Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard

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The Right Honourable
The Countess of Granard
Countess Beatrice, c. 1910
Personal details
Born
Jane Beatrice Mills

(1883-07-19)July 19, 1883
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 1972(1972-01-30) (aged 88)
Paris, France
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1909; died 1948)​
Children4, including Arthur, Earl of Granard
Parent(s)Ogden Mills
Ruth Livingston Mills
RelativesGladys Mills Phipps (sister)
Ogden L. Mills (brother)
Jean Templeton Ward (cousin)
Residence(s)London, England
Paris, France
Newtownforbes, County Longford, Ireland
OccupationHeiress, racehorse owner/breeder

Jane Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard (née Mills; July 19, 1883 – January 30, 1972) was an American-born heiress, social leader, and thoroughbred horse racer.[1]

Early life[edit]

She was born on 19 July 1883 in Newport, Rhode Island to some of the most prominent and wealthy American families. She was the daughter of the American financier Ogden Mills and Ruth (née Livingston) Mills (1855–1920).[2] She was a twin to Gladys Mills (who married Henry Carnegie Phipps) and sister of Ogden Livingston Mills, the United States Secretary of the Treasury who married Margaret Styuvesant Rutherfurd (daughter of Anne Harriman and Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr.[3])

Her maternal grandparents were Maturin Livingston Jr. and Ruth (née Baylies) Livingston a descendant of Thomas Baylies.[2] Her aunt, Elizabeth Livingston Cavendish-Bentinck,[4] was married to William George Cavendish-Bentinck, a Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth and descendant of the Dukes of Portland.[5] Her paternal grandparents were Jane Templeton Cunningham and Darius Ogden Mills,[6] a highly successful banker and investor worth over $36 million at his death.[7] Her aunt, Elisabeth Mills, was married to Whitelaw Reid, the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.[8] Through her aunt, she was the first cousin of Jean Templeton Reid,[9] who married Sir John Hubert Ward, son of the Earl of Dudley.[10]

Thoroughbred racing[edit]

Beatrice Mills was raised around horses at her family's Livingston Mansion in Staatsburg, New York. Her father owned Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States and in France in partnership with Edward, Earl of Derby. Beatrice's sister Gladys and her brother Ogden would establish Wheatley Stable that would become one of the preeminent Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations in the United States.

Beatrice's husband, Bernard, was Master of the Horse whose duties for King George V included overseer of the Royal Stables and Stud.[11] On January 29, 1929, Beatrice's father died. As part of her inheritance she received his stable of Thoroughbreds in France. That year, she led all owners in purses earned.

In 1933, her horse, Cappiello, won the Prix Lupin and the prestigious Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris.[12] Among her other racing successes, Lady Granard's horses won the Prix Jacques le Marois in 1937 and 1967. In 1964 her horse Pourparler won the British Classic, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes.

The most notable horse bred and raced by her siblings Wheatley Stable in the United States was Bold Ruler, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee and an eight-time Leading sire in North America. Gladys and Ogden bred Bold Ruler to the Champion racing mare, Misty Morn. The result of the mating was Bold Lad, a colt born in 1962 that earned American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors. Bold Ruler sired a second colt in 1964 by a different mare that was given the same Bold Lad name. Bold Lad II was bred by Lady Granard and raced in England and Ireland where it too won Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors.[13]

Personal life[edit]

On 14 January 1909, she married Bernard, Earl of Granard.[14] With her marriage, Beatrice Mills would be known as Countess and/or Lady Granard. Her husband's wealth was limited and she provided the funds to finish restoring the family's historic Castleforbes in Newtownforbes, County Longford, Ireland. Their principal residence was at Forbes House, Halkin Street, SW1 in London, plus a residence at 73 Rue de Varenne, Paris, France, she would inherit from her father. Together, Beatrice and Bernard were the parents of four children:

A widow for more than twenty-three years, Lady Granard died at her Paris residence on 30 January 1972.[1] She was buried at St. Paul's, Newtown Forbes, County Longford, Ireland.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Lady Granard, Daughter Of Ogden Mills, Dies at 88" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 February 1972. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b "MRS. OGDEN MILLS DIES IN PARIS HOME; New York Social Leader Who Was Noted for Her Aristocratic Gatherings.HUSBAND AT HER BEDSIDE Mother of Countess Granard, Mrs.H.C. Phipps and Ex-Senator O.L. Mills Was Ruth Livingston" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 October 1920. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. ^ World, Times Wide (21 April 1940). "MRS. VANDERBILT DIES IN HOSPITAL; Widow of W. K. and Daughter of Late Oliver Harriman Noted for War Work and Charities". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  4. ^ "MRS. CAVENDISH-BENTINCK | Former Elizabeth Livingston, a Member of Noted N.Y. Family". The New York Times. 7 November 1943. p. 56. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  5. ^ Times, Special Cable To The New York (23 August 1909). "G. CAVENDISH-BENTINCK DEAD | Wife Was Elizabeth Livingston, Sister of Mrs. Ogden Mills". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  6. ^ "D. Ogden Mills Dies Suddenly. Financier and Philanthropist. Father of Mrs. Whitelaw Reid Fortune Estimated at $60,000,000 Mr. Reid to Attend Funeral". Hartford Courant. 5 January 1910. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2011. Darius Ogden Mills, the financier and philanthropist and father of Mrs. Whitelaw Reid, wife of the United States ambassador to Great Britain, died of heart disease at his winter home near this city last night, aged 84 years. Mrs. Reid, who came to California with her ...
  7. ^ "ESTATE OF MILLS WORTH $36,227,391". Chicago Daily Tribune. 18 April 1914. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  8. ^ Times, Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph To The New York (16 December 1912). "WHITELAW REID DIES IN LONDON; Editor and Diplomat Passes Away at Dorchester House After Brief Illness". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  9. ^ "LADY WARD DEAD; AIDED CHARITIES; Daughter of Whitelaw Reid Was 78--Wed in Palace". The New York Times. 3 May 1962. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  10. ^ "AMBASSADOR REID'S DAUGHTER ENGAGED; Formally Announced by Her Parents She Will Wed the Hon. John Hubert Ward. EARL OF DUDLEY'S BROTHER Equerry in Waiting to King, Racing Man, Sportsman, and Six Feet High -- Wedding This Summer. Bingham Accused of Contempt". The New York Times. 30 April 1908. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  11. ^ Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London, UK: Dean & Son. p. 416.
  12. ^ "$50,000 GRAND PRIX TAKEN BY CAPPIELLO; Lady Granard's Horse Triumphs at Longchamps -- Lebrun Is Among Spectators" (PDF). The New York Times. 26 June 1933. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  13. ^ Bold Lad II profile, nytimes.com; accessed 26 March 2016.
  14. ^ "REPORT MISS MILLS ENGAGED. Announcement of Intention to Wed Lord Granard Not Confirmed Here" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 December 1908. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  15. ^ "LADY MOIRA FORBES IS WED IN IRELAND; Niece of Ogden L. Mills Bride of Comte Louis de Brantes in Brilliant Ceremonies. COUNTRYSIDE CELEBRATES Schools Are Closed as Ancient Irish and French Houses Are United by Church and State" (PDF). The New York Times. 21 December 1934. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  16. ^ "John Crichton-Stuart (1907–1956), 5th Marquess of Bute". BBC Your Paintings.
  17. ^ "Sir Arthur Forbes, Earl of Granard, 77". The New York Times. 21 November 1992. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Newtown Forbes". Historic Graves. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.

External links[edit]

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