June 2023 | Page 56

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High society and unlimited wealth spurred on some ostentatious and over-the-top personalities . By Jamie Coelho

JAMES GORDON BENNETT JR .

BORN : May 10 , 1841 DIED : May 14 , 1918 NEWPORT RESIDENCE : Stone Villa , demolished in 1957 , now the site of the Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center . An American newspaper baron , Bennett ’ s father founded the New York Herald and left his son , James Gordon Bennett Jr ., in charge of it . Bennett was obsessed with owls and Pekinese dogs , and at least once , rode his coach recklessly down Bellevue Avenue in the nude . He went on to found the Newport Casino , is credited with organizing the first polo match in the United States , and served as the youngest commodore of the New York Yacht Club . He earned a reputation for yachting around the world on a whim , much to his guests ’ dismay . QUIRKS AND SCANDALS : Bennett took over the newspaper at age twenty-six and sponsored expeditions for their newsworthiness . He sent explorer Henry Morton Stanley to find David Livingstone and also sponsored the USS Jeanette expedition to the North Pole , during which twenty people died from starvation . All of this was great for newspaper circulation , however .

According to the New England Historical Society , he was driving his

coach at breakneck speed with his friend , Leonard Jerome , and Jerome ’ s young daughter , Jennie , as bewildered passengers when he lost control . Fortunately , Jennie survived the crash to grow up , marry and give birth to Winston Churchill .

ALVA VANDERBILT BELMONT

BORN : Jan . 17 , 1853 DIED : Jan . 26 , 1933 NEWPORT RESIDENCE : Marble House and Belcourt . The former wife of William Kissam Vanderbilt Sr ., Alva solidified her family ’ s status in the societal “ Four Hundred .” This took some finagling with the Astor family , who believed a family ’ s fortune should be at least two generations old to earn the coveted designation . The Vanderbilts were considered nouveau riche , but threw a party the Astors ’ daughter begged to attend . The Astors had to accept the Vanderbilts to beget the invitation . QUIRKS AND SCANDALS : Alva went on to divorce Willie K . in 1895 , and married Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont a year later . Belmont was notorious for ditching his first wife on his Spanish honeymoon in favor of a French dancer . He was also obsessed with horses , lavishing them with attention , and keeping a stable on the first floor of their Belcourt mansion . When he unexpectedly died at age fifty , Alva inherited his vast fortune , which included several mansions and $ 10 million . She then went on a building and buying spree that included the Chinese Tea House at Marble House , a mansion in Manhattan and a medieval-style castle on Long Island Sound . She later diverted her time and focus from lavish entertainment to the women ’ s suffrage movement .

HARRY LEHR

BORN : March 28 , 1869

DIED : January 3 , 1929

NEWPORT RESIDENCE : Lehr summered in Newport with friends .

Harry Lehr was famous for befriending the “ the Big Four ,” aka the most powerful women in New York society , including Mrs . William Astor , Mrs . Stuyvesant Fish , Mrs . Hermann Oelrichs and Mrs . Oliver Belmont . While Lehr was courting Elizabeth Wharton Drexel Dahlgren , the heiress to a Philadelphia banking fortune , he introduced her to the group , securing her social stature and his future as her husband , even though all he was interested in was her money . QUIRKS AND SCANDALS : On the couple ’ s wedding night , Lehr blew off the bedtime ritual by requesting dinner alone , revealing to his wife that he would only remain devoted in public . All bets were off in private as he vowed that their marriage was only a marriage in name . He purportedly had a long and intimate relationship with Charles Greenough , unbeknownst to Elizabeth at the time . Dubbed “ America ’ s Court Jester ,” Lehr dressed in drag for theatrical performances , once hosted a caviar dinner for dogs and reportedly invited guests to a party to meet “ the prince ,” who happened to be a monkey dressed in a costume fit for a king .

Doris Duke at Rough Point .

PHOTOGRAPHY : ( PREVIOUS PAGE ) ALAMY . ( THIS PAGE FROM LEFT ) COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF POLO AND HALL OF FAME ARCHIVE ; THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ( ALVA AND HARRY ); DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ; ( OPPOSITE PAGE FROM LEFT ) COURTESY OF G . WAYNE MILLER , DIRECTOR OF OCEANSTATESTORIES . ORG ; PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF NEWPORT COUNTY ( TEA HOUSE AND RALLY ).

54 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2023