DORIS DUKE
BORN : Nov . 22 , 1912 DIED : October 28 , 1993 NEWPORT RESIDENCE : Rough Point . American Tobacco Company heiress Doris Duke donated more than $ 400 million to various causes over the course of her life — often anonymously — but was also notorious for her extravagant lifestyle that involved building Shangri La in Honolulu , taking up surfing and curating an elaborate and eclectic wardrobe . QUIRKS AND SCANDALS : She owned two live camels while living at Rough Point , which was filled with one-of-a-kind art and antiques from her travels all over the world , particularly the Middle East . The seasonal home was also the site of a tragedy when she allegedly ran over her friend , designer Eduardo Tirella , in front of its gates , but was never charged with a crime .
EILEEN SLOCUM
BORN : Dec . 21 , 1915 DIED : July 27 , 2008 NEWPORT RESIDENCE : Harold Brown Villa . The grande dame of Newport society was an opinionated Republican best known for her knowledge of politics and public policy . She hosted lavish parties and dinners for Washington ’ s elite — including President Gerald R . Ford , Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Vice President Dick Cheney — at her private residence , which she shared with her husband , respected diplomat and literary scholar John J . Slocum . QUIRKS AND SCANDALS : At age seventeen , Slocum was betrothed to John Jacob Astor V , but two days before the wedding , she ended their engagement because she didn ’ t think he was stable enough to get married . Her mother was so distraught that she took the whole family to Europe to avoid the fallout . In later years , she was known for her outspokenness around politics and for owning her own gun .
Sources : New England Historical Society , Warwick Rhode Island Digital History Project ( warwick history . com ), the New York Times , the Long Island Historical Journal , Rhode Island Monthly .
LEFT : Alva Vanderbilt Belmont commissioned the Chinese Tea House at Marble House in 1912 ; BELOW : A suffrage rally at Marble House in 1914 .
The SUFFRAGETTE of BELLEVUE
An ornate tea house carries hints of its former mistress ’ political life . By LAUREN CLEM
FOR MANY YEARS , HISTORIANS INTERPRETED THE CHINESE TEA HOUSE at Marble House , commissioned by Alva Belmont ( formerly Vanderbilt ) in 1912 , as an architectural whim , a flight of fancy by a wealthy socialite . However , new research by the Preservation Society of Newport County reveals the structure likely had a closer connection with Alva ’ s suffrage activities than was first thought .
After her divorce from her first husband and the death of her second in 1908 , Alva became an avid suffragist , hosting rallies at Marble House and attending meetings in New York . In 1912 , American women heard accounts that their counterparts in China had gained the right to vote . The news was not quite accurate — Chinese women would not gain full suffrage for nearly four decades — but they were nevertheless inspired , and Alva was one of several women who spoke alongside Chinese activists at suffrage meetings in New York .
“ What I was interested in was the fact that she chose to build the tea house in 1912 , a year that Professor [ Cathleen ] Cahill , [ historian at Penn State University ,] called the ‘ year of the Chinese suffragist ,’” says Nicole Williams , curator of collections for the Preservation Society .
As it turns out , two of the panels decorated with Chinese characters inside the tea house feature sayings about the power of women , likely selected by Alva from a book of Chinese proverbs . Williams plans to showcase the findings in a new exhibit at Rosecliff next fall . The exhibit will also discuss the lives of Chinese Americans who had a small but thriving business community in Newport at the time .
“ It ’ s not just to picture Alva Vanderbilt like that , but to shift a spotlight toward these Chinese women in the United States who were fighting for their political rights as well and fighting for rights as Chinese Americans ,” she says . “ They weren ’ t just interested in suffrage , they were interested in bettering the lives of Chinese women and children .”
Alva ’ s legacy continues to live on : In the HBO show “ The Gilded Age ,” filmed in Newport starting in 2021 , the strong-willed Bertha Russell is inspired by Alva . Academy Award-winning show creator Julian Fellowes revealed the connection while visiting Newport last summer .
“ Bertha is completely Alva ,” he said during an event sponsored by the Preservation Society . “ This was a woman who meant business . Nowadays , of course , she ’ d be the American ambassador to the UN or something , but that wasn ’ t available to her , so she moved on to the stage that was — which was social , the society stage . And dominated it and ran it .
“ You can see in that , I think , the modern woman she would ’ ve been if the whole thing had taken place 100 years later ,” he added .
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