Charles E. Slayback (1840–1924) was a

grain merchant The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

in New Orleans, Louisiana, and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He was a founder of St. Louis's Veiled Prophet Organization.

Early life

Slayback was born on March 27, 1840, in Marion County, Missouri, the second child of Alexander L. Slayback of Ohio, a lawyer, and Anna Slayback. In 1847, the family moved from Shelbyville, Missouri, to Lexington, Missouri, where the father died in 1848 at age 31.''Island Monthly,'' March 1, 1873, quoted in "Charles E. Slayback, of New Orleans: Handsome Sketch of a Lexington Boy," ''The Weekly Caucasian,'' April 5, 1873, page 1
/ref>1880 census
/ref>"Charles E. Slayback, Former St. Louisan, Dies in Chicago at 83," ''St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat,'' September 30, 1924, page 3
/ref> He had two brothers, Alonzo and Preston, and a sister. Charles and his brother Preston both registered on the same day for the draft during the American Civil War, but neither served, their places being taken by substitutes, Alonzo, however, raised a regiment, of which he was colonel, and was active in the war.

Career

Slayback left home at age 16 and found employment in a St. Louis commission house with a salary of $25 a month, which was raised to $30 at the end of his first year. He left for another company, where he was made a partner at age 22. He subsequently moved to New Orleans, where in 1869, he was elected organizing president of a social and merchandising club. In January 1870, he was elected to the board of directors of the city's Merchants' Bank, one of several directorships of banks and insurance companies he would hold. That same year, he was secretary of a committee of the "leading citizens under the style of an 'Electoral Jury of Fifty'" which was charged with advising Louisiana Governor

Henry C. Warmoth Henry Clay Warmoth (May 9, 1842 – September 30, 1931) was an American attorney and veteran Civil War officer in the Union Army who was elected governor and state representative of Louisiana. A Republican, he was 26 years old when elected as 23 ...

on the postwar organization of the city of New Orleans. By 1873, he had his own business in New Orleans and was vice president of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

. Slayback and his family moved from New Orleans to St. Louis over the winter of 1874–75. "He immediately became a factor in the civic life of the city and was famous for his gift of repartee, which made him a welcome guest at social functions, no matter what their nature," the ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' newspaper wrote upon his death. Slayback became a prosperous grain broker. For several years, he was chancellor of the

American Legion of Honor The American Legion of Honor was a fraternal benefit order that was active in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In its heyday, it was one of the best known benefit societies. History The organization was founded on December 18, 1878 ...

in St. Louis. In 1878, Slayback helped establish the Veiled Prophet Society, a club for St. Louis' business elite. He "called a meeting of local business and civic leaders. His intention was to form a secret society that would blend the pomp and ritual of a New Orleans Mardi Gras with the symbolism used by the Irish poet

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

. From Moore’s poetry, Slayback and the St. Louis elite created the myth of the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, a mystic traveller who inexplicably decided to make St. Louis his base of operations," wrote Scott Beauchamp in '' The Atlantic,'' citing historian Thomas Spencer, who said the organization was intended to help enforce racial and class order in the city. In January 1882, when Slayback was a principal in Slayback, Smythe & Co., he was elected president of the Merchants Exchange of St. Louis."The Boys Win," ''St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat,'' January 5, 1992, page 8
/ref>

Later years and death

Slayback moved to Chicago, Illinois, after 1883 to live with his daughter, Bertha S. Carel. He died there on September 29, 1924. He is buried in

Lexington, Missouri Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County, Missouri. The population was 4,726 at the 2010 census. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies approximately east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropol ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slayback, Charles 1840 births 1924 deaths 19th-century American merchants Businesspeople from St. Louis Members of secret societies People from Marion County, Missouri Organization founders