Robert Seaman

Robert Livingston Seaman Birthdate: 1822 (82) Birthplace: Catskill, Greene, New York, United States Death: March 11, 1904 (82) Immediate Family: Son of William Seaman; William Seaman; Ellen Seaman and Ellen Seaman Husband of "Nellie Bly"/Elizabeth Jane Cochrane Managed by: Carolyn Marlene Caldwell Last Updated: December 6, 2016 Robert Seaman Connected to: Nellie BlyEmbezzlementGreene County, New York From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Robert Seaman Born 1822 Catskill, New York, U.S. Died March 11, 1904 (aged 81–82) U.S. Occupation Industrialist Spouse(s) Nellie Bly (1895–1904, his death) Robert Livingston Seaman (1822 – March 11, 1904) was an American industrialist who was the husband of investigative journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran (better known as Nellie Bly). Born in Catskill, Greene County, New York to William and Ellen Seaman, Robert made his fortune in the wholesale grocery business and in 1869 started the Ironclad Manufacturing Company, manufacturing cans for shipping milk on trains, riveted boilers, tanks, and “The Most Durable Enameled Kitchen Ware Made.” Marriage to Elizabeth Cochran In March 1895, Seaman met journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran at a dinner party, or on a train,[1] and on April 5, 1895 married her. An article announcing their marriage called him one of the most carefully dressed men in New York. Seaman's loved ones were suspicious, sure that she had married him for his money. One magazine even wondered if it was an example of her "stunt reporting" in which Nellie would pretend to be married and then write about it. After their marriage, they resided in his home on West 37th Street in New York City. In 1896, they traveled to Europe, returning to New York in 1899 to take care of problems with his business. Death On February 6, 1904, Seaman was struck by a horse and wagon while crossing a street and on March 11, 1904, he died of heart disease brought on by his injuries . Seaman's business prospered during his lifetime and for a number of years after his death under his wife's management. At the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, Iron Clad factories were promoted as being, “Owned exclusively by Nellie Bly – the only woman in the world personally managing industries of such a magnitude.” After his death in 1904, his wife became the energetic and innovative president of his Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. Later, however, embezzlement on the part of employees destroyed the company. At its peak, Iron Clad employed 1,500 and could produce 1,000 steel barrels daily, but then charges of fraud led to bitterly contested bankruptcy proceedings, beginning in 1911. The Iron Clad Manufacturing Company eventually succumbed to debt, and Bly returned to newspaper reporting, covering women's suffrage events and Europe's Eastern Front during the war.