Robert J. Slater

Robert J. Slater aka Doc Slater (July 1837 - May 3, 1902) was a gambling club owner, sporting man, and political boss prominent in Baltimore, Maryland during the post-Civil War era.[1] He was the owner of the principal gambling club in Baltimore, which was patronized by the state's elite, including politicians, wealthy businessmen, wealthy farmers, and prominent visitors.[2] He was a Democratic-Conservative ward boss who it was said carried the whole of East Baltimore in his pocket.[3] He also controlled gambling clubs in other cities and was known nationally.

Biography

Slater was born into a working-class family in the Butchers Hill neighborhood of East Baltimore, where his father worked as a butcher and bacon cutter.[4][1] In his early 20s he became involved in street violence as a leader within the "Plug Uglies", a nativist gang associated with the Know-Nothing party that used force to suppress immigrant voting.[1][2][3] He then become involved in running Faro, a fast-paced card game similar to roulette that was more popular than poker in the mid-19th century. It was initially a legitimate low-stakes game that yielded significant profits.[1] However, after attempting to run honest games, he lost all his money and fell into debt.[2] Wanting to rebuild his finances, he accepted a $100,000 investment from a Washington, D.C. card shark on the condition that he operate a "crooked" game. This launched his career as a high-end gambling proprietor.[1][2]

In 1870, Slater established the Maryland Gentlemen's Club House at 10 South Calvert Street, a lavishly decorated establishment featuring expensive art, gourmet dining, and high-stakes gambling.[2] Known for his impeccable dress, Slater he had a reputation for generosity, and the status of a political boss.[5][6] He leveraged his wealth and ability to mobilize voters to secure city patronage ie. the right to doll out government jobs and contracts. This also bought police protection for his illegal enterprise.[4][7] Despite fourteen indictments between 1868 and 1877 for running an illegal gambling house, he escaped with fines, it was the cost of doing business. However, in 1877, Judge George William Brown sentenced him to five months in jail.[8][9] Governor John Lee Carroll issued a pardon after Slater had served fewer than sixty days, officially citing health concerns.[10]

Slater's political career was defined by a rivalry with fellow Democratic boss Isaac Freeman Rasin for control of Baltimore's Democratic Conservative party.[3] During the 1880s, Slater often aligned with other factions to challenge Rasin's dominance. This included going so far as supporting the "Fusion" reform ticket in the violent and fraudulent mayoral election of 1885.[11] Although Rasin triumphed and removed Slater's followers from city jobs, Slater's club remained open.[11][12] The political upheavals of 1894 put the Democrats on the defensive, and it led to a Grand Jury investigation and the withdrawal of police protection for gambling houses throughout the city.[13][14] Slater permanently closed his Calvert Street club that year.[6] The subsequent election of 1895 swept the Democratic machine out of power entirely.[15]

In his final years, Slater briefly operated a summer resort in New Jersey but retired for good in 1901 like due to health issues.[16] While he was known for his personal abstinence from alcohol and profanity, he lost the bulk of his fortune betting on horse racing.[4] He died in May 1902 from a throat tumor, he was known as a heavy lifetime cigar smoker.[17] He had no children. Most of his estate went to his wife; and a favored but troubled nephew who attempted with tragic results to emulate his uncle's "sporting" life. He ended up loosing everything and living on the streets.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Asbury, Herbert (1938). Sucker's Progress: An Informal History of Gambling in America. Dodd, Mead and Company. pp. 405-413.
  2. ^ a b c d e O'Connor, John (1873). Wanderings of a Vagabond: An Autobiography. New York: John O'Connor. pp. 189-197.
  3. ^ a b c Crenson, Matthew A. (2017). Baltimore: A Political History. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 209–213, 304–305.
  4. ^ a b c "Robert J. Slater Dead". The Baltimore Sun. May 4, 1902. p. 14.
  5. ^ Stott, Richard Briggs (2009). Jolly Fellows: Male Milieus in Nineteenth-century America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 228-240.
  6. ^ a b "Doc Slater's Resort Closed". Democratic Messenger. December 22, 1894. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Bummer Rule in Baltimore". Chicago Tribune. March 21, 1886. p. 2.
  8. ^ "The Case of Robert J. Slater, the Gambling House Keeper—Important Opinion by Judge Brown". The Baltimore Sun. March 9, 1877. p. 1.
  9. ^ "The Gambling-House Keepers' Cases - Sentence of Slater to Jail and Fines of Others". The Baltimore Sun. March 2, 1877. p. 4.
  10. ^ "Pardon of Robert J. Slater". The Baltimore Sun. April 27, 1877. p. 4.
  11. ^ a b Frank Richardson, Kent (1911). The Story of Maryland Politics. Thomas and Evans. pp. 88-89, 102, 126-127, 133-141.
  12. ^ "Gamblers and Society in Baltimore". Chicago Tribune. February 13, 1887. p. 23.
  13. ^ "Another Spasm of Virtue". The Boston Globe. December 19, 1894. p. 10.
  14. ^ ""Doc" Slater's Place". The Herald and Torch Light. December 20, 1894. p. 4.
  15. ^ "Rowdyism Rampant". The Baltimore Sun. November 6, 1895. p. 8.
  16. ^ "Big Clubs Will Remain Closed". Long Branch Record. May 17, 1901. p. 1.
  17. ^ "Doc. Slater Dead". The Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. April 3, 1902. p. 2.
  • Learning materials related to The Gambling King of Baltimore: Doc Slater 1837-1902 at Wikiversity
  • Robert J. Slater Biographical sources, 580-page sourcebook
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