Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet, was born Harry Oakes on December 23, 1874, in Sangerville, Piscataquis County, Maine, the son of William Pitt Oakes and Edith Nancy Lewis Oakes. He was born into a long-established New England family whose roots in central Maine stretched back generations, but his own ambitions carried him far beyond the forests and farming communities of Piscataquis County. Through persistence, instinct, and an extraordinary willingness to endure hardship, he rose from modest beginnings to become one of the richest mining men in the British Empire, a major benefactor in Canada and the Bahamas, and ultimately the central figure in one of the twentieth century’s most notorious unsolved murders. During Harry’s youth, the Oakes family moved from Sangerville to nearby Foxcroft so the children could receive better educational opportunities. He attended Foxcroft Academy, where he developed a reputation for intelligence, independence, and ambition. Even in his early years, acquaintances later recalled that Oakes possessed unusual confidence in his future success. After completing his studies in Maine, he attended Bowdoin College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree before briefly considering a more traditional professional career. Yet the restless energy that defined his life soon drove him away from stability and toward the uncertain world of prospecting and mining. By the late nineteenth century, gold rushes and mining booms had transformed large portions of North America and the wider world. Young men traveled across continents searching for mineral wealth, and Harry Oakes became one of them. For years he wandered from mining district to mining district, enduring repeated disappointment while slowly developing the skills that would eventually make him enormously successful. He prospected in the Yukon during the declining years of the Klondike Gold Rush, worked in Alaska, traveled through the American West, and searched for opportunity in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Mexico, and other frontier regions associated with mining speculation. These years were marked far more by hardship than by success. Oakes labored in extreme climates, survived periods of poverty, and frequently found himself far from civilization with little certainty about the future. In the far north he experienced brutal winter temperatures and the physical dangers of frontier camps. In other regions he endured exhausting travel, failed claims, illness, and financial reversals. Yet these experiences also gave him an education impossible to obtain in a classroom. He learned geology through observation and practice, developing an unusual ability to recognize promising mineral formations and understand ore structures that other prospectors often ignored. His years in Australia proved particularly important because he encountered telluride ore formations associated with volcanic rock systems. The knowledge he gained there remained with him long afterward and later influenced the decisions that changed his life. Unlike many prospectors who relied almost entirely upon luck, Oakes increasingly approached mining with careful attention to geological patterns and long-term potential. In 1911, Harry Oakes arrived in northern Ontario during the early development of the Kirkland Lake mining district. At that time the region remained isolated and rugged, populated by prospectors, laborers, and speculators drawn by rumors of gold discoveries. Small settlements such as Swastika and Kirkland Lake were rough frontier communities surrounded by forests, rock outcroppings, primitive roads, and newly opened claims. According to longstanding accounts associated with the district, Oakes learned of promising open ground while staying in Swastika, Ontario. He partnered with several prospectors, including members of the Tough family, and together they secured claims during severe winter weather in what became known as the Tough-Oakes property. The district rapidly attracted attention as additional discoveries confirmed the extraordinary richness of the area. Oakes recognized geological similarities between the Kirkland Lake formations and mining districts he had studied elsewhere in the world. While some early prospectors dismissed portions of the ore as unpromising, Oakes believed the system extended far deeper and possessed exceptional value. His judgment proved correct. The property that evolved into the Lake Shore Mine became one of the richest and most productive gold mines in Canadian history. The success of the Lake Shore Mine transformed Harry Oakes almost overnight. By the 1920s he had become one of the wealthiest men in Canada, earning immense profits from mining operations, investments, and associated business ventures. The Lake Shore Mine ultimately produced millions of ounces of gold and stood among the great mining enterprises of the twentieth century. Newspapers and magazines increasingly portrayed Oakes as the classic self-made mining millionaire, a man who had spent years wandering the globe in poverty before discovering one of the greatest gold deposits in North America. Despite his wealth, Oakes retained many of the blunt traits formed during his years as a prospector. Contemporary observers often described him as fiercely independent, stubborn, practical, and suspicious of authority. He disliked unnecessary formality and possessed little patience for social pretension. Although he eventually entered elite financial and political circles, he never entirely abandoned the frontier mentality that had shaped him during decades of hardship and uncertainty. Following his financial success, Oakes embarked upon a world cruise during which he met Eunice Myrtle MacIntyre, a young Canadian woman from Ontario. The two married in 1923 despite a significant difference in age. Their union attracted attention because of Oakes’ growing fortune and public reputation, but the marriage endured for decades and produced five children. Their family life unfolded amid extraordinary wealth, international travel, and increasing public visibility. Around this same period, Oakes renounced his American citizenship and became a naturalized Canadian citizen, reflecting the reality that his fortune and business interests had become closely tied to Canada. Yet even as his wealth expanded, he became increasingly concerned about taxation and financial regulation. Seeking a favorable environment for both investment and residence, Oakes eventually turned his attention toward the Bahamas. When Harry Oakes relocated to Nassau during the 1930s, the Bahamas remained a British colony with limited infrastructure and widespread economic inequality. Wealthy expatriates and foreign investors played an increasingly important role in the colony’s economy, and Oakes quickly emerged as one of the most influential individuals in Nassau. Rather than merely purchasing a winter residence, he invested heavily in development projects, utilities, transportation systems, land, and tourism-related enterprises. Westbourne, The Sir Harry Oakes Estate Westbourne, The Sir Harry Oakes Estate Oakes financed roads, public improvements, aviation initiatives, and infrastructure projects while contributing substantial sums to charitable causes. He supported medical programs, child welfare initiatives, educational efforts, and wartime charities. Among his projects were transportation services and public welfare programs intended to improve conditions within the colony. Though his methods could be highly personal and independent of government bureaucracy, many Bahamians regarded him as an important benefactor whose investments brought employment and modernization during difficult economic years. Oak Hill, The Sir Harry Oakes Estate His influence extended beyond the Bahamas. In Niagara Falls, Ontario, Oakes constructed the grand estate known as Oak Hall and contributed significantly to civic beautification projects associated with the Niagara Parks system. Oakes Garden Theatre, overlooking the falls, became one of the best-known public spaces associated with his philanthropy and wealth. Through these projects, Oakes established himself not merely as a mining magnate but as a major public figure whose fortune shaped communities in both Canada and the Caribbean. In recognition of his philanthropic and public contributions, King George VI created him a baronet in 1939, formally granting him the title Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet. The honor elevated him into the titled ranks of British society, though his personality remained far closer to that of a hard-driving mining man than a conventional aristocrat. The outbreak of the Second World War transformed life throughout the British Empire, including the Bahamas. Nassau gained increased strategic significance because of its location in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Wartime financial restrictions, political tensions, and international concerns brought new pressures upon the colony and its wealthy residents. During this same period, the former King Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor after his abdication from the British throne, arrived in Nassau as Governor of the Bahamas. Duke & Duchess of Windsor The Duke and Duchess of Windsor became central figures within Nassau society and interacted regularly with wealthy expatriates, including the Oakes family. Their later association with the aftermath of Harry Oakes’ murder would contribute greatly to the enduring controversy surrounding the case. Alfred de Marigny & Nancy Oakes Meanwhile, tensions had developed within the Oakes family itself. Oakes’ eldest daughter, Nancy Oakes, fell in love with Alfred de Marigny, a charismatic and controversial figure whose background and social reputation deeply troubled Nassau’s elite circles. Harry Oakes strongly opposed the relationship and distrusted de Marigny, but Nancy nevertheless married him in 1942 shortly after reaching adulthood. The marriage generated considerable local gossip and intensified already strained family dynamics. Sir Harry Oakes bedroom after the attack During the night of July 7 and the early morning hours of July 8, 1943, Sir Harry Oakes was attacked inside his bedroom at Westbourne, his Nassau estate. He suffered fatal injuries to the head, and the room was partially burned afterward in what investigators believed may have been an attempt to obscure the circumstances of the crime. The murder of one of the richest men in the British Empire immediately became international news. Responsibility for the investigation quickly became controversial. The Duke of Windsor took an unusually active role in the aftermath of the murder, bringing in outside investigators and helping oversee aspects of the inquiry. Critics later argued that political pressure, procedural failures, and mishandled evidence compromised the case from the beginning. Suspicion rapidly focused upon Alfred de Marigny because of his difficult relationship with Harry Oakes and his outsider status within Nassau society. De Marigny was arrested and charged with murder. The prosecution’s case relied heavily upon fingerprint evidence that allegedly linked him to the crime scene, but the defense forcefully attacked both the handling of evidence and the overall competence of the investigation. Alfred de Marigny leaving the courthouse The trial became one of the most famous criminal proceedings in Bahamian history, attracting enormous press attention throughout the United States, Canada, and Britain. Journalists portrayed Nassau as a colony filled with wealth, gossip, political intrigue, and hidden rivalries beneath its glamorous tropical image. After hearing the evidence, the jury acquitted Alfred de Marigny following a comparatively brief deliberation. No one was ever convicted of murdering Sir Harry Oakes. In the decades that followed, countless theories emerged regarding the crime. Some writers and investigators suggested possible involvement by business associates, political interests, organized criminal elements, or individuals connected to wartime financial operations. Others focused upon Harold Christie, a close friend and associate of Oakes who became one of the most debated figures connected to the case. Various allegations involving missing witnesses, smuggling operations, and political interference circulated widely over the years, though many remained speculative and unproven. The murder ultimately entered the realm of historical mystery, with competing interpretations continuing long after the original investigation ended. At the time of his death, Harry Oakes possessed a fortune worth many millions of dollars and stood among the most prominent mining figures of his generation. Yet the sensational nature of his murder eventually overshadowed much of the extraordinary story that had preceded it. His life had encompassed the final age of frontier prospecting, the rise of industrial gold mining, the growth of international tourism in the Caribbean, and the social world of wealthy expatriates within the late British Empire. Following funeral services and international press coverage, his body was returned to Maine. Sir Harry Oakes was entombed in the Oakes Family Mausoleum at Dover Cemetery in Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine, not far from the communities where his remarkable journey had begun.

Carl Kirsch Dresser was born on March 27, 1890, in Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania, the son of Solomon Robert Dresser and Caroline Kirsch Dresser. He belonged to one of the most important industrial families connected to the development of the American oil and natural gas industry. Carl Kirsch Dresser His father founded the S. R. Dresser Manufacturing Company, whose pipeline couplings, valves, and fittings became essential to petroleum and gas production throughout the United States and abroad during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Raised amid the prosperity generated by the Pennsylvania oil fields, Carl was educated at the Cornwall-on-Hudson School and the Washington School for Boys in Washington, D.C., before attending Princeton University, where he graduated in 1912 with a degree in civil engineering. Following his education, he entered the oil business and became associated with operations in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Oklahoma during a period of rapid expansion in the petroleum industry. Pauline Vandervoort was born on September 29, 1889, in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, the daughter of Charles Ransom Vandervoort and Sarah Adelia Sherman Vandervoort. Her father was involved in textile manufacturing and related business enterprises, and she grew up within a socially prominent family environment in western New York during the closing years of the nineteenth century. In 1908, at the age of eighteen, she married banker Charles Johnson Steese, Jr., of Massillon, Ohio. The marriage produced two sons, Charles and Bradley, before ending in divorce in 1916. Pauline Vandervoort Later that same year, on June 20, 1916, Pauline married Carl Kirsch Dresser. Carl legally adopted Pauline's two sons, and they thereafter carried the Dresser surname. During the early years of their marriage the family lived in Ohio before relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Carl pursued expanding business interests tied to the booming oil and gas industry. The move to Tulsa placed Carl and Pauline at the center of one of the greatest oil booms in American history. During the late 1910s and early 1920s Tulsa rapidly transformed from a frontier town into one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, filled with oil executives, speculators, financiers, and newly wealthy industrial families. Seeking to establish themselves among Tulsa's rising elite, Carl and Pauline commissioned the construction of a grand residence overlooking the Arkansas River valley at 235 West 18th Street. Built between 1919 and 1920 and designed by architect Albert Joseph Bodker, the Dresser Mansion became one of the most architecturally distinctive homes of Tulsa's oil era. Combining Mediterranean and Italian Renaissance influences, the mansion featured stucco walls hand-finished with marble dust by Italian craftsmen, red tile roofing, wrought iron detailing, arched windows and loggias, landscaped terraces, and expansive views westward toward the river. Contemporary accounts described the residence as containing approximately thirty-five rooms and numerous advanced mechanical innovations uncommon in private homes of the period. The interiors reflected both Carl and Pauline's ambition and taste. During the furnishing of the mansion, the couple traveled through Europe acquiring antiques, textiles, tapestries, furniture, silver, and decorative objects intended to give the home the atmosphere of an established European villa rather than a newly built Oklahoma mansion. Hidden compartments, concealed closets, an early central vacuum system, heated coat closets, and even a Prohibition-era liquor hiding place became part of the house's lore. Pauline played a major role in shaping the mansion's interiors and social atmosphere, and during the 1920s the home became associated with Tulsa society and the extraordinary prosperity generated by the American petroleum industry. Yet beneath the elegance and social prominence of the Dresser Mansion, strains gradually emerged within the marriage. Financial pressures and disputes connected to business interests increasingly affected Carl and Pauline's relationship during the mid-1920s. Their marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 1927, bringing to a close the period most closely associated with the mansion's original history. Later that same year, Carl married Gloria Jack. Following his years in the oil business, he became involved in mining ventures in Silverton, Colorado, while Pauline's life moved increasingly into elite eastern social circles far removed from Oklahoma. By 1930 Carl had returned to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where he spent the final year of his life. In January 1931 his health deteriorated seriously due to liver disease, and he was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, for treatment. After falling into a coma, he died there on February 1, 1931, at the age of forty. Newspaper accounts in Bradford described him as widely admired for his friendly disposition and active participation in social life. Funeral services were held at the residence of his brother, Solomon Richard Dresser, and he was originally interred in the family plot at Oak Hill Cemetery before the family's later removal to Willow Dale Cemetery. Carl Dresser's Gravestone Pauline's life after her divorce from Carl Dresser carried her into some of the most prominent social and industrial circles in the United States. Henry Huddleston Rogers Jr. In 1933, she married Colonel Henry Huttleston Rogers Jr., the son of Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers and member of one of the great fortunes of the Gilded Age. Although the marriage was brief due to Rogers's death in 1935, it significantly increased Pauline's prominence within elite New York and Southampton society and connected her to one of the most powerful dynasties created by the American oil industry. On May 1, 1937, Pauline married Walter Hoving, who would later become president of Lord & Taylor, head of Bonwit Teller, and chairman of Tiffany & Company. Their marriage marked the most enduring and publicly visible chapter of her later life. Pauline became an influential figure within New York social, philanthropic, and retail circles, and Walter Hoving later credited her advice and encouragement with shaping several of his most successful business ideas, including the highly successful gift shop at Bonwit Teller. Walter Hoving Beyond society life, Pauline devoted much of her later years to philanthropy and religious work. She was active in the United Negro College Fund and helped organize its women's division. She supported Teen Challenge and became closely associated with the Walter Hoving Home in Garrison, New York, a residential program for young women. She also belonged to the National Society of Colonial Dames and the Colony Club of New York, remaining a familiar figure in Manhattan and Southampton society for decades. The Dresser Mansion survived long after the marriage that created it ended. Over the years it became one of Tulsa's most recognizable historic residences and one of the finest surviving reminders of the city's oil-boom era. Though Carl Dresser died young and Pauline's life eventually carried her far from Oklahoma into the worlds of Standard Oil society, luxury retail, and New York philanthropy, the mansion they created together remained a lasting architectural symbol of the extraordinary ambition, wealth, and social aspirations that defined Tulsa during the 1920s. Pauline's Niche at St. Barts Pauline Vandervoort Hoving died after a long illness on October 23, 1976, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York County, New York, at the age of eighty-seven. She was cremated, and her cremated remains were placed in a niche in the columbarium at Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York City. Today the Dresser Mansion remains one of Tulsa's most recognizable surviving landmarks from the oil-boom era of the 1920s. Carefully preserved and restored over the decades, the mansion continues to stand at 235 West 18th Street overlooking the Arkansas River valley, retaining much of the architectural character established during the years of Carl and Pauline Dresser's ownership. Original features including portions of the stucco exterior, wrought iron detailing, arched loggias, and numerous interior architectural elements survive as reminders of the extraordinary ambition and prosperity that shaped Tulsa during the height of the petroleum boom. In modern times the mansion has operated as a historic property and event venue, allowing new generations to experience one of the city's finest surviving examples of Mediterranean and Italian Renaissance inspired residential architecture. Though the lives of Carl and Pauline Dresser eventually carried them far from the home they created together, the mansion remains an enduring symbol of Tulsa's oil era history and the remarkable world of wealth, industry, and society from which it emerged. Please visit www.dressermansion.com for more information. The Dresser Mansion Today

Edward Francis Hutton was born September 7, 1875, in Manhattan, New York, the son of James Laws Hutton and Frances Eloise Hulse Hutton. His father died when he was still a child, leaving the family in reduced financial circumstances and requiring him at an early age to begin supporting himself. The discipline and determination formed during those years became defining traits throughout his later career. As a teenager, Hutton entered the financial world at the lowest level, working first as an office and mailroom clerk while studying business subjects at night. His rise in finance was not inherited but earned through experience, persistence, and an instinctive understanding of markets and communication. Through family connections he joined Harris, Hutton and Company, a brokerage concern associated with the Consolidated Stock Exchange, where he advanced rapidly and became a partner while still a young man. Recognizing the greater opportunities available through New York Stock Exchange brokerage operations, Hutton eventually left to pursue his own firm. In 1904, with his brother Franklyn Laws Hutton, he founded E. F. Hutton and Company in New York City. From its beginning, the firm emphasized speed, communication, and nationwide market access. Hutton invested heavily in private wire systems and long-distance communications linking financial centers across the country, allowing the firm to react to market developments faster than many competitors. He expanded aggressively into western markets at a time when relatively few New York brokerage houses operated nationally, establishing offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles and helping transform the company into one of the most prominent brokerage firms in the United States. Blanche Horton Hutton C. 1914 The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire became an early test of the firm's resilience. Although the company's offices there were destroyed, important records survived and operations resumed quickly. Under Hutton's leadership, E. F. Hutton and Company continued its expansion and became nationally identified with authority and financial influence. Long after his lifetime, the reputation of the brokerage house entered American popular culture through the famous advertising slogan, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." On January 2, 1900, Hutton married Blanche Conant Horton. Their son, Halcourt Horton Hutton, was born May 7, 1902. Blanche died during the influenza epidemic of 1918, a loss that deeply affected Hutton. Edward F. Hutton & Marjorie Merriweather Post On June 27, 1920, he married Marjorie Merriweather Post, the only child of cereal magnate Charles William Post and one of the wealthiest women in the United States. That same year, in September 1920, Hutton's son Halcourt suffered fatal injuries in a riding accident on Long Island and died at the age of eighteen. The death of his only son marked one of the greatest personal tragedies of his life. E. F. Hutton Golfing Through his marriage to Marjorie Post, Hutton became deeply involved in the management and expansion of the Postum Cereal Company. His role extended far beyond that of a family connection, as he helped direct corporate structure, acquisitions, and financial organization during a period of major expansion. Under his influence, the company acquired nationally recognized brands including Jell-O, Maxwell House Coffee, Baker's Chocolate, and Birds Eye products, transforming the business into a diversified food conglomerate. This expansion culminated in 1929 with the formation of General Foods Corporation, one of the most important consumer goods companies in the United States. Hutton served as chairman and became associated not only with Wall Street finance but also with the rise of large-scale American corporate enterprise during the early twentieth century. E. F. & Dina In 1923, Hutton and Post had a daughter, Nedenia Marjorie Hutton, later known as actress and philanthropist Dina Merrill. During the 1920s, Hutton and Post occupied a prominent place in American business and society. Their principal Long Island estate was Hillwood in Brookville, one of the major Gold Coast properties developed during the era. In Palm Beach they first established Hogarcito on Golfview Road before constructing Mar-a-Lago, the vast ocean-to-lake estate completed in 1927 and designed principally by Marion Sims Wyeth with decorative work associated with Joseph Urban. The residence became one of the most celebrated private estates in the United States. Hutton was also devoted to yachting. In 1931, he and Post commissioned the four-masted sailing yacht Hussar V, later known as Sea Cloud. At the time of its construction it was the largest privately owned sailing yacht in the world and later served with the United States Coast Guard during the Second World War. Sea Cloud The marriage between Hutton and Post ended in divorce in 1935 following years of intense public attention surrounding the couple's wealth and social prominence. On January 25, 1936, Hutton married Dorothy Dear Metzger in South Carolina. Dorothy thereafter became active in Long Island and New York charitable and social organizations, and newspaper society coverage during the following decades regularly referenced Mr. and Mrs. Edward F. Hutton among prominent Nassau County and Manhattan civic and philanthropic circles. Dorothy Dear In his later years, Hutton maintained a quieter life centered on his estate, Hutfield, in Old Westbury, though he remained influential in financial and public affairs. He continued participating in civic and patriotic causes and in 1949 helped establish the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, an organization promoting patriotic education and civic ideals during the early Cold War period. Contemporary newspapers continued to describe him as a nationally recognized financial authority and major public figure well into the 1950s. Edward Francis Hutton died July 11, 1962, at his estate in Old Westbury, New York, at the age of eighty-six. He was buried July 13, 1962, in Locust Valley Cemetery, Locust Valley, Nassau County, New York. His grave remained unmarked for many years following his death before a marker was later placed through the efforts of his daughter, Dina Merrill. Edward F. Hutton's gravestone is marked with an incorrect birth year, he was born in 1875 Dina at her father's grave. Courtesy of Ken Mensing Gallery of Photos:

Franklyn Laws Hutton Yale Graduation Photo Franklyn Laws Hutton was born on December 1, 1876, in Manhattan, New York, the youngest son of James Laws Hutton and Frances Eloise Hulse Hutton. He and his older brother, Edward Francis Hutton, were born into a New York family whose home stood at 10 East Forty-second Street, at a time when that area was still residential. Their father, James Laws Hutton, had come to New York from Ohio as a young man, leaving the farm at the age of sixteen. After his early death, the family faced changed circumstances, and the Hutton brothers’ later success in finance reflected a determined rise from those difficulties. Franklyn was educated in New York and attended Yale University, graduating in 1900. While he was still at Yale, his brother Edward became one of the founders of Harris, Hutton & Company, a New York Stock Exchange brokerage firm with offices at 35 New Street. After Franklyn’s graduation, he joined the firm and began the Wall Street career that would define much of his adult life. In 1904, after the withdrawal of the Harris interests, the firm became E. F. Hutton & Company. Franklyn became a partner and was elected to membership on the New York Stock Exchange, where he represented the firm on the floor. His role placed him at the center of the firm’s daily market operations, while Edward Francis Hutton became its better-known public figure. The firm was among the early brokerage houses to develop a national reach, and it was the first to operate a leased wire to California. Franklyn later opened the company’s branches in San Francisco and Los Angeles, helping extend E. F. Hutton & Company’s presence to the Pacific Coast. Franklyn Laws Hutton C.1916 As a young man, Franklyn was known for his interest in outdoor pursuits, including fishing, shooting, riding, golf, and tennis. On June 27, 1907, he married Edna Woolworth, daughter of Frank Winfield Woolworth, founder of the Woolworth five-and-ten-cent chain-store empire. Their marriage connected the Hutton family with one of the best-known fortunes in American business. Franklyn and Edna lived within New York’s wealthy social world, and their only child, Barbara Woolworth Hutton, was born in 1912. Edna Woolworth Hutton & Little Barbara Tragedy entered the family in 1917, when Edna Woolworth Hutton died at the age of thirty-three from a rare ear infection at the Plaza Hotel in New York, where the family was then residing. After her death, Franklyn took Barbara to California. For several years they lived in Los Angeles and Burlingame, the latter with his sister, Mrs. Thomas A. Middleton. Following the deaths of her mother and maternal grandparents, Barbara inherited a fortune of about eighteen million dollars. Franklyn served as her guardian and managed her estate during her minority. His final accounting, filed after she came of age in 1933, showed that her fortune had increased to more than forty-two million dollars. Though Barbara later became one of the most publicized heiresses in the world, Franklyn’s stewardship of her fortune was a major part of her early financial history. Irene Olive Curley, 2nd wife of Franklyn Hutton In 1926, Franklyn married Irene Olive Curley Bodde of Detroit. He continued with E. F. Hutton & Company until 1931, when he retired from the firm. After leaving active business, he maintained an office at 745 Fifth Avenue in New York for his personal affairs. Franklyn and Irene Hutton were noted hosts, entertaining frequently when they maintained homes at 1020 Fifth Avenue in New York and at Islip, Long Island. In addition to his New York apartment, Franklyn had estates at Palm Beach and in California. He also leased shooting lodges and preserves in several countries, including Germany, France, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, reflecting the sporting interests that remained important throughout his life. About ten years before his death, Franklyn merged seven plantations along the Edisto River at Willtown Bluff, about thirty miles from Charleston, South Carolina, into a 5,500-acre estate known as Prospect Hill Plantation. Franklyn, Barbra, Court and baby Lance. He spent most of his winters there, making occasional trips to Palm Beach. Prospect Hill became the center of his later life as a country sportsman. He raised horses and also bred chukkas, a variety of East Indian quail larger than the domestic variety. The plantation manager experimented with reviving rice culture on land once associated with that crop, and Franklyn maintained an elaborate skeet shoot with an eighty-foot tower from which clay pigeons were launched. Franklyn Laws Hutton died at noon on December 5, 1940, at Prospect Hill Plantation near Adams Run, South Carolina. At his bedside were his daughter, Barbara, then Countess Haugwitz-Reventlow; his wife, Irene; his sister, Mrs. Thomas Middleton; his brother and sister-in-law, Edward F. and Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton; his nephew Prentiss Hutton; and his first wife’s sister, Mrs. Woolworth Donahue. A private funeral service was held at Prospect Hill, conducted by the Right Rev. Albert Thomas, Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, and the Rev. Sumner Guerry, rector of Christ Church, Adams Run. He was entombed at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

Barbara Woolworth Hutton was born on November 14, 1912, in New York City, New York, the only child of Franklyn Laws Hutton and Edna Woolworth Hutton. She was born into two of the most powerful financial dynasties in the United States. Her maternal grandfather was Frank Winfield Woolworth, founder of the F. W. Woolworth Company, whose five-and-dime stores became one of the great retail empires of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her father was a co-founder of the Wall Street brokerage firm E. F. Hutton & Company, established alongside his brother Edward Francis Hutton. New York, NY: Barbara Hutton with dog in Islip dog Show, 1915 — © Getty Images Barbara’s early childhood was marked by immense wealth but very little stability. Her parents’ marriage was troubled by Franklyn Hutton’s repeated affairs and long absences, and the emotional strain upon Edna Woolworth Hutton became severe. On May 2, 1917, Edna died at the Plaza Hotel in New York at the age of thirty-three. Officially, her death was attributed to complications connected to mastoiditis, though rumors of suicide circulated for decades afterward. Four-year-old Barbara reportedly discovered her mother’s body, an event that profoundly affected her for the rest of her life. After her mother’s death, Barbara was largely raised by governesses, servants, boarding schools, and various relatives. Her father remained emotionally distant, and despite the enormous fortune surrounding her, she grew up lonely and insecure. She attended Miss Hewitt’s Classes in New York and later Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut. Friends and relatives later recalled that she was shy, withdrawn, and uncomfortable with the public attention that followed her family name. Portrait of Barbara Hutton, by Sir Oswald Birley (1880–1952), 1925 In 1919, Frank W. Woolworth died, leaving behind one of the largest fortunes in the United States. Barbara inherited a substantial portion of the estate through trusts established for her benefit. Additional wealth came from her mother’s inheritance and later from her grandmother Jennie Woolworth. By the time she reached adulthood, she was one of the richest women in the world. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Barbara Hutton became internationally famous as an heiress and socialite. Newspapers closely followed her life, and public fascination with her wealth intensified during the Great Depression. Barbara Hutton Debut 1930 On November 18, 1930, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, she was introduced to society at an extravagant debutante ball held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City. The celebration reportedly cost tens of thousands of dollars at a time when millions of Americans were struggling financially. The lavish event generated widespread criticism in newspapers across the country and firmly established her public image as the “Poor Little Rich Girl,” a phrase that would follow her for the remainder of her life. Following her debut, Barbara traveled extensively through Europe and quickly became part of the international aristocratic and celebrity social world of the interwar period. She developed a passion for fashion, jewelry, art, and collecting, while newspapers chronicled her romances and spending habits in extraordinary detail. Alexis Mdivani On June 20, 1933, she married Alexis Mdivani, a member of the exiled Georgian aristocratic Mdivani family, at the Russian Orthodox Church in Paris. Mdivani and his siblings became famous during the 1920s and 1930s for marrying wealthy American heiresses and socialites. The marriage immediately attracted enormous press attention and introduced Barbara fully into the European titled society she had long romanticized. The couple lived lavishly and traveled constantly, but the marriage rapidly deteriorated amid financial disputes and accusations of infidelity. They divorced in 1935. Only one day after her divorce from Mdivani became final, Barbara married Danish nobleman Count Court von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow on May 14, 1935. Court Reventlow The marriage initially appeared more stable than her first, and on February 24, 1936, their only child, Lance Reventlow, was born in London. Barbara’s second marriage soon became deeply troubled. Reventlow reportedly exercised controlling behavior and subjected her to emotional and physical abuse. Their relationship deteriorated into public legal battles and scandals. During the marriage, Barbara renounced her American citizenship and became a Danish citizen for tax reasons, a decision that generated additional criticism in the United States. She later regained her American citizenship. The couple divorced in 1938 after bitter courtroom disputes and custody battles over their son. Barbara eventually retained custody of Lance, though like many wealthy children of the era he spent much of his youth in the care of governesses, tutors, and boarding schools. Barbara Woolworth Hutton photographed by Cecil Beaton in her Vladimir emerald tiara and the Pasha diamond that belonged to King Farouk. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Barbara Hutton became one of the most photographed women in the world. Her residences, clothing, jewelry, and travels were followed obsessively by the international press. She owned or occupied a succession of spectacular homes, suites, and estates across Europe and the United States. Among the best known was Winfield House in London, an enormous residence originally built for Woolworth family members in Regent’s Park. The mansion later became the official residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom after Barbara donated it to the American government. Barbara also assembled one of the most important private jewelry collections of her era. She acquired historic jewels from Cartier and other major houses, including pieces once associated with European royalty and nobility. Her collection included emeralds, diamonds, pearls, Fabergé objects, and elaborate antique settings. Among her best-known gems was the famed Pasha Diamond. In 1942, Barbara married actor Cary Grant. The marriage to Grant became her most famous relationship and remains the one most commonly associated with her public image. Barbara Hutton & Cary Grant Unlike several of her previous and later husbands, Grant was independently wealthy and professionally successful before the marriage, leading many observers to conclude that he had not married her for money. The two became one of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples during World War II. Grant reportedly attempted to provide Barbara with emotional stability and encouraged her to reduce her dependence upon alcohol and prescription medications. The couple divided their time between California and fashionable international resorts. Although their marriage ended amicably in 1945, the two remained close friends for many years afterward. After her divorce from Grant, Barbara became romantically involved with numerous aristocrats, sportsmen, and social figures. Igor Troubetzkoy In 1947, she married Prince Igor Troubetzkoy, a Russian-born aristocrat and race car driver. Troubetzkoy became the first Russian-born driver to compete in Formula One racing. Their marriage reflected Barbara’s continued fascination with European nobility and cosmopolitan society. The couple divorced in 1951. Porfirio Rubirosa In 1953, she married Dominican diplomat and international playboy Porfirio Rubirosa, one of the most notorious social figures of the mid twentieth century. Rubirosa was celebrated for his charm, romantic relationships, polo playing, and extravagant lifestyle. Their marriage lasted less than a year. Barbara married German tennis champion Baron Gottfried von Cramm in 1955. Von Cramm had achieved international fame before World War II as one of the world’s leading tennis players and was admired for his sportsmanship and dignity. Although Barbara hoped the marriage would provide lasting companionship, it too ended in divorce in 1959. Baron Gottfried von Cramm Her seventh and final marriage was to Pierre Raymond Doan, a Vietnamese chemist and adventurer whom she married in 1964. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966. Despite the endless publicity surrounding her marriages, Barbara Hutton’s private life was often marked by loneliness, insecurity, and deteriorating health. She struggled for years with anorexia nervosa, alcoholism, depression, and dependency upon prescription medications. Her health problems became increasingly severe as she aged, and she underwent numerous medical procedures and hospitalizations. She also became known for extraordinary generosity and impulsive philanthropy. Barbara frequently gave away large sums of money to friends, employees, charities, and even strangers. She assisted refugees and war victims during and after World War II and provided financial help to numerous individuals throughout her life. Yet her spending habits, poor financial management, legal expenses, failed marriages, and exploitation by advisers and associates significantly reduced her fortune over time. Barbara Hutton Pierre Raymond Doan Barbara maintained a close emotional attachment to her son Lance Reventlow, despite periods of distance and strain. Lance became a racing driver and automobile designer during the 1950s and 1960s and founded the Scarab racing car company, one of the most ambitious American sports racing ventures of the period. On July 24, 1972, Lance Reventlow was killed in a plane crash near Aspen, Colorado, at the age of thirty-six. His death devastated Barbara. Friends later recalled that she never emotionally recovered from the loss. In the years following his death, her physical and emotional condition declined rapidly. Lance Reventlow By the 1970s, Barbara Hutton had largely withdrawn from public life. Once regarded as one of the world’s most glamorous women, she became increasingly frail and reclusive. Years of illness, malnutrition, surgeries, medications, and emotional distress severely weakened her health. She spent much of her final years living quietly in hotel suites and private residences, including long stays at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Although widely believed to have squandered nearly all of her fortune, Barbara still retained valuable possessions and vast assets at the end of her life, though nothing close to the enormous wealth she once controlled. Stories circulated that only a few thousand dollars remained in her bank account at the time of her death, though some relatives and associates disputed the exact figure. The last known photo of Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton died of a heart attack on May 11, 1979, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, at the age of sixty-six. Her funeral attracted surprisingly few attendees considering the enormous fame she had once commanded around the world. Woolworth Mausoleum, Courtesy of Neil Funkhouser She was entombed on May 25, 1979 in the Woolworth Mausoleum in the Pine Plot at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, Bronx County, She rests in the crypt just above her son Lance. Below is a gallery of photos of Barbara Hutton:

Photo Courtesy of The Ringling John Ringling was born Johann Nicholas Rüngeling on May 31, 1866, in McGregor, Iowa, into a family that understood work long before it understood wealth. John Ringling His father, August, was a harness maker, and the family later settled in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where the Ringling children grew up in a household shaped by labor, necessity, and persistence. There was no indication in those early years that one of them would one day control the largest circus enterprise in the United States, build a palace on Sarasota Bay, and assemble one of the most significant art collections in Florida. The Ringling brothers entered entertainment not as magnates, but as strivers. In 1882, they presented a small traveling show, and by 1884 they had formed their circus and taken it on the road. In those early years, the operation moved by wagon, advancing town to town, dependent on weather, terrain, and uncertain audiences. The work was constant. Canvas had to be raised and lowered, animals fed and managed, equipment transported, tickets sold, and crowds gathered. It was a system that required discipline and coordination long before it required spectacle. John distinguished himself early in the business. While others focused on performance, he focused on structure. He studied transportation, contracts, and logistics. By the late nineteenth century, the Ringling circus transitioned from wagon travel to rail, a change that transformed its scale. The circus became a coordinated system that moved by train, carrying performers, animals, tents, wagons, and equipment across the country. It operated as a traveling city, arriving, assembling, performing, dismantling, and departing with precision. By the turn of the century, the Ringlings had become one of the largest circus organizations in the nation. In 1907, they purchased Barnum & Bailey, their greatest rival, for $400,000. For several years the shows operated separately, but after the 1918 season they were combined into a single enterprise. In 1919, the unified Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus opened at Madison Square Garden in New York, marking a defining moment in American entertainment. Through consolidation, expansion, and careful management, John Ringling helped create a system that dominated the traveling circus industry. At the same time, his business interests extended beyond the circus. He invested in railroads, oil, land, and corporate ventures, including railroad enterprises in Oklahoma and elsewhere, and became involved in banking and major business institutions. Towns bore his name. His influence moved beyond performance into infrastructure, development, and finance. Mabel Burton In Chicago, John met Mable Burton, born March 14, 1875, in Ohio, the daughter of George Wesley Burton and Mary Elizabeth Wilson Burton. She had worked in a factory before leaving Ohio for Chicago, where she entered a different social and economic world. She was not born into wealth, but she developed a disciplined sense of taste and a strong personal vision that would shape everything that followed. They married on December 29, 1905, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Their marriage marked a shift in John’s life. He had built wealth. With Mable, that wealth took form. Together they traveled extensively in Europe, where they studied architecture, collected art, and developed an aesthetic grounded in historical forms and decorative richness. Venice became a particular point of inspiration for Mable, whose interest in its architecture and design would later define their home. Palms Elysian By 1909, John and Mable were spending time in Sarasota, Florida, a coastal community still in development. In 1911, they purchased a waterfront estate at Shell Beach along Sarasota Bay. The property included an earlier residence known as Palms Elysian, built in 1895, where they lived for more than a decade before constructing their new home. During these years, Sarasota became more than a retreat. It became a project. John invested heavily in the region. He acquired land across the barrier islands, including St. Armands Key, Bird Key, and large portions of Longboat Key. He financed and built the first bridge and causeway connecting the mainland to the keys, later donating it to the city. He was involved in hotel development, including the Hotel Sarasota and the El Vernona, and participated in shaping the physical and economic growth of Sarasota. He also relocated the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Sarasota in 1927, further tying the city to his enterprise. While John worked on development and business expansion, Mable’s vision moved toward architecture and design. Through years of travel, she developed a clear idea of the environment she wanted to create. By the early 1920s, John and Mable decided to replace their existing residence with a new house that would reflect their experiences and ambitions. They hired Dwight James Baum, a New York architect who had established himself designing revival-style residences and had received the Gold Medal of the Architectural League of New York in 1923. Baum first visited Florida in 1922 and began working for the Ringlings two years later. His work in Sarasota extended beyond Ca’ d’Zan to include civic and residential projects, but this commission would become his most recognized. Original Entrance Gates to Ca' d'Zan Baum was supported on site by architects Earl Purdy and Ralph Twitchell. Twitchell would later become a central figure in Sarasota architecture, establishing his own practice and contributing to what became known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. Construction of the house was overseen by Owen Burns, a contractor and developer deeply involved in Sarasota’s growth. Burns had paved streets, built subdivisions, established a bank, and constructed infrastructure, including causeways. His partnership with Ringling extended beyond this single project. Construction of Ca’ d’Zan began in 1924. Over the next two years, the structure rose along Sarasota Bay. The design drew from multiple European influences, including Venetian Gothic, Italian Renaissance, Moorish, and Spanish forms, unified within a Mediterranean Revival framework. The house was named Ca’ d’Zan, meaning “House of John” in Venetian dialect, though its design and execution reflected Mable’s direction. The exterior was constructed using polychrome terra cotta produced by O. W. Ketcham Terra Cotta Works in Pennsylvania, giving the façade its color and ornamental depth. Arched windows, decorative tracery, and layered surfaces reflected the architectural influences Mable had studied. The house extended along the bay with a broad terrace, integrating the building with the waterfront. Inside, the house contained fifty-six rooms arranged for both living and entertainment. The first floor included reception rooms, a lounge, breakfast room, dining room, Great Hall, and ballroom. The interiors were shaped through the work of multiple artists and craftsmen. Willy Pogany, a Hungarian-born artist, designed and painted a series of murals for the ballroom ceiling known as “Dancers of the Different Nations,” as well as a Venetian Carnival scene in the third-floor playroom that included images of John and Mable and their pets. Decorative painter Robert Webb Jr. contributed painted ornament throughout the house, including floral and Venetian-style designs in major rooms. Mable oversaw the selection of furnishings and decorative elements, sourcing items through European travel and estate auctions. She favored Venetian styles and specific color palettes, including shades of green. The house was not simply furnished. It was assembled through deliberate selection. Mable also shaped the landscape, developing the rose garden and influencing the placement of trees and sculpture. She chose to have her room face the garden rather than Sarasota Bay, a personal decision that reflected her priorities within the larger setting. The house was also designed to accommodate their animals, with interior gates allowing pets to move through certain spaces while being restricted from others. By 1926, Ca’ d’Zan was complete. In 1927, it was featured in Country Life magazine as “A Venetian Palace in Florida,” bringing national attention to the house. At the same time, John and Mable were establishing the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. John had begun collecting art seriously in the 1920s, acquiring hundreds of works, particularly European paintings with a focus on Baroque art. The museum was designed to house this collection and to serve as a public institution. It opened in 1930, fulfilling their intention to create a cultural center in Sarasota. In 1927, John also relocated the winter quarters of the circus to Sarasota, allowing the public to observe rehearsals and preparations during the off-season. This further integrated the circus with the city. This period represented the height of the Ringlings’ achievements. The circus dominated its industry. Sarasota was developing under John’s influence. Ca’ d’Zan stood completed. The museum housed a significant collection. Mabel Burton Ringling 1927 On June 8, 1929, Mable Ringling died in New York City at the age of fifty-four. Her death removed the central creative force behind Ca’ d’Zan and the aesthetic direction of their work. She was placed in a receiving vault at Brookside Cemetery in Englewood, New Jersey. Plans had been drawn for a mausoleum under the Statue of David, in the courtyard of the art museum. Plans of the Crypt's & Catacombs That same year, the stock market crash began a financial collapse that deeply affected John Ringling. His investments were heavily leveraged, and the economic downturn led to significant losses. In 1929, he had acquired the American Circus Corporation, expanding his control of the circus industry, but the timing contributed to his financial difficulties. John & Emily Ringling on their honeymoon in Miami, Florida 1930 In 1930, John married Emily Christine Haag Buck, a divorcee, in Jersey City. The marriage occurred during a period of financial and personal decline. By 1932, he had lost control of his circus operations. Financial pressure mounted, including loans secured against his holdings, and control of assets shifted away from him. John Ringling 1935 John Ringling died on December 2, 1936, in New York City. He was placed beside Mable in the receiving vault at Brookside Cemetery. At the time of his death, he left Ca’ d’Zan, the museum, and his art collection to the State of Florida. Following his death, the estate became the subject of legal disputes involving family members, creditors, and the state. The transfer of the museum and estate to Florida was delayed for approximately a decade. During this time, Ca’ d’Zan remained unoccupied, and the museum was not fully maintained. In 1946, the state assumed control, and a 1947 court ruling affirmed Florida’s claim to the estate, ensuring that the museum, house, and collection remained intact as a public institution. Meanwhile, the remains of John and Mable were moved multiple times over the following decades. In 1954, they were transferred from Brookside Cemetery to Hackensack Cemetery in New Jersey. In 1958, they were moved again to Fairview Mausoleum in New Jersey. Attempts to bring them to Sarasota in 1960 and 1970 were unsuccessful due to disputes. In 1987, their remains were moved to Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Port Charlotte, Florida. Legal and administrative steps continued, and in 1990, approval was granted for their burial at the museum. On June 4, 1991, John and Mable Ringling & John's sister Ida were interred at the Ringling Museum grounds in Sarasota. Over the following decades, the estate underwent restoration and expansion. Ca’ d’Zan required ongoing preservation due to environmental exposure. A major restoration from 1996 to 2002 addressed structural and material issues. Additional restoration projects continued into the twenty-first century, including work on windows, masonry, and the reflecting pool. The museum campus expanded under state and university stewardship, adding galleries, educational facilities, and specialized collections, including circus-related exhibitions. Hurricanes and environmental conditions continued to impact the estate, requiring ongoing conservation efforts. Despite these challenges, the Ringling remains an active cultural institution, housing art collections, historic structures, and educational programs. Ca’ d’Zan still stands on Sarasota Bay, its design reflecting the architectural vision developed by John and Mable Ringling. The museum continues to display the collection they assembled. The city of Sarasota retains the imprint of John Ringling’s development efforts. After decades of movement, legal conflict, and preservation, John and Mable Ringling came to rest within the estate they created, completing a journey that began far from Florida and ended at the edge of Sarasota Bay. Photos: Historical photos of Ca' d'Zan, The Ringling Museum, and other historical documents are courtesy of The Ringling & Florida Memory. Other photos courtesy of Google Images, and my own private collection.

Alexander Turney Stewart October 12, 1803 – April 10, 1876 Alexander Turney Stewart was born on October 12, 1803, in Lisburn, Ireland, to Scottish Protestant parents. His father died only weeks after his birth, and soon after, his mother left for America with her new husband. Stewart remained behind, raised by his grandfather, who intended for him to enter the ministry. His early education was strict and deliberate, but his path changed after his grandfather’s death. He was taken in by an Irish Quaker family and introduced to practical business life. By his mid-teens, Stewart had abandoned religious ambitions and turned toward commerce. In 1818, at fifteen years old, he sailed to New York with five hundred dollars he had earned as a grocer. He began modestly, working as a teacher for a salary of three hundred dollars a year. It was steady work, but not the future he wanted. By the 1820s, Stewart entered the dry goods trade, opening a small shop on Broadway. What followed was one of the most remarkable business rises in American history. The Empire Stewart did not simply run a store. He reinvented how people shopped. He introduced fixed pricing at a time when haggling was the norm. Customers were treated with consistency, not negotiation. He focused on high quality goods, imported fabrics, and a level of presentation that turned retail into an experience. His first major expansion came with the construction of his “Marble Palace” on Broadway in 1848, a striking white building that drew attention as much for its appearance as for its contents. It was one of the first true department stores in the United States. From there, his empire expanded rapidly. The Sun Building, c. 1917. Photo courtesy of the New-York Historical Society. By the 1860s, Stewart constructed an even larger retail complex known as the “Iron Palace,” a vast cast iron structure that occupied an entire city block. Inside were multiple floors of goods, organized and displayed in a way that had never been seen before. Customers came not just to buy, but to see. At its height, Stewart’s business employed thousands and generated immense wealth. He controlled supply chains, imported goods directly, and operated with a scale that rivaled entire industries. He was widely considered the richest merchant in America. His success extended beyond retail. On Long Island, he developed Garden City, an ambitious planned community complete with wide avenues, housing, and a grand cathedral intended to serve as both a place of worship and a lasting monument. The Mansion In New York City, Stewart built a residence that reflected his wealth and status. His mansion on Fifth Avenue was constructed of white marble and stood as one of the most impressive private homes in the city. Inside, it was filled with fine furnishings, imported materials, and carefully curated rooms designed to display both taste and power. It was within this house that he lived out his final years. Death and Burial Alexander Turney Stewart died on April 10, 1876, within his Fifth Avenue mansion. His death was treated with the same attention to detail that had defined his life. His body was placed on ice within the home. A death photograph was taken, and a plaster cast of his face was made. He was enclosed within three coffins, an inner oak shell covered in black velvet, sealed within lead, and placed inside an outer cedar case. His funeral drew great attention. The casket was displayed within the mansion before being transported by hearse to St. Mark’s Church in New York City. There, beneath a simple marble slab, he was placed within a concealed underground vault. The entrance was sealed, covered with earth, and carefully hidden from view. For more than two years, he remained undisturbed. The Warning In September 1878, an anonymous letter warned that an attempt would be made to steal Stewart’s body. The warning was largely dismissed. Weeks later, the grave showed signs of disturbance. The stone appeared to have been shifted and replaced. In response, new locks were installed, and the position of the grave marker was altered to conceal the vault’s exact location. A watchman was assigned to patrol the grounds. For a time, nothing happened. Then the watchman was dismissed. The Theft Three days later, the vault was broken open. On the morning of November 7, 1878, fresh earth revealed what had been done. Inside the tomb, the coffins had been forced apart. The silver plate was gone. A piece of velvet had been cut from the inner lining. The body of Alexander Turney Stewart had been taken. There were no obvious signs of entry. Whoever carried out the crime had precise knowledge of the vault’s location and construction. A reward of twenty five thousand dollars was offered. No one came forward. The Ransom Months later, a letter arrived from a man calling himself Henry G. Romaine. He claimed to possess the body and demanded two hundred thousand dollars for its return. To prove his claim, he provided details known only to the thieves and produced a piece of the coffin’s velvet lining. Negotiations began through coded messages placed in newspaper personals. The demand was refused. Time passed. Years later, the price dropped. Stewart’s widow, exhausted by grief, was willing to pay. After further negotiation, the amount was reduced to twenty thousand dollars. The Exchange The terms required absolute secrecy. A single messenger would carry the money out of New York at night, alone, following a route provided by the thieves. If he was followed, the exchange would not occur. In the early hours of the morning, along a deserted road, masked men approached. Passwords were exchanged. The velvet fragment was matched. The money was handed over. The remains of Alexander Turney Stewart were returned. Final Rest The return was quiet and without ceremony. Within a day, the body was taken to the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, the great church Stewart’s widow had built in his memory. There, within a concealed crypt, he was laid to rest once more. When Cornelia Mitchell Clinch Stewart died in 1886, she was placed beside him. Their exact resting place remains hidden within the cathedral. No visible tomb marks the spot, only a massive stone vessel & plaque bearing their names. For a time, one of the richest men in American history could not rest in peace. In the end, he was brought back, and finally left undisturbed.

Caroline Lee Bouvier was born on March 3, 1933, in Manhattan, New York County, New York. She was the younger daughter of John Vernou Bouvier III, a Wall Street stockbroker, and Janet Norton Lee. She was born into a socially prominent New York family and spent her early childhood in Manhattan and East Hampton, New York. Following her parents' separation and divorce during her childhood, she was raised primarily by her mother. Black Jack & Janet Bouvier She was educated in New York City and later attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied literature and drama. She did not complete a degree. In the early 1950s she relocated to Paris, where she lived for extended periods and worked briefly in publishing and fashion-related environments. During this period she moved within expatriate cultural circles in Europe and the United States. On April 23, 1953, she married publishing executive Michael Temple Canfield. The marriage was later annulled. She continued to live between Paris, London, and New York throughout the 1950s. Michael Canfield On March 19, 1959, she married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł. The marriage brought her sustained public visibility and residence in Europe. During this marriage she lived primarily in London and Paris. Two children were born of the marriage. The marriage ended in divorce in 1974. She continued to use the Radziwiłł surname thereafter. During the 1960s she pursued acting, appearing in stage and television productions in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Her acting career was limited in duration. Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł By the early 1970s she redirected her professional activities toward interior design and later fashion-related public relations work. In later years she worked in public relations for Giorgio Armani. In 1988 she married film director Herbert Ross. The marriage ended in divorce in 2001. She resided primarily in Manhattan during her later years. Herbert Ross Caroline Lee Bouvier Radziwill died in Manhattan, New York County, New York, on February 15, 2019, at the age of eighty-five. She was cremated. In accordance with her wishes, half of her ashes were buried at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York, and half were scattered in the Mediterranean Sea off the Amalfi Coast.

Margaret Wright Bedford, known to her friends simply as "Peggy," lived a life that could have been scripted for the society pages. Born in 1932 to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Henry Bedford, Jr., she was heir to the Standard Oil fortune through her father, who served as a director of the powerful company. Her childhood alternated between the Bedford estate in Greens Farms, Connecticut, and the family's apartment in New York's Pierre Hotel, an existence that was hardly "ordinary," though cloaked in the rituals of privilege. She was educated first at Chapin and later at Miss Porter's School, both finishing schools renowned as pipelines for debutantes rather than scholars. Peggy was not known for her academic prowess, but her striking beauty, luminous violet eyes, and vivacious personality made her unforgettable. From a young age, she possessed a restless energy, a quality that would define the course of her adult life. Margaret "Peggy" Bedford In June 1950 Peggy was presented to society with a private dance at the Creek Club in Locust Valley, followed by bows at the Junior Assemblies and Junior League balls. Named one of the "debutantes of the season," she quickly became a darling of the press. Less than a year later, on April 15, 1951, she married Thomas Moore Bancroft, Jr., a handsome Princeton senior, amateur tennis champion, and grandson of Elsie Woodward, one of New York's reigning social figures. Their wedding at St. James Church, with a reception at the Colony Club, was heralded as the social event of the season, uniting two of New York's most distinguished families. The couple soon relocated to Santa Barbara, California, where Tommy was stationed with the Navy. Their daughter, Muffie, was born shortly thereafter. While Peggy appeared to embrace domestic life, her restlessness remained. Whenever Tommy was away at sea, she returned to New York, staying at her mother's suite at the Pierre. After Tommy's service ended, they moved back east, first into the Bancroft estate at Old Westbury, before Peggy insisted on purchasing their own apartment. Peggy Bedford Bancroft at 740 Park Ave. Her choice was bold: a sprawling duplex at 740 Park Avenue, the most prestigious co-op in New York. At only twenty-three, Peggy joined a roster of residents that included Rockefellers and magnates of similar standing. Despite Tommy's protests that they were too young for such a grand residence, Peggy prevailed, buoyed by an inheritance of several million dollars from her grandfather and encouraged by her family friend John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who also lived in the building. The apartment quickly became the setting for Peggy's ascent as one of New York's leading hostesses. With a flair for mixing society's blue bloods with Broadway stars, Hollywood actors, and visiting European aristocrats, her parties were legendary, extravagant, yet never stiff. Invitations to her soirées became among the most coveted in the city. Life magazine even featured her having her hair styled at home by Kenneth, the celebrity hairdresser of the day. But the glamour strained her marriage. Peggy's penchant for travel and high society, often unaccompanied by her husband, deepened their differences. Matters were not helped when, at one of her parties, a rented elephant damaged an elevator in their building. This only reinforced Tommy's desire for a quieter life. By the late 1950s, Peggy was abroad more often than at home, frequenting Paris, Deauville, and other playgrounds of the international set. Their marriage ended in May 1960, when Peggy quietly obtained a divorce in Alabama. By December, Tommy had remarried, and Peggy stunned the press by revealing that she, too, had married. Her escort to the wedding of Princess Astrid of Norway, Prince Charles d'Arenberg, had in fact been her husband since December 29, 1960, the two having been married in a private civil ceremony in Massachusetts, the union kept secret until publicly announced in New York in February 1961. Now styled Her Serene Highness, Princess d'Arenberg, Peggy moved immediately into an international aristocratic world, dividing her time between New York and Paris, and traveling in European royal circles, including her presence in Oslo during preparations for the royal wedding she had attended. In 1961 she gave birth to Prince Frederick d'Arenberg, solidifying her place within the French aristocracy. Ever the social force, she introduced "the twist" to Maxim's in 1964 and modeled for charity shows alongside her close friend Princess Irene Galitzine. Yet her custody battle with Tommy over Muffie revealed the instability behind the glittering surface. Though officially awarded custody, Peggy's itinerant lifestyle meant her daughter spent much of her time with her father and grandmother in the United States. By 1966 Peggy's marriage to Prince Charles was unraveling. Divorce proceedings promised scandal, with Charles alleging infidelity and citing multiple lovers, a very public fracture within a marriage that had begun in secrecy. The case remained unresolved when he died suddenly in June 1967 at the age of sixty-two. Peggy maintained that the two had reconciled prior to his death, and although she was required to leave the d'Arenberg residence, she retained a financial settlement and, most importantly, secured her young son's position within the family. In 1968 Peggy began yet another chapter. She married Emmanuel de Crussol d'Uzès, heir to the oldest dukedom in France. Their marriage, performed in Morocco and attended by an international circle of aristocratic and social figures, elevated her title from princess to duchess and marked her full entry into the French nobility. By the following year she had been publicly received in that role, appearing on the cover of the French society magazine Jours de France as the Duchesse d'Uzès, a reflection of her new standing within one of France's most historic noble families. Peggy restored the ancestral château of Uzès with her fortune, while continuing to travel between Paris, Rabat, Uzès, and New York, where she presided over her daughter Muffie's debut and marriage in the early 1970s. Her life ended tragically in 1977. Returning from a party outside Paris, Peggy was killed instantly in a car accident at the age of forty-five. Her body was brought back to New York, where she was interred in her family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery. Photos Courtesy of Neil Funkhouser Photos Courtesy of Neil Funkhouser

Cowles Miles Collier was born 10 September 1838 in Hampton, Virginia, the son of Charles Miles Collier Jr. and Sarah Ann Cowles. He grew up in coastal Virginia and received a military education at the Hampton Military Institute. In 1856 he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point but resigned from the academy the following year. After leaving West Point he pursued maritime service and by the late 1850s was serving at sea, including duty aboard the United States Navy steam frigate USS Wabash . His service carried him to foreign waters in the Mediterranean where American naval vessels regularly operated during that period. When Virginia seceded from the United States in 1861, Collier returned to his home state and entered Confederate service. On 20 May 1861 he received a commission as a second lieutenant under General Joseph E. Johnston. During the early months of the war he was involved in the construction and supervision of defensive works at Winchester, Virginia, including the fortification later known as Fort Collier. His abilities with artillery and military engineering soon led to additional responsibilities. He served with Confederate artillery units in northern Virginia and later transferred to ordnance work, where he was placed in charge of important manufacturing and supply operations for the Confederate government. In 1863 he was promoted to the rank of captain. His later wartime service included assignments connected with Confederate ordnance production and supply before declining health led him to request relief from field duty during the final year of the war. On 10 September 1863 he married Hannah Celeste Shackelford, daughter of James Shackelford and Harriette Cowdrey of South Carolina. The couple had four children: Charles Miles Collier, Georgia Shackleford Collier, Euphan Marshall Collier, and Barron Gift Collier. By Cowles Miles Collier After the Civil War, Collier turned increasingly toward artistic pursuits. He became known as a painter, particularly for watercolor scenes of ships, sailors, and maritime life that reflected his years at sea. By the end of the nineteenth century he was exhibiting artwork in New York and was regarded as a skilled marine painter. Some of his work appeared in exhibitions in Manhattan around 1900 and he contributed paintings to charitable exhibitions held in the city. During his later life Collier and his wife resided in New York City, while also spending time in coastal New England. He died 14 September 1907 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, four days after his sixty ninth birthday. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York..

Elizabeth Muhlenberg Brooke was born on April 25, 1916, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family whose name already carried history. Her father, George Brooke Jr., was a banker and steel manufacturer whose family roots were embedded in Pennsylvania industry. Her mother, Lucile Stewart Polk of Baltimore, descended from President James K. Polk and had survived the sinking of the Titanic four years before Elizabeth's birth. That tragedy would shadow the family name, though Elizabeth herself later dismissed it with impatience. It had happened before she was born, she would say, and she refused to let it define her. George Brooke & His daughter Elizabeth She was raised at Almondbury on the Main Line, in a world of formal gardens, long drives, and inherited expectations. Almondbury Her education carried her from Miss Wright's School to Westover in Connecticut, and then to Paris, where she spent three formative years. In Paris she discovered art not as decoration but as revelation. Under the guidance of Madame Chapon, she visited the Louvre several times each week. Standing before eighteenth and nineteenth century masters, she asked herself a question that would quietly shape her life. If such beauty existed in the past, what were artists creating now. Lucile Stewart Polk Brooke Her mother died on October 26, 1934. Elizabeth was eighteen. She had made her debut the previous season, stepping into society just as the most complicated influence in her life disappeared. On May 29, 1936, she eloped to Elkton, Maryland, and married Thomas Wilton Phipps, nephew of Lady Astor. The marriage was impulsive and romantic. Soon after, they sailed for London. In London she entered a vivid Anglo American circle of writers, decorators, and aristocratic families. She did not drink, but she drove friends from party to party and absorbed the energy around her. On November 24, 1937, her son Wilton, called Tony, was born in Twickenham. She was twenty one. Edward James Reeves The marriage fractured within three years. In July 1939, she obtained an uncontested divorce in Reno on grounds of cruelty. Less than a month later, on August 21, 1939, she married Edward James Reeves in Bar Harbor, Maine. Reeves was a New York stockbroker, and she returned to Manhattan life. On March 20, 1942, their daughter Joan was born in New York City. Ten months later, on January 26, 1943, Reeves died at the age of thirty seven. Elizabeth was twenty six, widowed with two small children. Betty Brooke Reeves 1943 On February 1, 1944, she married John Randolph McLean in Bryan County, Oklahoma. Jock & Betty Mclean Through that marriage she entered Texas life, dividing her time between Dallas and Newport. Dallas in the 1940s was wealthy and ambitious but culturally cautious. Elizabeth was neither cautious nor timid. In 1951 she opened the Betty McLean Gallery in Dallas, the first gallery in Texas devoted exclusively to contemporary European and American art. She hung Picasso and Monet on walls in a city that was not yet comfortable with modernism. She exhibited living artists whose names were unfamiliar to most collectors. The gallery did not make her rich. It made her influential. Her marriage to McLean ended on April 30, 1953, when a divorce decree was finalized in Miami. Thomas Walter Blake Jr. On September 12 of that same year, she married Thomas Walter Blake in Dallas. Two sons followed in close succession. Thomas Brooke Blake was born on June 6, 1954. Douglas Walter Blake was born on July 17, 1955. Her gallery closed in the mid 1950s, but its effect endured. She shifted from dealer to institutional force. She became deeply involved with the Dallas Museum of Contemporary Arts and later helped guide its merger with the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, shaping what would become the Dallas Museum of Art. She served in leadership roles with the American Federation of Arts and for decades sat on acquisitions committees, most notably at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. She trusted her own eye. She bought what moved her rather than what was fashionable. Wilton "Tony" Phipps On July 9, 1959, her eldest son Tony died in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, at the age of twenty one. Her marriage to Thomas Walter Blake ended in the early 1960s. Samuel Allen Guiberson III at Dallas Love Field, Dallas Texas in June 1940 On September 27, 1962, she married Samuel Allen Guiberson III, an inventive Texas oilman. That marriage lasted until May 25, 1973, when it ended in divorce in Dallas. After that, she did not marry again. The remaining forty three years of her life were lived independently. She divided her time between Dallas and Newport, where she had summered as a girl and where she had first stepped into society. In Newport she was known as Boop, a nickname from her youth. She swam in the ocean into her nineties. She drove herself long after others surrendered their keys. She read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal daily, using a magnifying glass when necessary. She remained a practicing Christian Scientist and abstained from alcohol and tobacco. She traveled widely and even trekked in Nepal in her late eighties. Artists found in her not a decorative patron but a champion. She supported emerging painters and sculptors before they were safe choices. She hosted gatherings where artists and collectors mingled easily. Her homes in Dallas and Newport were filled with serious art and serious conversation. Over time, her collection grew to include major figures of twentieth century art. Much of it would pass to her children or to museums, extending her influence beyond her lifetime. Elizabeth Muhlenberg Brooke 1934 On August 8, 2016, at the age of one hundred, Elizabeth Muhlenberg Brooke Blake died in Newport, Rhode Island, following complications from a fall at her home. She was buried at Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard in Portsmouth. She had been a Philadelphia heiress, a London bride, a Manhattan widow, a Texas pioneer in modern art, and a Newport matriarch. Through marriage, widowhood, reinvention, and independence, she remained unmistakably herself. Her legacy is not merely the art she owned, but the cultural confidence she helped instill in a city still learning to look forward.

Abraham Kingsley Macomber was born 7 March 1875 in Morristown, New Jersey, the son of Henry Kirke Macomber and Amelia Montague Collerd. While still young he moved with his family to Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, where his father became known locally as Dr. H. K. Macomber. Kingsley grew up in a city that was expanding in the closing years of the nineteenth century, and later reminiscences recalled him as one of the boys of early Pasadena, first on El Molino Avenue and later on Colorado Street. As a young man he developed strong interests in horses and travel. In 1894 he joined Frederick Russell Burnham and a small party of Americans on an expedition into Central Africa. The group spent approximately six months surveying and mapping mineral regions in what is now Zimbabwe. During hostilities associated with the Matabele uprising, they were caught in the Siege of Bulawayo, where a small force held out until relieved by British troops. After leaving Africa, Macomber traveled to London and was later associated with the Royal Geographical Society before returning to the United States. By the late 1890s his name appeared frequently in connection with Southern California horse shows and sporting events. In March 1899 newspapers announced his engagement to Laura Myrtle Harkness of New York City. She was the daughter of Lamon Vanderburgh Harkness. The marriage was celebrated 27 September 1899 at the Harkness residence on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with Rev. Dr. Wilton Merle Smith officiating. Afterward, Kingsley and Myrtle divided their time between New York and Pasadena. Their daughter, Priscilla Amelia Macomber, was born 22 May 1902 in Pasadena. She died there 10 March 1903. Rancho Cienega de los Paicines During the first decade of the twentieth century Macomber acquired Rancho Cienega de los Paicines in San Benito County, California. The ranch encompassed thousands of acres and operated as a large scale cattle and horse enterprise. Contemporary accounts described extensive herds, saddle horses, ranch employees, and a substantial main residence supported by outbuildings. The property became both a working agricultural operation and a base for his bloodstock interests. Macomber Residence in Pasadena, California A Pasadena feature in 1907 presented his South Orange Grove Avenue residence and its orchid collections. Two years later, on 23 March 1909, his father Henry Kirke Macomber died in Pasadena. Reports in 1910 placed Macomber abroad and noted his purchase of a Bleriot monoplane, reflecting his interest in early aviation. His activities increasingly alternated between California and Europe. Horse racing became the dominant public element of his life in the 1910s. His colt Star Hawk finished second in the 1916 Kentucky Derby. War Cloud In 1918 his colt War Cloud ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby and later won the Preakness Stakes. His stable won other major American races including the Travers Stakes, the Suburban Handicap, and the Withers Stakes. When anti betting legislation in 1911 disrupted racing in the United States, Macomber shifted substantial operations to Europe. By 1919 the Paicines ranch was reported in connection with a significant lease arrangement while his racing interests were increasingly centered overseas. In 1920 he purchased the racing establishment of William K. Vanderbilt in France, including bloodstock and training facilities. From that point forward he was regularly identified in American newspapers as an American sportsman residing in Paris. His horses competed successfully in major European races. In 1923 his colt Parth won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. Gold Bridge won the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1933 and again in 1934. During these European years he owned the steam yacht Crusader, which was counted among the notable yachts seen in prewar Deauville. Rancho Cienega de los Paicines was sold in 1927. On 23 June 1928 his brother Henry Jewell Macomber died in San Francisco. By the early 1930s Macomber's base was firmly in France, though he continued to maintain residences in the United States, including Pasadena, New York City, and Stamford, Connecticut. On 5 April 1932 his mother, Amelia Montague Collerd Macomber, died in Seattle. During the 1930s his name continued to appear in racing coverage in both Europe and the United States, and he was frequently described as a leading American owner abroad. In 1941 newspapers reported that his extensive natural history collection, assembled over many years and associated with Frederick Russell Burnham, remained stored near Paris during the war. On 3 December 1944 his brother Leroy Alexander Macomber died in San Francisco. After the Second World War he continued to reside in France while retaining ties to the United States. Abraham Kingsley Macomber died 5 October 1955 at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, France. He was returned to New York and was entombed 8 June 1956 in the Harkness Mausoleum. Seminole The Pullman car, "Seminole," was owned by A. Kingsley Macomber, a business man who was born in 1874 and died in 1956. Macomber was also a racehorse owner and breeder. In 2011, the car was owned by the Old Smoky Railway Museum. For interior photos Click Here