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Catherine Eddy Beveridge

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Catherine Eddy Beveridge
Portrait of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge,
by Cecilia Beaux, 1916
Born
Catherine Eddy

(1881-06-29)June 29, 1881
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMay 28, 1970(1970-05-28) (aged 88)
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1907; died 1927)​
Parent(s)Augustus Eddy
Abby Spencer Eddy
RelativesSpencer F. Eddy (brother)
Thomas Mears Eddy (grandfather)

Catherine Eddy Beveridge (June 29, 1881 – May 28, 1970) was a socialite and philanthropist who came from a prominent Chicago, Illinois family.

Early life

Catherine was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 29, 1881. She was the only daughter of Augustus Newlands Eddy (1846–1921) and Abby Louisa (née Spencer) Eddy. Her older brother, Spencer F. Eddy, was a diplomat.[1] Her father made his fortune as a businessman and his mother was a member of a family who ran a successful hardware business.[1]

His paternal grandparents were the Rev. Thomas Mears Eddy and Anna (née White) Eddy. His maternal grandparents were Rachel (née Macomber) Spencer and Franklin Fayette Spencer, a founder of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.[1]

Like many wealthy young women at the time, Catherine received an education in the humanities and traveled extensively. In the winter of 1902, she debuted at the court of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, after which fresh asparagus was served to the 1,500 dinner guests.[2]

Personal life

In 1907 much to the chagrin of her role models and mentors, her mother Abby Eddy and her aunt Delia Caton Field, Catherine married Albert J. Beveridge (1862–1927), the Republican Senator from Indiana, who served from 1899 to 1911.[3] The couple raised two children in Indianapolis, Indiana and Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, and also spent substantial time in Washington, D.C. The couple had a passionate marriage, and according to their grandson, about the only thing that they ever fought about was his smoking, which she did not like. Their children were:

  • Albert Jeremiah Beveridge Jr. (1908–1965), who married Elizabeth Scaife (1910–1998) in 1933.[4]
  • Abby Beveridge, who predeceased her mother.[5]

After her husband's 1927 death, Beveridge became a prolific philanthropist of the arts, donating to institutions throughout the country, including the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Art Institute of Indianapolis. She helped establish the Albert J. Beveridge Award for American historians in 1939.[6]

Beveridge died on May 28, 1970 at her home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.[5] She was memorialized in the 2005 book The Chronicle of Catherine Eddy Beveridge: An American Girl Travels into the Twentieth Century,[7] by her grandson Albert J. Beveridge III and Chicago writer Susan Radomsky.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "SPENCER EDDY DIES; FORMER DIPLOMAT; Ex-United States Minister to Argentina, Who Served Also in Europe, Was 66 FIRST POST WAS IN PARIS Aide in London, St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Rumania, Serbia and Bulgaria" (PDF). The New York Times. 8 October 1939. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Privilege and Politics: An intimate look into Catherine Eddy Beveridge's Life". Washington Life Magazine.
  3. ^ "BEVERIDGE'S NOTABLE CAREER; Rose From Poverty to Orator, Lawyer, Senator and Author" (PDF). The New York Times. 28 April 1927. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  4. ^ "ELIZABETH SCAIFE TO WED.; Engagement to Albert Beveridge Jr., Son of Late Senator. Announced". The New York Times. 18 December 1932. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b "WIDOW OF LATE SEN. BEVERIDGE DIES IN FLORIDA". Chicago Tribune. 30 May 1970. p. 40. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Albert J. Beveridge Award". American Historical Association. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ^ Kogan, Rick (8 January 2006). "Ladies of letters: 2 books illuminate a long-gone era of Chicago opulence". Chicago Tribune. pp. 14–4. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  8. ^ Brindley, Claire (2012). "Review of The Chronicle of Catherine Eddy Beveridge: An American Girl Travels into the Twentieth Century, Albert J. Beveridge III". Washington History. 24 (2): 170–172. ISSN 1042-9719. JSTOR 41825446.
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