Katherine Emmons Force
Photograph of Katherine, c. 1908.
Born(1891-03-12)March 12, 1891
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1956(1956-09-08) (aged 65)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
OccupationBusinesswoman
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1922; died 1939)​
Children3
RelativesMadeleine Talmage Force (sister)
John Jacob Astor VI (nephew)
Tunis V. P. Talmage (grandfather)

Katherine Emmons Force Spencer (March 12, 1891 – September 8, 1956) was an American real estate investor and socialite.[1][2] She was a member of the zoning board for Newport, Rhode Island.[1]

Early life

Katherine Emmons Force was born on March 12, 1891, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the elder daughter of William Hurlbut Force (1852–1917) and Katherine Arvilla (née Talmage) Force (1864–1939).[1] Her younger sister Madeleine was the widow of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV of the Astor family, who died during the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.[2] Her maternal grandfather was New York State Assemblyman Tunis V. P. Talmage, and her great-grandfather Thomas G. Talmage was Mayor of Brooklyn.[3]

Personal life

On December 6, 1922, Force was married to Lorillard Suydam Spencer (1883–1939) at the home of her sister, then Mrs. William Karl Dick, at 7 East 84th Street.[4] Lorillard, who was divorced from his first wife, Mary Ridgeley Sands, was the son of Lorillard Spencer and Caroline Suydam (née Berryman) Spencer.[5] Together they had two sons and a daughter:

  • Katherine Talmage Lorillard Spencer (1923–1992), who married Joseph Henry Doherty (1923–1992) in 1957.[6]
  • Stephen Wolcott Spencer (1925–2010),[7] who wed Marjorie Potts, daughter of Owen Lewis Potts of Santiago, Chile, in 1957.[8]
  • William Hurlbut Force Spencer (1929-2022), who married Louise Thacher Jones (1927–2013) in 1956.[9][10]

Later in her life, she became a real estate investor and was a member of the zoning board for Newport.

Her husband died in 1939.[11] She died of a heart attack at her cottage, Chasteullux, in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 8, 1956.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mrs. Lorillard Spencer. Widow of New York Banker, a Resident of Newport, Dies" (PDF). The New York Times. September 9, 1956. Retrieved February 28, 2015. Mrs. Katherine Force Spencer of Chasteullux, Newport, died at her home this morning of a heart attack. She was 63 years old....
  2. 1 2 "How the Beautiful Katherine Force, Sister of Madeleine, Who Was Mrs. John Jacob Astor and Is Now Mrs. Dick, and Other Society Girls Are Carving Out Careers for Themselves' by Hard Work". The Milwaukee Journal. July 25, 1920.
  3. ↑ "Tunis Van Pelt Talmage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 70, no. 330. New York, N.Y. 29 November 1909. p. 3 – via Brooklyn Public Library Historical Newspapers.
  4. ↑ "Miss Katherine Force To Wed Major Spencer. Their Marriage to Take Place Tomorrow at the Home of Her Sister, Mrs. William K. Dick" (PDF). The New York Times. December 5, 1922. Retrieved November 26, 2012. Although the engagement of Miss Katherine E. Force, daughter of Mrs. William H. Force, to Major Lorillard Spencer has never been formally announced, it has been rumored for some time, and their wedding will take place tomorrow at the home of Mrs. William K. Dick, 7 East Eighty-fourth Street. Mrs. Dick, who was formerly Mrs. John Jacob Astor, is Miss Force's sister.
  5. ↑ United Press (June 12, 1939). "Lorillard Spencer Dead". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2010. Lorillard Spencer 56 former executive in several airplane companies and prominent in Newport society died at his home Friday after a long illness.....
  6. ↑ "Katherine Spencer, Joseph Doherty Wed". Newport Daily News. June 29, 1957. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "SPENCER--Stephen". The New York Times. July 25, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ "MARJORIE POTTS TO BE WED IN MAY; Alumna of Santiago College in Chile Is Future Bride of Stephen Wolcott Spencer" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 March 1957. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "William H. F. Spencer 1929 - 2022". Fairfield Citizen. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2024 – via Legacy.com.
  10. ↑ Times, The New York (February 5, 1956). "Miss Louise Thacher Jones Bride Of William Hurlbut F. Spencer; Ruf--Toland" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  11. ↑ "LORILLARD SPENCER DEAD IN NEWPORT; Was Decorated by France and the U.S. for 'Extraordinary Heroism in Action' AN EX-AIRPLANE OFFICIAL He Had Served With Several Corporations--III Since He Suffered Stroke in 1934 Took Up Aviation in 1921 Landing Fields Chairman Legion of Valor Member" (PDF). The New York Times. June 10, 1939. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
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