Tail coat worn by Captain Thomas B. Hawkins

tail coat

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES - OUTERWEAR
USA, NY, Long Island, Setauket; USA, NY, Port Jefferson; USA, NY, Long Island; USA, NY, New York
circa 1844
textile; metal
Overall: 38 x 19 x 4 in

Tail coat with 8 New York Yacht Club gold buttons; worn by Capt. Thomas Brewster Hawkins (1819-1901); navy blue wool; Hawkins designed and supervised construction of schooner yacht WANDERER; he was an early member of the NYYC, and was the owner of racing yachts including the IRENE, PLOVER, WIDGEON, LAPWING, AND HALCYON.

Captain Thomas Brewster Hawkins (1819–1901) was a renowned American yachtsman, shipbuilder, and sea captain whose maritime career spanned over seventy years. Born in Setauket, Long Island, he took to the sea at sixteen, eventually leading trading voyages across the Northeast. In 1850, he co-founded Port Jefferson’s yacht-building industry with his brother-in-law John Mather, launching acclaimed vessels like the sloop Irene and the schooner Wanderer, the latter gaining notoriety for its later role in the illegal slave trade. His designs, including the Civil War–repurposed Corypheus, were celebrated for speed and innovation. Revered for his seamanship and devotion to the sea, Hawkins once said, “The sea has a life, a personality, a being of its own.” He died in 1901, leaving a lasting legacy preserved today by the Mystic Seaport Museum.

1997.129.13