# Thea Foss > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thea_Foss > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thea_Foss.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thea_Foss > Source revision: 1313737929 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Thea Christiansen Foss** (8 June 1858 – 7 June 1927) was the founder of [Foss Maritime](/source/Foss_Launch_and_Tug_Company), the largest tugboat company in the western United States. She was the real-life person on which the fictional character "[Tugboat Annie](/source/Tugboat_Annie)" (originally portrayed on film in 1933 by [Marie Dressler](/source/Marie_Dressler)) may have been very loosely based. ## Biography Thea Christiansen was born on June 8, 1858, in the village of [Eidsberg](/source/Eidsberg), [Østfold](/source/%C3%98stfold), [Norway](/source/Norway).[1] She moved to Kristiania (Oslo from 1926) when she was 14 where she met her sister's brother-in-law, Andreas Olsen, a ship's carpenter.[1] Olsen immigrated to America to earn money to pay for Thea's passage. She arrived in [St. Paul, Minnesota](/source/Saint_Paul,_Minnesota) in 1881 where the two were married.[1] They lived in St. Paul for eight years and had four children.[1] Andreas changed his first name to Andrew and their last name to Fossen to distinguish themselves from the many other Olesons in the area.[1] Fossen, meaning waterfall, was later shortened to Foss.[1] Andrew Fossen moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1888, what was then known as [Washington Territory](/source/Washington_Territory).[1] Thea and their children joined him in the spring of 1889, after the birth of their third child.[1]Andrew built a float house on the Tacoma waterfront for the family to settle.[2] Thea Foss launched the future tugboat firm on the Tacoma waterfront in the summer of 1889. She started the Foss Launch Company, when she began fixing up rowboats to sell.[2] Thea started with one and sold it for $5; then she was able to buy another, and continue to do so. Andrew ended up building rowboats and their home became Foss Boathouse.[2] The business grew, expanding into other areas such as towing, and hauling lumber.[2] The company eventually became the [Seattle](/source/Seattle)-based Foss Maritime Company.[3] Thea Foss died in [Tacoma](/source/Tacoma,_Washington) on the day before her 69th birthday.[4] ## Legacy - The [Thea Foss Waterway](/source/Thea_Foss_Waterway), a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) mile inlet in Tacoma's industrial area, and connected to [Puget Sound](/source/Puget_Sound), is named after Foss.[5] - [USS *Amber* (PYc-6)](/source/USS_Amber_(PYc-6)), which had served as a patrol vessel in [World War II](/source/World_War_II), was renamed the *Thea Foss* after being purchased by Foss Marine Company. - The power yacht now known as *Mitlite* was originally launched in 1933 as the *Thea Foss*; it appears to have been the only yacht ever built by Foss Tug. During World War II, it was conscripted by the U.S. Navy for use as a Barrage Balloon Tender, J2036.[6] - Thea Foss Lodge of the Daughters of Norway was instituted on 29 May 2004. Lodge #45 meets in [Chimacum, Washington](/source/Chimacum,_Washington).[citation needed] - [Foss Peak](/source/Foss_Peak), a 6524-foot mountain summit in the [Tatoosh Range](/source/Tatoosh_Range) of [Mount Rainier National Park](/source/Mount_Rainier_National_Park)[7] - In 1989, Thea Foss was inducted into the Washington State Centennial Hall of Honor.[8] ## References 1. Mall, Scott (2022-03-15). ["FreightWaves Classics/Pioneers: Thea Foss built a thriving business from a single rowboat"](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicspioneers-thea-foss-built-a-thriving-business-from-a-single-rowboat). *FreightWaves*. Retrieved 2023-07-05. 1. Walker, Richard (2020-05-04). ["The Remarkable Thea Foss"](https://www.nwyachting.com/the-remarkable-thea-foss/). *Northwest Yachting*. Retrieved 2023-12-07. 1. [HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History](http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5045) 1. [History of Foss Maritime](http://www.foss.com/about_history.html) [Archived](https://archive.today/20070619055034/http://www.foss.com/about_history.html) 19 June 2007 at archive.today 1. ["History"](https://www.foss.com/about-us/history/). *Foss Maritime Company, LLC*. Retrieved 2023-12-07. 1. ["Mitlite"](https://classicyacht.org/boats/mitlite). Classic Yacht Association. Retrieved 2018-12-31. 1. [Foss Peak at Peakware.com](http://peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=4668) 1. ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160629140937/http://www.washingtonhistory.org/files/library/03-2_Staff.pdf). Archived from [the original](http://www.washingtonhistory.org/files/library/03-2_Staff.pdf) on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2019. ## Other sources - Skalley, Michael *Foss: Ninety years of towboating* (1981) ISBN 0-87564-224-1 ## External links - [Foss Maritime Official Website](http://www.foss.com/) - [*So Many Things To Do Yet: The Saga of Thea Foss*](https://web.archive.org/web/20110726004836/http://www.tacomaweekly.com/citylife/archived/actress_brings_thea_foss_to_life/) - [Thea Foss Lodge #45, Daughters of Norway](https://web.archive.org/web/20060504222103/http://daughtersofnorway.org/dnThea45.html) - [Foss Waterway Development Authority](https://web.archive.org/web/20091011100626/http://www.theafoss.com/projects.html) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thea Foss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thea_Foss) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thea_Foss?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.