Carrie Kennedy

Caroline "Carrie" Kennedy , née Caroline Hickson (born September 18, 1862 in Le Roy , New York , † May 7, 1915 in the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland ) was an American fashion designer .

Life

Carrie Kennedy was one of seven children of a New York shoemaker and his wife. She got into the fashion business very early with her older sister Kathryn (called "Kate") and her only brother Richard J. Hickson and specialized in high-quality women's clothing. In 1902, the trio founded the Hickson and Company on New York's posh Fifth Avenue . The Hicksons were surprised by their quick success, but quickly got used to the fashion business and a more sophisticated lifestyle than they had known from childhood. The Hickson brand soon became part of good form. The prominent clientele included members of the New York money aristocracy such as the actor Julian Eltinge .

Most of Carrie Kennedy's personal life is in the dark. At an unknown date, she married a man named Kennedy, details of whom are unknown. The only thing that is certain is that Carrie Kennedy was a skilled and clever businesswoman who was good at money and investments. She left her brother Richard $ 800 to help establish him in the fashion industry. Richard Hickson was not a very good businessman himself, and he knew that his success was due to his sister's ingenuity.

Carrie was very dedicated and eager to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Over time, she had specialized in women's hats, which, in keeping with the zeitgeist, were very wide and lavishly decorated with flowers and other accessories. Several times a year she crossed the Atlantic to see the presentations in Milan , Paris and London . She was always open to inspiration and suggestions.

In the spring of 1915 she planned to look at the current spring collection in Paris, as she does every year. She was believed to be widowed at the time and no known record of her husband is known. Together with her sister Kathryn, Carrie Kennedy went as a first-class passenger on board the RMS Lusitania , which left New York for Liverpool on May 1, 1915 . Immediately before leaving, Carrie had a new passport issued, in which she gave the year 1886 as the year of her birth, which means she was 24 years younger. The sisters wanted to travel on to Paris from Liverpool. On the day of departure, a cousin came to Cunard Pier 54 to beg Carrie and Kate not to ride the Lusitania . Everyone knew about the state of war between England and Germany and also about the warning from the Germans to attack British merchant ships without warning. When asked about this, Carrie Kennedy replied: "You wouldn't dare!"

Six days after departure, the ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine off the Irish coast. 1200 people died, including Carrie Kennedy and Kate Hickson. With them, $ 14,000 worth of wardrobe and jewelry was lost. Female corpse # 160 was later identified as Mrs. Caroline Kennedy, 53 years old, but it was in such poor condition that it could not be determined with certainty whether it was really the fashion designer. Kathryn Hickson was never found. Presumably, the two women were on the port side of the Lusitania during the disaster , where the lifeboats hit the deck superstructures inboard, crushing everyone in their way. Richard Hickson, who was known to be wasteful, was not in a position to continue "Hickson and Co." successfully on his own. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1920.

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• Carrie Kennedy Biographical Information