John Henry Thomas (1869 – May 17, 1931) was a leader in the American shipping industry, and director of the Port of New York during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when he supervised supply ships.

Birth and family

John H. Thomas was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, to Captain George Thomas (1835–1903) and Ellen Ogle (Beall) Thomas (1841–1909). His paternal grandfather was Richard Thomas (1797–1849), who served as President of the Maryland State Senate. In 1916, he married Margaret Hale (1881–1971).

Career

John H. Thomas got his start in the shipping business with Furness Withy & Company at the

Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities f ...

. He relocated to New York City in 1896. During

, he served as civilian director of the

Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes the system of navigable water ...

. As director, he controlled most of the docks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, subordinating all private business to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies to the war zone. After the war, he became vice-president of the

International Mercantile Marine Company The International Mercantile Marine Company, originally the International Navigation Company, was a trust formed in the early twentieth century as an attempt by J.P. Morgan to monopolize the shipping trade. IMM was founded by shipping magnates ...

, a shipping trust founded by

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

. Thomas was often quoted in the press as the public face for the company. Due to poor health, he retired from this position on December 31, 1930.

Death

He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on May 17, 1931, and is buried in Trinity Church Cemetery,

St. Mary's, Maryland St. Mary's City (also known as Historic St. Mary's City) is a former British colonization of the Americas, colonial town that was Maryland's first European settlement and capital. It is now a large, state-run historic area, which includes a recons ...

Legacy

The World War II

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

SS John H. Thomas, named for him, was launched on February 5, 1944.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John Henry 1869 births 1931 deaths American businesspeople in shipping People from St. Mary's County, Maryland