Queer Places:
University of Michigan, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
Harvard University (Ivy League), 2 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Villa Castello, Via Castello, 19, 80076 Capri NA
Cimitero Acattolico, Via Marina Grande, 80073 Capri NA

Thomas Spencer Jerome (January 24, 1864 – April 13, 1914) was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on January 24, 1864, the son of Lucy Peck and David Howell Jerome, who served as the governor of Michigan from 1881 to 1885. His family was prominent in nineteenth-century Michigan society and was responsible for building the Saginaw street railway system. Jerome received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1884, subsequently studied law in Ann Arbor, and earned his Master of Arts from Harvard in 1887. Returning to Michigan, Jerome practiced law in Detroit from 1887 to 1900 and lived the lifestyle of a wealthy bachelor supported by a generous family allowance. Following the Spanish-American War, he also served briefly as counsel to the United States Transportation Commission in Havana, Cuba.

While living in Detroit, Jerome met the wealthy industrialist, art collector, and founder of the Freer Gallery of Art, Charles Lang Freer. The two men formed a close, lifelong friendship, bonding over shared intellectual, social, and artistic interests. Within queer historical mapping, both Jerome and Freer are recognized as lifelong bachelors belonging to a network of elite men whose lives and domestic partnerships reflect historical models of same-sex intimacy and homosocial environments common during the turn of the twentieth century. During their travels together in Europe, they became captivated by the island of Capri and jointly purchased the Villa Castello in 1900, a property perched on a high point with expansive views and lush gardens.

That same year, prompted in part by medical advice urging early retirement, Jerome chose to retire to Capri to focus entirely on his passion for Roman history and historical methodology. As a lifelong Republican, he received an appointment from the McKinley administration to serve as the United States Consular Agent, first at Sorrento and then on Capri from 1901 to 1914. On the island, he spent his days reading, writing, and assembling a massive research library. Immersing himself in the archaeology of the Naples region, he sought to rehabilitate the reputation of the emperor Tiberius and famously lectured on the subject in Rome in 1911. In 1914, he published his popular book, Roman Memories in the Landscape as seen from Capri.

Jerome passed away on April 12, 1914, at the age of fifty and was interred in the Cimitero Acattolico in Capri. Following his death, his extensive research library was divided between the American Academy in Rome, the University of Michigan, and his social clubs in Michigan. Fulfilling provisions in his will, a trust fund was established to endow the prestigious biannual Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures in ancient history, jointly administered and hosted by the University of Michigan and the American Academy in Rome.

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