| AdminHistory | George Washington Sleeper (1826-1903) was an American tea merchant.
Sleeper was born on October 15 1826 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Georgianna Sleeper (née Clarke) and Jonathan Sleeper who served in the First Baltimore Hussars. He was home educated in Baltimore where he lived until the death of his father, causing the family to break apart. Sleeper moved to Boston and became a successful businessman, owning tea stores in Boston and Providence. However, after the Civil War, his businesses declined and Sleeper fell into financial ruin. In 1858 he married Lizzie A. Sleeper and in 1864 his son John Fremont Sleeper was born.
Sleeper was an atheist and a Freethought lecturer, who was against slavery and advocated for free speech. Not afraid to vocalise his religious and political opinions, he would often get into disagreements with those around him which gained him many enemies throughout his lifetime.
His brother was the famous actor and comedian John Sleeper Clarke. The brothers grew up next to the ten children from the Booth family, including John Wilkes Booth, who infamously assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Sleeper died on 13 September 1903 at his home in Jersey City. |
John Fremont Sleeper (1864-1941) was born to Lizzie A. Sleeper and George Washington Sleeper, a tea merchant. He lived in Santa Barbara, California where he worked as a Chemistry Professor. Sleeper was an atheist and freethinker. His uncle was the famous actor and comedian John Sleeper Clarke.
He was inflicted by many illnesses during the latter part of his life, including motor paralysis in his right hand and arm. Due to this, he suffered with agonising pain for several years. He committed suicide on January 9 1941. |