Cushing Sisters

views updated

Cushing Sisters

Fosburgh, Minnie Astor (1906–1978). American socialite, philanthropist. Name variations: Mary Cushing; Minnie Astor. Born Mary Benedict Cushing on January 27, 1906; died of cancer in Manhattan on November 4, 1978; second child and first daughter of Henry Cushing (a prominent neurosurgeon) and Katherine "Kate" (Crowell) Cushing (a socialite); sister of Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney (1908–1998) and Babe Paley (1915–1978); married Vincent Astor (b. 1891, real estate tycoon); married James Whitney Fosburgh (a painter); no children. Vincent Astor's first wife was Helen Huntington Astor (the former Helen Dinsmore), later Helen Huntington Hull.

Paley, Babe (1915–1978). American socialite. Name variations: Barbara Cushing; Barbara Mortimer. Born Barbara Cushing on July 5, 1915; died on July 6, 1978; fifth child and third daughter of Henry Cushing (a prominent neurosurgeon) and Katherine "Kate" (Crowell) Cushing (a socialite); sister of Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney (1908–1998) and Minnie Astor Fosburgh (1906–1978); married Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Jr. (Standard Oil heir), on September 21, 1940 (divorced 1946); married William Paley (chair of the board of CBS television); children: Stanley Grafton Mortimer III (b. 1942); Amanda Joy Mortimer (b. 1943); William Cushing Paley (b. 1948); Kate Paley (b. 1950); (stepchild by second marriage) Hilary Paley ; (stepchild by second marriage) Jeffrey Paley.

Whitney, Betsey Cushing Roosevelt (1908–1998). American socialite and philanthropist. Name variations: Betsey Cushing; Mrs. James Roosevelt; Mrs. John Hay Whitney. Born Betsey Maria Cushing on May 18, 1908; died in Manhasset, New York, on March 25, 1998; third child and second daughter of Henry Cushing (a prominent neurosurgeon) and Katherine "Kate" (Crowell) Cushing (a socialite); sister of Babe Paley (1915–1978) and Minnie Astor Fosburgh (1906–1978); married James Roosevelt (eldest son of Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt), in June 1930 (divorced 1940); married John Hay (Jock) Whitney; children: Sara Roosevelt ; Kate Roosevelt .

The Cushing sisters—Minnie, Betsey, and Babe—captured the hearts and imaginations of the American public as the most glittering socialites of the mid-20th century. Known for their beauty, wealth, and glamorous marriages, they led seemingly charmed lives that represented the dream of middle-class America, and their influence on trends and fashions spanned four decades between the 1930s and the 1970s.

These three women grew up with their two brothers comfortably ensconced in the upper-middle-class society of Boston. Their father Henry Cushing held a position at Harvard and had earned a reputation as the father of modern brain surgery, while their mother Kate Crowell Cushing came from a socially distinguished Cleveland family. The prominence of his position and her family name kept the Cushings in wealthy society circles, despite the fact that the Depression had wiped out most of the family fortune. Kate, as the matriarch, became determined to see her daughters well-married. She groomed them from an early age on how to act as proper blue-blooded wives, and made sure that they attended the rounds of dances and coming-out parties that were critical to meeting prospective husbands. The girls' beauty and natural charm, not to mention their social standing, worked heavily in their favor.

Betsey, who was their third child and second daughter, married first, in June of 1930, choosing James Roosevelt as the groom. James was the son of the powerful political couple, Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who were, at the time of the marriage, first lady and governor of New York. Although James brought the prestige and social prominence that Kate desired for her daughters, he was also virtually penniless with no actual prospects for financial advancement. However, his familial ties led the young couple into the White House when Franklin Delano Roosevelt ascended to the presidency and made his son a trusted advisor. The president also favored the quiet, ladylike charm of his daughter-in-law and recruited Betsey to act as White House hostess during Eleanor's frequent absences. Although she proved to be an able host, Betsey disliked the media attention associated with her position and did her best to shield her young daughters, Sara and Kate, from the public eye. But even as they rose through Washington society's ranks, Betsey's marriage to James quickly disintegrated, and they divorced in 1940.

As Betsey's marriage came to an end, her youngest sister, Babe, marched up the aisle with Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Jr., heir to the immense Standard Oil fortune, on September 21, 1940. Kate Cushing was ecstatic over the match, since not only was Stanley sure to inherit a vast fortune, he was also handsome and much admired. Kate had pinned most of her hopes for a good marriage on Babe, who was the most beautiful of the trio of girls. However, Babe had initially seemed more intent on her career as a fashion editor—working first for Glamour magazine and later for Vogue—than on finding a suitable husband. She fit comfortably in the world of fashion as one of New York's most beautiful women—a remarkable accomplishment given the fact that a 1934 car wreck had nearly destroyed her face. Although reconstructive surgery repaired the damage, it was Babe's own intelligence and charm that finished the picture of perfection as New York society celebrated the vivacious young woman. Her marriage to one of the world's most eligible bachelors seemed like a fairy-tale to the public, and the couple had two children, Stanley Grafton Mortimer III, born in 1942, and Amanda Joy Mortimer , born in 1943.

A mere six days after Babe's wedding, Minnie fulfilled her mother's hopes by marrying Vincent Astor. Minnie was introduced to the astronomically wealthy real estate tycoon by her sister Betsey at a White House party, and Minnie had been his longtime mistress since that time. When Vincent finally secured a divorce from his wife, Helen Huntington Astor , he and Minnie married three weeks later. Unfortunately, the differences between Vincent and Minnie, which had gone unnoticed during their long courtship, came glaringly to the surface after their marriage. The somber, awkward nature of the older gentleman clashed with the gay, blithe spirit of his younger bride (although she was 35 when they married), and they were soon spending their time apart. While Vincent spent long months sailing, Minnie set up a glittering salon as a patron of the arts. Rumors existed that neither of Vincent's marriages had actually been consummated, along with hints that Minnie was a lesbian—rumors that were fueled further by the close ties she would later maintain with New York's artistic, homosexual community.

Having seen all three of her daughters enter into respectable first marriages, Kate set out to find a suitable second husband for her recently divorced daughter, Betsey, and landed on John Hay "Jock" Whitney of the staggeringly wealthy Whitney clan. He and Betsey married in 1941, and this union was to prove the most amiable of the Cushing sisters' marriages. By all accounts, the couple genuinely loved each other, and thanks to Betsey's influence, Jock deserted the playboy life he had led prior to the marriage and settled down. He developed close ties to the Republican Party and became the U.S. ambassador to England in 1957, by the appointment of President Dwight Eisenhower. The move to England delighted Betsey, an ardent Anglophile, and they became the toast of London, hosting royalty and dignitaries with elegance and simplicity. They returned to the United States when the four-year appointment ended and devoted themselves to business and philanthropic interests. Betsey kept busy through her fundraising work for the Museum of Modern Art, Yale University, and the North Shore Hospital.

Babe, the second daughter to marry, was also the second to break free of her first marriage and enter into a second union. She and Stanley Mortimer divorced in 1946, and she remarried a year later, this time to Bill Paley, the head of Columbia Broadcasting. Although as a self-made millionaire and a Jew, Paley did not qualify as a "blue-blood," his ambition was unmistakable, and Babe left her job at Vogue to settle down with him on an estate in New York. In addition to her children from her first marriage and his two children from his first marriage, the couple had children of their own—William Cushing Paley, born in 1948, and Kate Paley , born in 1950. Unfortunately, this marriage proved as unfulfilling as her first. Bill Paley's quest for power and glamour included showcasing his beautiful wife in the designer gowns that had landed her on "Best Dressed" lists for more than a decade, and she felt she was little more than a possession to him. Babe found comfort from her loveless marriage in her friendship with Truman Capote, the renowned writer and gossip, who became a fixture at all the Paley gatherings. This friendship ended when Capote published scandalous details of her life and the lives of other society women in a thinly-veiled excerpt from Answered Prayers, a book of fiction he was writing, which was published in Esquire magazine.

After a six-week illness brought on by a severe heart condition, Kate Cushing died on May 8, 1949, secure in the knowledge that her daughters had, indeed, settled into storybook marriages of wealth and prestige. However, Minnie rebelled against her mother's upbringing by divorcing Vincent Astor in 1953 and marrying James Whitney Fosburgh, a painter of modest reputation and means who was also an openly practicing homosexual. This choice of a husband—so far removed from Kate Cushing's prescribed definition of a "suitable match"—inspired no small amount of speculation as to the marriage's chances for success, but Minnie initially adored the artistic atmosphere that her painter-husband cultivated. Minnie's salons became famous for their glittering guest lists, which included such notables as composer Leonard Bernstein, playwright Tennessee Williams, and Princess Margaret Rose of England. Minnie used her influence to benefit the arts, serving as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and supporting struggling young artists. Later, however, the platonic relationship between Minnie and James soured as he painted less and drank more. The quality of Minnie's salons deteriorated along with the health of the two partners and their marriage; by the 1970s, both Minnie and James were dying of cancer.

Cancer struck Babe at the same time. In 1973, she became ill with pneumonia while on a whirlwind tour of China. Her doctors advised her to quit her lifelong smoking habit, but her compliance with their orders came too late to halt the growth of a malignant tumor on her right lung. The full removal of the cancerous lung in 1975 severely curtailed her activities. She died in early July of 1978, three months after the death of James Fosburgh, and four months before Minnie also succumbed to cancer. Both women left vast inheritances of jewels, stock, and other assets to family members and treasured friends. Betsey lived for another 20 years, outliving her beloved husband Jock by 16 years, before passing away in 1998 at the age of 89.