Nationality American Occupation socialite | Name Allene Tew Uncles Robert Smith | |
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Spouse(s) Theodore R. HostetterMorton Colton NicholsAnson Wood BurchardPrince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss of KostritzCaptain Count Pavel Kotzbue Children Greta HostetterVerna HostetterTheodore R. Hostetter, Jr. Died May 1, 1955, Paris, France Parents Janet Thompson, Charles Henry Tew People also search for Porl Thompson, Rita Smith, Alex Smith, Robert Smith | ||
Allene Tew (1872-1955) was an American socialite during the Gilded Age who became a European aristocrat by marriage.
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Early life
Allene Tew was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on July 7, 1872. Her father, Charles Henry Tew, was a banker in Jamestown, and her mother was Janet Smith. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, meaning that her direct ancestors fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Marriages
Her first husband was Theodore R. Hostetter (1870-1902). They had three children:
Her second husband was Morton Colton Nichols (1870-1932), whom she married on December 27, 1904. They divorced a year later, in 1905.
Her third husband was Anson Wood Burchard (1865-1927), Chairman of General Electric, whom she married on December 4, 1912 in London. They were listed in the Social Register. In Manhattan, they resided at 57 East 64th Street on the Upper East Side, in a townhouse designed by architect C. P. H. Gilbert (1861-1952). In Paris, they resided at 4 Rue d'Aguesseau in the 8th arrondissement.
Her fourth husband was Prince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss of Köstritz (1879-1942), whom she married on April 10, 1929 in Paris. They divorced on October 31, 1935.
Her fifth husband was Captain Count Pavel Kotzbue (1884-1966), whom she married on March 4, 1936 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Being a friend of his mother's, she negotiated on behalf of prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld leading up to his marriage to princess Juliana of the Netherlands. In 1938, she became godmother to their eldest daughter, princess Beatrix.
Death
She died in Cap d'Ail, France on May 1, 1955, at the age of eighty-two.