Religion Episcopal | Name Margaret Alen | |
Died January 1969
Newport, Rhode Island Occupation Socialite, Art Collector, Philanthropist | ||
Margaret Post Van Alen Bruguiére (July 15, 1876 – January 20, 1969), was a Newport, Rhode Island socialite, art collector and the niece of Frederick Vanderbilt. The leader of Newport's social scene from the 1940s till her death in the 1960s.
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Early life
Margaret Post Van Alen was born in Newport, Rhode Island on July 15, 1876, to William Post (1848–1900) and Rosalie DeWolf Anthony (1844–1929), a descendant of the early settlers of Rhode Island. Her maternal aunt, Louise (née Anthony) Vanderbilt (1844–1926) was married to Frederick Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Her younger brother was William Post (1878–1951).
She spent her summers at the Post residence in Newport, 'Rosetta', and winters at her uncle Frederick Vanderbilt's Hudson Valley estate Hyde Park. Later, she moved into the Van Alen family's Newport estate, Wakehurst, an exact replica of Wakehurst Place in England, which would serve as Daisy's home for more than seventy years.
Philanthropy
Mrs. Bruguiére was known for supporting a number of causes, including the Red Cross and Newport Hospital, in addition to a number of local charities in Newport and Washington. When her son Jimmy Van Alen purchased the Newport Casino and began restoring it, she donated $10,000 towards the restoration.
She gave $10,000 for the landscaping and renaming of Washington Square Park in Newport in honor of her friend, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. She was also a prominent support of the Republican Party, and was known for hosting political fundraisers at her various homes in Newport and Washington.
Wakehurst
Every summer Daisy Van Alen would spend in Newport, at her home Wakehurst (which had been legally deeded to her in 1927), where she would host the most fashionable entertainments. By the 1940s, Mrs. Van Alen had become known as the new leader of Newport's 'High Society', the Newport winter season officially starting with her annual Christmas party. One was not considered an "insider" unless having received TWO invitations to Mrs. Van Alen's castle. The first, most likely for tea and crackers, was for Mrs. Van Alen to have a chance to survey the potential candidate. Only if a second invitation was received, for dinner, was acceptance assured. By the 1960s, many of Newport's grand marble mansions that lined Bellevue Avenue had been turned into public museums or schools. "Wakehurst is the last 'properly run' [estate] left in Newport."
Later years
Mrs. Van Alen spent most of the 1930s serving as a nurse to her ailing Uncle Vanderbilt, at Hyde Park. When he died in 1938, he left the majority share of his $78 million fortune to Daisy, along with his Hyde Park. Daisy Van Alen later donated the estate as a public park and museum, today known as the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.
Personal life
In 1900, Margaret, who was called "Daisy" by her family and friends, married James Laurens Van Alen (1878–1927), the son of James John Van Alen (1848–1923) and grandson of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor (1830–1908), the "Mrs. Astor." Before his death in 1927, they were the parents of:
In 1948, Daisy Van Alen married yachtsman Louis Bruguiére, son of Louis S. Bruguiére and grandson of Peder Sather, who had survived the sinking of the S.S. Arabic. They lived together at Wakehurst and Washington, D.C. till his death in 1954.
Mrs. Margaret Van Alen Bruguiére died in 1969, as the wealthiest woman in Newport, Rhode Island; her estate being valued at $47 million. In her 1969 obituary, she was officially declared the "Dowager Empress of American Society".
Descendants
Her grandson, William L. Van Alen Jr. (1933–2010), a lawyer, was married to Virginia Guest, the daughter of Elizabeth Polk Guest and Raymond R. Guest, a horse breeder and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland in 1975. Her maternal grandfather was Frank Polk, the first United States Under Secretary of State, and her paternal grandfather was Frederick Guest, a MP and Secretary of State for Air and the third son of Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne.