 1915 was $125,587.56.
Carrie was a rather formidable woman and may have been widowed by the
time of the Lusitania
disaster. Carrie was a hat designer and made Atlantic crossings
on a regular basis. She was on her way to Paris for the spring
shows and new
designs, and brought Kate along for her first trip to Europe.
On the day of the Lusitania's
last departure, a Hernon cousin of the Hickson sisters went down to the
ship and begged Kate and Carrie not to go. The Germans had put a
notice in the newspapers saying that the Lusitania was a hostile ship and
the Germans could torpedo it. Carrie's
famous reply was, "They wouldn't dare!"
Lost with them was a wardrobe and jewelry
collection
valued at $14 000.00. This was all the money Richard Hickson would be
awarded in his civil suit after the sinking. A body identified as
Carrie's was recovered (#160)
and returned to New York aboard the Cymric
on 2 June 1915. The badly crushed remains makes it unclear
whether the body was actually Carrie's or Kate's. The condition
of the body indicates that the sisters were killed by an errant
lifeboat that had swung inboard due to the Lusitania's extreme list, crushing
several people that were on deck in between the boat and the lounge
bulkhead.
Richard Hickson, described by the family as a "waistral," was not able
to manage Hickson and Co. without Carrie. Richard withdrew $50
000.00 from the company
to start a fashion magazine which turned out to be "a complete failure
and the investment a total loss." Without Carrie's guidance,
Richard drove the business into the ground, and Hickson and Co. was
gone
by 1920.
Contributors:
Cynthia Engel (grandniece of Caroline Hickson Kennedy and Kathryn
Hickson)
Anthony Hickson
Jim Kalafus
Zack Schwarz
Judith Tavares
References:
Hicksons Online. <http://www.hicksons.org/>
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