Samuel Taylor Suit (1832–1888) was a
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
politician and landowner. Suit was born in
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland. The population was 9,657 at the 2020 census. Areas in Bladensburg are located within ZIP code 20710. Bladensburg is from central Washington.
History
Originally called Garrison's Landi ...
, the son of innkeeper Fielder Suit. At age 14 he left home and traveled first to
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...
, and then to
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. In
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
Suit became involved in distilling
whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...
, eventually owning a distillery and making his fortune.
During this time he became an honorary Kentucky colonel and was known as Colonel Suit from that time onward.
While in Kentucky he married his first wife, Sarah Ebenezer Williams, who died in childbirth at age 19.
In August 1862 Suit donated a set of regimental flags to the
Chicago Board of Trade, which were presented to what became the First Board of Trade Regiment, or 72nd Illinois Infantry. The flags were labeled "Presented by S T Suit, of Louisville KY, to the First Board of Trade Regiment", and were carried by the regiment through the war, it is believed they were burned in the Chicago Fire.
Suit left Louisville and moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, where he obtained a seat on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...
. In New York he met Aurelia Wilmarth, daughter of
Home Life Insurance Company of New York president
Arthur Wilmarth, and they were married in 1859. A son was born in 1861, but the marriage proved contentious.
In 1867, Suit moved back to Maryland with his family, and purchased a more than estate near
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The property, which became known as Suitland, is now the town of
Suitland, Maryland. Suit set up a new distillery nearby under the name "S.T. Suit" and invested in railroads.
The estate was visited by U.S. Presidents
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
and
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
, and was the scene of negotiations to settle the
Alabama Claims
The ''Alabama'' Claims were a series of demands for damages sought by the federal government of the United States, government of the United States from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom in 1869, for the attacks upon ...
.
From 1873 to 1877 Suit was a Maryland state senator. In 1876 the Suitland mansion was destroyed by fire, causing Suit to declare bankruptcy. While Suit recovered his properties and finances, the Suitland house was never rebuilt. In 1878 Aurelia left, and they were divorced by 1879.
At about this time, Suit met Rosa Pelham at the
spa in
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She was the daughter of
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Charles Pelham of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. They were married in 1883, when Samuel was 51 and Rosa was 22. They soon had three children.
The Suits were regular visitors to Berkeley Springs. In 1885, they started construction of their own private residence there: the
Samuel Taylor Suit Cottage or "Berkeley Castle". The family took up residence in August 1887.
Suit died on October 1, 1888, at his residence on New Jersey Avenue in Washington. He is buried in St. Barnabas Cemetery,
Temple Hills, Maryland
Temple Hills is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Temple Hills borders the communities of Hillcrest Heights, Marlow Heights, Camp Springs and Oxon Hill. Per the 2020 ce ...
.
"Berkeley Castle" was not complete at the time of Samuel's death, but Rosa completed the house in the 1890s. She sold the Suitland estate in 1902 to pay debts. The castle was sold in 1913.
It is now the headquarters of a white supremacy group, the VDare Foundation.
[url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/vdare]
References
External links
Biography of Suit at the U.S. Census Bureau whose headquarters now occupy part of the Suitland estate
Detailed biography of Suit at the Federation of Historic Bottle Collectors discussing jugs and bottles produced by Suit's distilleries in detail
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suit, Samuel Taylor
1830 births
1888 deaths
People from Bladensburg, Maryland
Maryland state senators
People from Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia
Burials in Maryland
Businesspeople from Louisville, Kentucky
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American businesspeople