Charles Klein, 48, was born in London, England on 7 January 1867
to Hermann and Adelaide Soman Klein. He had a brother named
Herman who became a voice coach in New York. Klein had another brother,
Manuel, who became musical director for the London Hippodrome.
Klein was educated at North London College. Charles Klein and
Lillian Gottlieb were married on 10 July 1888 and together they had a son
named Philip. Klein unsuccessfully made a try at acting, but his
small size and nervousness kept him to small character parts. Instead
of remaining typecast, Klein turned to writing plays and reading plays
for Charles Frohman. Klein had found success with writing comedies
such as A Paltry Million and The Lion and the Mouse.
In London, Klein's address was 3 Netherhall Gardens, Hampstead
NW. His American residence was in Rowayton, Connecticut, United
States. Klein had booked passage on the maiden voyage of the Titanic
in 1912, but a last minute business appointment made him miss the liner's
fatal voyage.
Aboard the Lusitania, much of his company was spent with Charles Frohman, Justus Miles Forman, Josephine Brandell, Rita Jolivet, George Vernon, and Wallace Phillips.
Klein had been working on a new play at the time of the voyage in
1915 and brought it to Frohman for his approval. He had tried to get
Frohman to leave his cabin more, but Frohman was in pain and often took meals
in his room.
Klein, Forman, Jolivet and others on the night of 6 May were in Frohman's
cabin for a party. Captain Turner, Staff Captain Anderson, and
Alfred Vanderbilt all made brief appearances.
The ship's barbers. Lott Gadd and Reg Nice, were also invited.
On the afternoon of 7 May, Klein was in the smoking room with Fred
Pearson discussing church organs when George
Kessler, who had just bought a ticket in the ship's pool, passed by.
"Didn't you know that Fred and I are the Aeolian Company's best customers?"
Klein asked Kessler.
Charles Klein did not survive the disaster and his body was identified
by James Brooks by his clubfoot. Contributors:
Judith Tavares
References:
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith. Seven Days to
Disaster. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981.
The New York Times, Saturday, 8 May 1915, page 4.
The New York Times, Sunday, 16 May 1915. Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An
Epic Tragedy. Berkeley Books, 2002.
