James Aloysius Harden Hickey was born in San Francisco on December 8, 1854, at a time when the city still carried the rough edges of the gold rush. His mother, uneasy with the violence and instability that continued to shape daily life in the young city, brought her children to Paris, which offered a very different world. Under the rule of Napoleon III, the French capital presented order, elegance, and ceremonial rhythm. James grew up in that atmosphere and absorbed it so dee

James Hazen Hyde was born in Manhattan on June 6, 1876, the son of Henry Baldwin Hyde, founder of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, and Annie Fitch Hyde. At the age of twenty-three he inherited control of Equitable, one of the most powerful financial institutions in the nation, and held directorships in nearly fifty allied corporations. Equitable Life Assurance Society Hyde became a leading figure in New York society at the turn of the twentieth century. A bibliophile, Fr

Louis Haines Wentz was born on November 10, 1873 in Tama, Iowa, the son of a blacksmith. His family later moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he grew up as one of seven children. He attended public school in Pittsburgh and became a standout athlete, particularly in baseball. He played at a high level in high school and later coached All Pittsburgh high school teams. After finishing school he worked in a series of practical jobs and became active in the local Republican P

Nicholas Frederic Brady was born on October 27, 1878, in Albany, New York. He was the son of industrialist Anthony N. Brady, whose business interests formed the foundation of a large corporate empire. Nicholas attended private schools, graduated from Yale University in 1899, and began preparing for leadership roles within the family’s extensive utility and industrial holdings. Although raised Episcopalian, he developed a strong interest in the Catholic faith as a young adult.

Frank Phillips (Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS). Frank Freeman Phillips was born on November 28, 1873, near Scotia, Nebraska, the eldest son of Lewis Franklin Phillips and Lucinda Josephine Faucett Phillips. When he was still an infant, his parents left Nebraska after drought and grasshoppers ruined their crops and settled on a small farm near Conway, Iowa. Life on the Iowa farm was hard, and from an early age Frank learned the meaning of work. He ear

Edith Bouvier Beale, known as "Little Edie," was the daughter of Phelan Beale, a wealthy lawyer, and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale, who was part of the famous Bouvier family, which included her first cousins, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis the former First Lady of the United States and Lee Radziwill. Little Edie She grew up in a privileged environment, spending much of her early years in the family's grand estate, "Grey Gardens," in East Hampton, New York. Little Edie was highly edu