Richard Crane Chicago industrialist married woman half his age

Website with 681+ pages devoted to 1903 Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago

Contents
Audience stories	Performers: pg 1 pg 2
Fire in court	Stage workers
Life in 1903 pg 1 pg 2	Theater owners
Municipal response	Theater structure
Newspaper coverage

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Emily Hutchinson was Richard Cranes third wife

Two victims of the 1903 Iroquois Theater fire were the nieces of one of Chicago's most successful manufacturers, Richard T. Crane. They were the daughters of Richard's sister, Kate Crane Gartz. Richard and his brother, Charles Crane, were founders of R. T. Crane & Brother, Chicago manufacturers of plumbing iron and fixtures.

Crane became active in the Iroquois Memorial Association and hired fire expert John Ripley Freeman to investigate the fire and its causes.

Newspapers revealed Crane's engagement to a young ingénue three months before the Iroquois fire. Two years later Emily Hutchinson became his bride, Crane's third wife. Society was scandalized: he was seventy-three and she was thirty-five.

According to the 1910 U.S. Census, there were twelve people living at the wealthy industrialist's 2541 Michigan St. home, including a secretary, seven servants, and a staff artist.

Chicago Iroquois Memorial Hospital

Rensselaer Leopold Wolf Kaufmann Mossler

John R. Freeman Theater fire investigator

Other discussions you might find interesting

Story 1116

A note about sourcing. When this project began, I failed to anticipate the day might come when a more scholarly approach would be called for. When my mistake was recognized I faced a decision: go back and spend years creating source lists for every page, or go forward and try to cover more of the people and circumstances involved in the disaster. Were I twenty years younger, I'd have gone back, but in recognition that this project will end when I do, I chose to go forward. These pages will provide enough information, it is hoped, to provide subsequent researchers with additional information.

I would like to hear from you if you have additional info about an Iroquois victim, or find an error, and you're invited to visit the comments page to share stories and observations about the Iroquois Theater fire.

Judy Cooke 2024 All rights reserved ©