Thomas Rea Greene

Captain Thomas Rea Greene (February 3, 1904 - July 11, 1950) was president of the Greene Line of steamboats.[1]

Biography

He was born on February 3, 1904 in Ohio to Mary Catherine Becker and Gordon Christopher Greene aboard his father's steamboat on the Ohio River. His brother was Christopher Becker Greene.[1] He married Letha Opal Cavendish and they had four children including, Jane Greene. In 1928 his brother, Christopher Becker Greene won the Ohio-Mississippi inland waterway championship speed race by defeating Captain Frederick Way, Jr. and his ship the Betsy Ann.[2] A rematch was held on July 16, 1929 between the Betsy Ann and the Thomas Greene (steamboat) with Thomas piloting.[3][4]

In 1946 the Delta Queen was put up for auction by the owners. Greene became the new owner with a bid of $46,250. He had the boat refurbished.[5]

He died on July 11, 1950 in Evansville, Indiana.[6]

References
  1. "Marker #10-84 Captain Gordon C. Greene / Captain Mary Becker Greene". Remarkable Ohio. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-02-25. ... Mary Becker Greene (1867-1949) married Gordon C. Greene in 1890 and raised three sons - Captain Chris, Captain Tom, and Henry Wilkins. She learned navigation and earned a pilot and masters license, becoming one of the most noted figures on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers for more than a half century. The "Greene Line" fleet continued to expand with additions of the "Gordon C. Greene" and the "Delta Queen." Captain Mary Greene served as hostess on these steamboats. She died at the age of 81 on the renowned "Delta Queen," a National Historic Landmark.
  2. "Packets". Time magazine. August 6, 1928. Retrieved 2011-02-26. The occasion was a race between the Betsy Ann and the Chris Greene, two packets plying the Ohio between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Captain Chris Greene of the Chris Greene had boasted that his vessel, a steel craft built in 1925, could beat the Betsy Ann 'any time.' ...
  3. "Steamboat Race Set for July 16". The Daily Times (Ohio). July 8, 1929. Retrieved 2011-02-26. Another steamboat race on the Ohio river will be held July 16. ... Capt. Way is the youngest steamboat captain on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. A pair of antelope horns, the championship trophy, is at stake.
  4. "Steamer Tom Greene Wins Race Upon Ohio River. Thousands Line Banks As The Betsy Ann Goes To Defeat By Small Margin". The Baltimore Sun. July 17, 1929. Retrieved 2011-02-26. Commander Tom R. Greene, pilot of the winner, received from Commander Frederick Way, 28, of the Betsy Ann, a set of historic antlers as a symbol of victory ...
  5. "Delta Queen Prepared For Greene Line Use". The Portsmouth Times. December 19, 1947. Retrieved 2011-03-01. The steamer Delta Queen, being renovated by the Dravo Corp, here for Greene Line Steamers, Inc., of Cincinnati, has left the marine ways on Neville ...
  6. "Capt. Tom Greene, Noted River Pilot. Last Member of a Family of Steamboat Captains Dies. Born on Father's Boat". New York Times. July 12, 1950. Retrieved 2011-02-26. Tom R. Greene, last of a family of river pilots, died yesterday in Evansville, Ind., at the age of 46. Captain Greene, president of the Greene Line Steamers, ...
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