Alice Whitney
Born
Alice Cornelia Thaw

(1880-01-02)January 2, 1880
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 1955(1955-05-08) (aged 75)
Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
TitleCountess of Yarmouth
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1903; ann. 1908)​
    Geoffrey George Whitney Sr.
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1913)​
    Children2
    Parent(s)William Thaw Sr.
    Mary Sibbet Copley
    RelativesHarry Kendall Thaw (brother)
    Margaret Copley Thaw (sister)
    Benjamin Thaw Sr. (half-brother)

    Alice Cornelia Thaw (January 2, 1880 – May 8, 1955) was an American philanthropist and, upon her marriage to George Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth (who later succeeded as 7th Marquess of Hertford), the Countess of Yarmouth.[1]

    Early life

    Thaw was born on January 2, 1880, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of William Thaw, Sr., who is considered one of the 100 wealthiest Americans of all time arising from his ownership of the Pennsylvania Company,[2] and her father's second wife, Mary Sibbet Copley. From her father's first marriage to the former Eliza Blair, she was a younger half-sister to five (that survived childhood), including Benjamin Thaw Sr., a banker and philanthropist.[3] From her parents marriage, she was one of five additional children (that survived childhood), including Harry Kendall Thaw, who married the actress Evelyn Nesbit (and later murdered Stanford White over her affair with the architect),[4][5] and Margaret Copley Thaw, who married George Lauder Carnegie, a nephew of Andrew Carnegie, and after his death, Roger, Comte de Périgny.[6]

    Her paternal grandparents were John Thaw, an owner of the United States Bank of Philadelphia, and Elizabeth (née Thomas) Thaw and her maternal grandparents were Margaret and Josiah Copley,[7] a pioneer editor who was well known in the community.[8]

    Her father died in 1889,[9] after having given an estimated $5,000,000 to charity during his lifetime.[10] From her father's estate, which was divided equally into one-sixteenth shares, nine year old Alice inherited coal lands (held until all of his children became of age and expected to be worth approximately $13,000,000 in the William Thaw Coke Trust[11]), and a one-sixteenth interest in the remainder.[12] Alice, as a daughter of her father's second wife, stood to inherit even more due to her mother's own wealth, totaling $10,000,000 in 1903.[13]

    Personal life

    In January 1903, George Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth, an amateur actor[14] who was a friend of her older brother Harry and was the eldest son and heir apparent of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford, was a two-week guest of her mother at their rented residence on Lafayette Square in Washington (owned by former U.S. Senator J. Donald Cameron).[13][15] Their engagement was announced in February 1903 and they were married shortly thereafter on April 27, 1903, in Pittsburgh,[16] but not before the Earl "extorted" her mother to increase the dowry under the threat he would not go through the marriage.[17] After their marriage, the couple sailed aboard the St. Paul to her husband's native England.[18] Upon leaving the U.S., much was made about debts the Earl had accumulated while in New York, prompting him to comment to reporters:[11]

    "I don't owe much here and I don't want any fuss. I don't expect any, as my lawyer is here to meet anybody who may have a claim against me. My father has given Col. Olin money to pay my debts and I want it understood that my wife is not paying them for me. After I leave, if any other creditor comes forward I want him to go to Col. Olin, who will settle the bill."[11]

    Reportedly, "scores of tales have been told of the sorrowful life of the Countess, and it was a well-known fact that within a few months after the marriage the ill-treatment of his wife by the Earl began."[17] In January 1908, Alice sued Yarmouth for divorce.[19][20] Their marriage was annulled in 1908 on the grounds of non-consummation.[21] As part of the divorce, all financial interests were returned to Thaw,[22][23] and she resumed using her maiden name[24][25] and moved to Lenox, Massachusetts.[26]

    After their divorce, her former father-in-law died in 1912,[27] and her ex-husband succeeded to his titles as the 7th Marquess of Hertford. He died in 1940, having never remarried nor having any children and was succeeded in his titles by his nephew.[28]

    Second marriage

    On March 22, 1913, Alice married for a second time to Geoffrey George Whitney Sr. (1882–1953), a stockbroker with Whitney & Elwell, at her sister's home, Plum Orchard at Dungeness on Cumberland Island in Georgia.[29] Together, they lived in Milton, Massachusetts, maintained a summer home known as Little Harbor Farm in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and were the parents of two sons:

    • Geoffrey George Whitney Jr. (1915–2001), who married Pauline M. Cheverfils.[30] He later married Linda Cole (1932–2011)[31] in 1968.[32]
    • William Thaw Whitney (1917–1969),[33] who married Mary Louise Johnstone (1915–1974).[34]

    Her second husband, also a noted horticulturist, died in July 1953.[35] Alice died of a heart attack at her home in Milton on May 8, 1955.[1] She was buried at the cemetery in Woods Hole.[36]

    References

    1. 1 2 "Mrs. Geoffrey Whitney, Broker's Widow And Member of Thaw Family, Dies at 75". The New York Times. 10 May 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
    2. ↑ Klepper, Michael; Gunther, Michael (1996), The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates—A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present, Secaucus, New Jersey: Carol Publishing Group, p. xiii, ISBN 978-0-8065-1800-8, OCLC 33818143
    3. ↑ "Benjamin Thaw, Banker, Dies at 74; Noted Pittsburgh Financier Was the Father of Colonel Thaw, World War Ace". The New York Times. 20 August 1933. Retrieved 9 October 2010. Benjamin Thaw Sr., banker and philanthropist, member of one of the oldest and foremost ... Mrs. G. G. Whitney. Another son, the Rev. Stephen Thaw, died some years ago. ...
    4. ↑ "Harry K. Thaw is Dead in Florida. Coronary Thrombosis Fatal to Former 'Playboy' Who Shot Stanford White in 1906". The New York Times. 22 February 1947. Retrieved 23 July 2008. Harry K. Thaw, 76, died at his Miami Beach home about 8 pm tonight. His family physician said that the attack of coronary ...
    5. ↑ Blecher, George (3 August 2018). "Murder, Politics and Architecture: The Making of Madison Square Park". The New York Times.
    6. ↑ "Countess De Perigny, Harry Thaws Sister. Widow of George L. Carnegie, Nephew of Steel Magnate". The New York Times. 10 January 1942. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
    7. ↑ Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography: Illustrated. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1915. p. 1353. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
    8. ↑ Thaw, Mary Sibbet (1891). In Memoriam, William Thaw. J. Eichbaum. p. 10. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
    9. ↑ "OBITUARY | WILLIAM THAW". The New York Times. 18 August 1889. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    10. ↑ "Liberal in His Charity; the Millions Given Away by William Thaw. a Great Loss to Charitable and Educational Work in the Death of the Pittsburg Philanthropist". The New York Times. 21 August 1889. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    11. 1 2 3 "FINANCES OF YARMOUTH; Mrs. Thaw Fully Explains the Marriage Settlements. Bride's Fortune in Trust--Earl and Countess Sail After He Arranges to Pay Debts". The New York Times. 30 April 1903. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    12. ↑ "William Thaw's Will". The New York Times. 3 September 1889. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    13. 1 2 "EARL OF YARMOUTH WINS MISS THAW; Titled English Actor and American Heiress Will Wed. Acquaintance Began Three Months Ago -- Bride-Elect Worth $1,000,000, and Will Inherit More Millions". The New York Times. 18 February 1903. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    14. ↑ "LORD YARMOUTH MADE JUDGE AND JURY LAUGH; Said He Was Libeled in Australia, and Told Why He Did Not Sue. Drew a Funny Picture to Show How He Looked In Ballet Costume -- To Continue His Testimony Monday". The New York Times. 11 May 1901. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    15. ↑ "EARL OF YARMOUTH'S WEDDING; Arrangements for the Marriage of the British Nobleman to Miss Thaw Are Announced". The New York Times. 5 April 1903. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    16. ↑ "Miss Thaw and Earl Wed. Church Magnificently Decorated and Lavish Display of Wealth Adds to Gorgeousness of the Ceremony". Chicago Tribune. 28 April 1903. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
    17. 1 2 "COUNTESS'S MOTHER ILL; Pittsburg Heard Tales of Earl's Bad Treatment of His Wife". The New York Times. 4 January 1908. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    18. ↑ "Traveling to English Home. Costumes Were Elegant". Pittsburgh Press. 28 April 1903. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
    19. ↑ "LADY YARMOUTH SEEKS A DIVORCE; Harry Thaw's Sister, Badly Treated for Two Years, Brings Secret Suit. FAMILY WAS COLD TO HER Murder Trial of Brother Precipitated the Separation -- Mothers of Both Are Prostrated". The New York Times. 4 January 1908. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    20. ↑ "YARMOUTH CASE NEXT WEEK.; Divorce Court Fixes Date for Countess's Suit Against Her Husband". The New York Times. 31 January 1908. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    21. ↑ MacColl, Gail; Wallace, Carol (2012). To Marry an English Lord. Workman Publishing. p. 352. ISBN 978-0-761-17198-0.
    22. ↑ "LADY YARMOUTH KEPT HER MONEY; Gave Only a Monthly Allowance to the Earl, and That May Stop. EARL WILL MAKE A FIGHT Mrs. Thaw, Suffering from Rheumatism, Will Not Attend the Opening of Her Son's Trial". The New York Times. 5 January 1908. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    23. ↑ "EARL LOSES THAW MONEY.; All Financial Interests Extinguished by Annullment of Yarmouth's Marriage". The New York Times. 13 October 1908. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    24. ↑ "YARMOUTH DECREE ABSOLUTE; Countess, Who Was Miss Alice Thaw, May Resume Maiden Name". The New York Times. 13 August 1908. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    25. ↑ "EX-LADY YARMOUTH RETURNS.; Now Known as Mrs. Copley Thaw -- Has Taken House in London". The New York Times. 19 November 1908. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    26. ↑ "MRS. COPLEY THAW'S HOME.; Former Countess of Yarmouth to Live in Lenox, Mass., with Her Mother". The New York Times. 5 October 1908. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    27. ↑ "MARQUIS OF HERTFORD DEAD. His Heir Is the Earl of Yarmouth, Who Married Alice Thaw". The New York Times. 24 March 1912. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    28. ↑ "MARQUESS OE HERTFORD; Former Husband of Alice Thaw Dies in Devonshire at 68". The New York Times. 17 February 1940. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    29. ↑ "Former Countess of Yarmouth to Marry Boston Broker in Spring". The New York Times. 19 December 1912. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
    30. ↑ "Geoffrey G. Whitney Jr., 86 Retired from WHOI active in Falmouth government". Cape Cod Times. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    31. ↑ "Linda Cole Whitney". www.ccgfuneralhome.com. Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Homes. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    32. ↑ "Geoffrey G. Whitney, Jr". www.ccgfuneralhome.com. Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Homes. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    33. ↑ "William T. Whitney, 51, Was Investment Official". The Boston Globe. 3 January 1969. p. 30. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    34. ↑ "WHITNEY". The Boston Globe. 19 August 1974. p. 27. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    35. ↑ "Geoffrey G. Whitney, a Retired Broker, 71". The New York Times. 26 July 1953. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    36. ↑ "Mrs. Geoffrey Whitney". The Boston Globe. 10 May 1955. p. 23. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
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