Page 22 - All About History - Issue 27-15

Tourism

Top 5 facts Born: 22 November 1808
THOMAS COOK
Nationality: English
THOMASCOOK Brief Oneofthebestknown
Died: 18 July 1892

namesinworldwide
travel, Thomas Cook
Bio
wasacabinetmaker
from Derbyshire who
founded the Thomas Cook &
Sontravelagency.Startingwith
THETOURISMPIONEERWHOBROUGHT short excursions from Leicester
to Loughborough, Cook’s
determination and vision gave
ALL-INCLUSIVETRAVELTOTHEMASSES both the social elite and working
class people the chance to see
thewondersoftheworld.

01 HIS BACKGROUND WAS

FAR FROM PRIVILEGED

Cook was born to Elizabeth and
John Cook. His father worked as a
labourer but died when his son was
just three years old. Although his
mother remarried, their financial
situation was dire, and Thomas
was forced to leave school aged ten
to become a gardener’s boy and

later an apprentice cabinet-maker.

He was driven by He wasn’t His relationship with He gave women
02 his religion 03instantly popular 04 his son was strained 05 more independence
A devout Baptist, Cook arranged Despite earning the nickname Although Cook’s son, John, later A large number of Cook’s customers
his first ‘all-inclusive’ trip when ‘Napoleon of Excursions’, many became his successor, he had a were single or unescorted women. As
he organised 540 temperance people were critical of Cook’s difficult relationship with his father this was during the Victorian era, it was
campaigners to travel from Leicester low-cost trips. As well as people and Cook was reluctant to give him very unusual for women to do this,
Campbell Street Station to a rally in complaining about the bad taste of much control of the business. Cook as they would usually be required to
Loughborough. The travellers were taking tourists to the battlefields didn’t share his son’s beliefs that travel with a chaperone for protection.
charged one shilling for their tickets of the American Civil War, he was religion and philanthropy must be kept Being part of an escorted tour allowed
and food. This was such a success that accused of swamping Europe with separate from business. After a serious these women, who were usually not
he continued to do it for temperance “everything that is lowbred, vulgar disagreement in 1878, Cook retired and permitted to travel alone, to explore
©GettyImages societies and Sunday school children. and ridiculous.” allowed John to run the business alone. far-off lands at their leisure.

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