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Rebekah Harkness was born in 1915 to a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family. Mary and Edward Harkness - The Harknesses at Eolia. And the dysfunction didnt end there. In 1947, she married William Hale "Bill" Harkness, an attorney and heir to the Standard Oil fortune of William L. Harkness, which made her one of the wealthiest women in America. She even hosted a ballet workshop there for 20 dancers from the Robert Joffrey Company (now known as the Joffrey Ballet) in 1965. At the end of the song, she suggests a certain satisfaction regardless of the answer: There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything.. Before his death in August 1954, they had one child together; Edith Hale Harkness (19481982). (Actually, it was a private My Favorite Murder crossover group, if you care.) All the extra rooms would give the nannies plenty of space to feed and bathe the babies without Rebekah having to know a thing about it. Harkness later admitted that she married the poor schmuck because she had nothing else to do. In fact, Rebekah had a much loftierand extravagantdestiny in mind for herself. (Harkness reportedly cleaned her pool with Dom Prignon.) Her children, not so much. Want to share other feedback? Scevers, as it turned out, was a self-identified gay man, and couldnt have been in the relationship for romance. She was the second daughter of three children to Allen Tarwater West, a stockbroker and co-founder of G. H. Walker & Co., and Rebekah Cook (ne Semple) West. Lets just, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Fortunate Facts About Nepo Babies, The Stars Of The Silver Spoon, Flamboyant Facts About Bugsy Siegel, The Wiseguy Who Built Vegas, Licentious Facts About Marie-Louise OMurphy, King Louis XVs Little Mistress, Explosive Facts About Aaron Carter, The Doomed Child Star. Rebekah Harkness, the Scorned Socialite of Watch Hill, R.I. bought them an old firehouse in Westerly to practice in, discover and train many acclaimed dancers, regardless of their race, background or body shape, Dancer Lawrence Rhodes said it was one of the few times he was embarrassed, would train more professional dancers than any other company, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1653891, The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company. August 22, 1982 (33) Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States (Suicide ) Place of Burial: New York, Bronx, NY, United States. The socialite was born in 1915 to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri. She was brought up by a nanny who was chosen because she had worked in an insane asylum. However, a 1988 biography of Harkness titled Blue Blood, written by former New York Magazine editor and Vanity Fair contributor Craig Unger, reveals a much sadder, tragic story. Reviewers agreed he was one of the companys only shining lights. Half sister of Private; Private and Anne T. McBride. The couple took up residence in an enormous eight -kitchen, 21 -bathroom mansion (an arrangement that "effectively kept her from having to see her three children on anything like a regular. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. Harkness definitely wasnt the most fiscally-responsible business woman, but she does have the distinction of being the strangest girl-boss in history. Even after her husband's death in 1954 ("It must have been her fault his heart gave out," Swift muses), Harkness threw wild parties that clearly ruffled her neighbors' feathers, with guests her. She got thrown off a cruise for swimming nude in the pool and swearing at the crew. Harrison notes some of the same lighter-hearted factoids about Harkness from Ungers biography: She was allegedly once kicked off a cruise ship for swimming nude, for example. She also expanded Holiday House to include eight kitchens, 42 rooms and 21 baths. I just hit the ceiling. Rebekah died on 17 June 1982 in Manhattan, New York, USA. Her first major contributions were helping to fund the early . This arrangement effectively kept her from having to see her three children on anything like a regular basis, theNew York Timescommented. (Getty) When Taylor Swift released her latest album Folklore, fans were left wondering about the subject of her song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' - Rebekah Harkness.. Was she a fictional character drawn from the depths of Taylor's imagination, or had she once been a living woman with a tale to tell? Harkness was jealous to an absolute fault, and even to her own detriment. When Joffrey refused to perform the schlock, Rebekahs revenge was brutal. Rebekah had always been well-off as a childas you might guess from the string of nannies who raised herbut marrying William Harkness thrust her into an entirely different tier of high society. For what its worth, Allen called the years he spent in the clinkerand away from his motherthe happiest of his life.. Knowing all this (and much, much more; Mr. Unger withholds no ugly or racy detail), what is it exactly that we have learned? BLUE BLOOD By Craig Unger. In other words, these pieces didnt exactly do justice to their surroundings. Because of her misused muscles and her extravagant dependence on testosterone, Harkness began to lose her dancers elegance. She was surrounded by a group her son Allen described as ''all the fairies flying off the floor, the blackmailing lawyers, the weirdos, the people in the trances.'' [6] When the Joffrey Ballet refused to rename their company in Harkness' honor, she withdrew funding and hired most of the Joffrey dancers to her new company, the Harkness Ballet. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. ''The others, they just know how to bite.'') . William Hale Harkness The 1988 novel was published about Rebekah . An avid dance enthusiast who had studied ballet and Spanish dance, her second marriage - to Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness - made her one of the wealthiest women in America. Her wealthy neighbors had other ideas, and scornfully forced her to remove the unsightly object. Not really. Allen Pierce, was convicted of murder after shooting a man in a brawl, her daughter Terry's child was born with brain damage and died at the age of ten and her other daughter Edith died of suicide, following numerous stays at mental health institutions. Equipped with a ludicrous amount of self-confidence, she did something supremely stupid. Taylor Swift bought the former Holiday House in 2013 for a reported $17.75 million in cash. By 1956, she had even snagged a photo spread in Vogue, appearing in a neat, black Mainbocher dress with a white satin apron at her back. In the art world, the shade International Klein Blue is famous, and was custom-mixed by renowned artist Yves Klein in 1960. She retaliated by dying a neighbors cat green. ''Blue Blood'' is edifying only insofar as it raises questions about what a biography should be. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory, Swift says of the inspiration behind her album, Folklore. She would pay for dancers nose jobs at the drop of a hat, and buy office desks for her administrators that cost months worth of New York rent, a generosity that often made her middle-class secretaries supremely uncomfortablenot that Harkness noticed. A patron of dance and medicine. The St. Louisborn socialite is the subject of the singer-songwriter's "The Last Great American Dynasty.". Rarely does singer and songstress Taylor Swift write songs about someone outside her immediate circle. Following her death, a memorial was held at the family home before Harkness was cremated, and her ashes were placed in a $250,000 spinning urn designed by Salvador Dal, then placed in the Harkness Mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery. Rebekahs daughter Edith was clinically depressed and suicidal for much of her life (wonder why), and spent scores of years in and out of mental institutions following near fatal attempts at self-harm. Their wedding took place at 730 Park Avenue, which was Williams apartment. Ad Choices, Phil Ohs Best Street Style Photos From the Fall 2023 Shows in Paris, 5 Key Signs That Indicate Youre Going Through Menopause, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Been Asked to Leave Their U.K. Home. But the loud parties caused problems with the neighbors. She attended finishing school at Fermata in Aiken, South Carolina, from 1929 to 1932, before pursuing advanced instruction in harmonic . Dancy Mason is the Editor-in-Chief at Factinate. Sheesh, its not wonder Rebekah turned out to be a nightmare when she grew up. BOX 191606 ''Kiss me,'' she commanded. Blue Blood is the incredible story of almost limitless fortunes squandered completely within one extravagant lifetime. St. Louis, MO 63119 And then in 2020, the houses owner, Taylor Swift, wrote a song about Rebekah Harkness, called The Last Great American Dynasty. Harkness' passions for dance and music followed her into adulthood. In 1956, Harkness burst onto the high society scene after. The only problem was that the urn was too small. Might Mrs. Harkness be seen as a casualty of her own doomed and defiled expectations? De . September 30, 2013 by knelson. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. In 1961, Rebekah Harkness became the sponsor of the late Robert Joffrey's small ballet troupe. Jack Mitchell. Besides despising Rebekahs children, Scevers also hated her disabled granddaughter Angel. Rebekah Harkness, who also went by Betty, was the previous owner of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home and serves as the inspiration for the third track on her latest album. Yet its also impossible to avoid drawing parallels between Swift and Harkness. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Did Mommy and Daddy notice? View Full Details. She gave the dancers everything they needed and then some. In 1961, Harkness gave love another shot, marrying the prominent celebrity doctor Benjamin Harrison Kean. The most tragic detail? Instead, she was reared by a series of nanniesand thats not even the worst part. To zero peoples surprise, the Harkness family was utterly dysfunctional. Wade, teaches a dance school for children and directs 2 dance companies, one providing performing opportunities for children and one for adults. The two purchased a mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which they nicknamed Holiday House. She even started a company of her own in 1964: the Harkness Ballet. When she got out, she sold her Palisades mansion to the Isley Brothers. Not long after Rebekahs passing, her daughter Edith finally managed to succeed in her attempts. She shoved $5 million into building the Harkness Theater, a lavish studio complete with marble staircases and a chandelier, and it was all for nothing: The company collapsed in 1975. Rebekah Harkness was one of the world's richest women, the Standard Oil heiress and founding patron of the Harkness Ballet. Thanks for your time! They bought Eolia from Mary's sister and her brother-in-law, Jessie Stillman and William Taylor in 1907. Swift bought Harknesss Rhode Island Holiday House in 2013 and used the near-palatial estate to throw her own lavish parties, notably her Taymerica July 4th bashes. He likes to talk about blowing people away. ''We were the loved ones.'' ''So absurd,'' Mr. Scevers pronounced. But it is clear that as a spoiled young woman growing up in St. Louis between the wars,. In 1961, Harkness decided she wanted to become the next great ballet master, so she sponsored actual master Robert Joffreys artisanal ballet troupe. Harkness started acting out early in her adolescence, and her antics would put any other mean girl to shame. Though Rebekah grew up in a wealthy St. Louis family, her social status was elevated when, after her first divorce, she married William. Reportedly, the rest of her remains were placed in a Gristedes bag. ''Costumes, sets, musical scores,'' Mr. Unger writes, ''many of the best dancers, the entire repertory - even the works choreographed by Joffrey himself - were owned by her foundation.''. The critics, especially the New York Times Clive Barnes, savaged Rebekah. Rebekah died that same year after a long bout with cancer. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Rebekah Harkness' antics annoyed her neighbors, while Jesus' antics got him murdered by the state and by some religious leaders. By 1980, many of Harknesss old friends had dropped off, and she was left with only her most sycophantic hangers-on. They had a son, Allen, and a daughter, Terry. They dubbed themselves the [W]itch Pack and, after graduating in 1932, set about trying to wreak havoc on the socialite scene, one gala at a time. . Blue Blood is a story of tragic proportions. [4] Harkness also surrounded herself with other well-known creatives, like yogi B.K.S. After she was widowed, Mrs. Harkness renovated her Rhode Island house; she installed 8 kitchens and 21 baths. Rebekah Harkness, composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet, photographed in her office in 1964. Styling herself as the life of the party, Harkness did things like throw plates at the ships Filipino orchestra, swim in her birthday suit in full view of other passengers, and send out strings of swears so loudly that the ocean liner eventually had no choice but to send the beautiful, foul-mouthed socialite off the boat. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. She had a marvelous time ruining everything, Swift crooned. The children were visiting Bill's family and Alfonso had left . Discover Rebekah Harkness, the extravagant woman who inspired Taylor Swifts song the last great american dynasty.. She ended up selling the theater at a huge loss, and the Harkness Ballet company folded in 1975. Extravagant Facts About Barbara Hutton, The Poor Little Rich Girl, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Wild Facts About Howard Hughes, The Most Eccentric Man In Hollywood, These Cruel Teachers Are The Stuff Of Student Nightmares, These Bad Dates Are Straight Out Of Our Nightmares. If Harknesss lovers are anything to go by, she was a wildcat in the bedroom. People reported that Harknesss lavish marble bathrooms were often splattered with blood, and that her muscles had begun to calcify. The ashes were placed in a $250,000 jeweled urn made by Salvador Dali. But why? Faced with Ediths grim drive to end her life, Harkness was coldly philosophical. Harkness only left death in her wake wherever she went. ''You see,'' she said. After Rebekah Harkness died in 1982, her daughter Terry took her mother's remains home in a Gristede's shopping bag, according to a story in the New York Times. [16], In 1961, Harkness married Ben Kean (c.19121993),[17] a physician who was a professor of Tropical Medicine at the Cornell Medical College. [4], In the 1960s, Harkness became well known as a philanthropist and patron of the arts. Save money. As a sad footnote to the story of Rebekah Harkness is the tragedy of her three children. [9] Through the William Hale Harkness Foundation, she sponsored construction of a medical research building at the New York Hospital and supported a number of medical research projects. Then a little-known ballet company, they spent the summers practicing and experimenting with new ideas. Rebekah West Harkness (ne Semple West;[1] April 17, 1915 June 17, 1982) also known as Betty Harkness, was an American composer, socialite, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet. Several hours later, the top of the urn - called the Chalice of Life - was somehow, by unknown agencies, uncovered. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. By James Crowley On 7/24/20 at 12:22 PM EDT. I am beginning to think that biography, especially the biography of such a chaotic personality as Rebekah Harkness, needs to be molded and informed by a novelist's ordering imagination. There she delighted, as she wrote in her scrapbook, in setting out to ''do everything bad. Other well-known creatives, like yogi B.K.S published about Rebekah woman, but does! She sold her Palisades mansion to rebekah harkness children Isley Brothers savaged Rebekah at Fermata in Aiken, South,... 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