The sinking of the British liner Lusitania remains one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks, claiming 1,201 lives. A southern Illinois couple was among the casualties. What some may not know is there is an Alton connection to the Lusitania sinking.
May 7 marks the anniversary of the loss of the Lusitania, which cost the lives of Frank and Alice Tesson, an Alton couple who were among the 128 American casualties on the ship, one of the grandest liners of its day. A torpedo from a German U-boat caused the disaster, and increased calls for American entry into World War I.
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The Tessons both grew up, and were married in Alton. Their remains were never found, a stark ending for two people who had built a life of affluence.
Alice Tesson’s father had owned 130 acres of prime real estate along South Main Street in Alton, while Frank was an executive with the famed Wanamaker department stores of the East Coast.
Frank Tesson was born on Jan. 14, 1866 in La Crosse, Wis., the son of a riverboat pilot. The family moved to Alton while Frank was a youth. On Aug. 28, 1895, he married Alice, who was eleven years his senior and had three children from an earlier union.
By 1900, the Tessons were living in Pittsburgh and that August 1, Frank was named an executive at Wanamaker, first at the Philadelphia location.
Frank ascended to chief of the Wanamaker shoe department in New York City on May 22, 1908, and also served as the vice-president of the company’s board of trade. On May 1, 1915, Frank and Alice boarded the Lusitania in New York as first-class passengers on their way to England, to purchase merchandise for Wanamaker.
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When launched in 1907, the Lusitania was the largest vessel in the world, weighing 31,550 tons, and was one of the grandest liners of its day. With a top speed of 25 knots, she could sail away from U-boats, which infiltrated the Atlantic waters and were a source of contention between warring nations.
On May 7, 1915, the Lusitania, carrying 1,960 passengers and crew, was off the coast of southern Ireland and sailing a straight course at a slow speed of 12 knots. This was a departure from the usual course of action in dangerous waters, full speed ahead in zigzag fashion.
At 2 p.m., the Lusitania was rocked by a torpedo from a German submarine and sank in a mere eighteen minutes. The shot was fired without warning, a breach of international protocol. Among those lost was American tycoon Alfred Vanderbilt.
Germany argued that the Lusitania was an armed merchant ship, an untrue claim as the vessel carried no arms or troops, and only 5,000 cases of cartridges. Though Germany formally apologized, the sinking was hailed by the German press, and a medal of commemoration was produced in its honor.
The loss of the Lusitania boosted calls for war among an American public divided on the nation’s then-policy of isolationism. With the resumption of unrestricted German submarine warfare and the release of the Zimmerman telegram that outlined Germany’s persuasion of Mexico to join the war against America in 1917, the first American troops landed in Europe that June.
The Tessons still had some family in Alton, and their survivors anxiously waited for news after the bombing of the Lusitania. Frank had written his mother a letter indicating that he would set sail, but she was uncertain he would be on the Lusitania until confirming his passage after the bombing.
It was reported in newspaper on May 10 that “there was little hope” the Tessons had survived. The next day, word was received from the son of store president John Wanamaker, who had seen the bodies of the victims at Queenstown, Ireland. The Tessons were not among them.
Frank Tesson left an estate of $29,201.37, valued over $725,000 in today’s dollars. The loss of Frank and his wife made for an interesting court proceeding, as many survivors filed legal challenges that dragged on for years.
In January 1919, a court found that Frank Tesson had preceded his wife’s death, possibly by mere seconds. The decision affected the rights of the decedents, as Frank left two sisters, a brother, and his mother, while Alice had the three sons from the previous marriage.
A successive court decision in February 1924 awarded $5,000 to one of Alice’s sons, who was severely disabled, with $3,000 going to Frank’s mother.
Today, a monument in Alton City Cemetery stands as a memorial to Frank and Alice Tesson, with an inscription of their loss on the Lusitania.
Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.