In 1957, Harkness keeled over at Holiday House while sitting for a sculpture Rebekah was working on, dead from a heart attack. Reportedly, the baby Angel innocently pulled a ribbon from Harkness’s perfectly coifed hair. After he left, the school rapidly lost its edge, and even the building fell into disrepair. Blue Blood is the incredible story of almost limitless fortunes squandered completely within one extravagant lifetime. Inspired by the Kirov Theater in Leningrad, the finished theater facility boasted a 3,500-square-foot stage with absorption units beneath the floor to give it special resiliency. Heiress, Socialite, Model, Edith was the only child of William Hale Harkness and Rebekah West. Tragically, she had recklessly spent much of her fortune at this stage, and her ballet school … Themes of sexual repression, homoerotic love, tribalism and even the aftermath of rape were explored by some of the most famous choreographers of the time. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. When Harkness planned to put Angel’s nursery over top of his room, Scevers snapped, “Let the little creature die!” Unfortunately, he was one of the few people still by Harkness’s side when the end came. All of this and more is chronicled in Craig Unger’s scandal-ridden page-turner, Blue Blood: How Rebekah Harkness, One of the Richest Women in the World, Destroyed a Great American Family… For the first time, we were proud of the repertory. Hey, all publicity is good publicity—and Rebekah’s need to be in the spotlight soon grew to disturbing proportions. 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 … Rebekah Harkness’s estimated Net Worth, fast cars, relaxing vacations, pompous lifestyle, income, & other features are listed below.Let’s check, How Rich is Rebekah Harkness in 2019? Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. She also helped discover and train many acclaimed dancers, regardless of their race, background or body shape. In its vivid and frightening battlefield scenes and its extraordinary journey through post-Vietnam politics all the way to the White House, this is a story of honor earned, denied and finally gained and of the men who fought the war America ... Rebekah’s parents hired one nanny specifically because the woman had worked in an insane asylum before. Within the year, the company had folded. Suddenly, Rebekah was a rich widow—one of the wealthiest women in America, in fact. Her parents did care that she looked good, according to Unger. Taylor Swift bought the former Holiday House in 2013 for a reported $17.75 million in cash. Sheesh, it’s not wonder Rebekah turned out to be a nightmare when she grew up. She once demanded Castelli to, “Kiss me. Or, at least, a leg, half of her head and an arm. See Rebekah Anne Harkness's age, phone number, house address, email address, social media accounts, public records, and check for criminal records on Spokeo. However, the date of retrieval is often important. In addition to its stunning floral gardens, designed by Beatrix Farrand and later Marion Coffin, the estate featured vegetable gardens, and fruit orchards. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. The Harkness family traced its roots to Dumfriesshire, and Edward retained a lifelong love of Great Britain. People talked about the time she dressed up as a maid and served drinks at her own party. ——. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? The pair was horribly mismatched, with Lauersen a whopping 20 years younger than his bride. She got thrown off a cruise for swimming nude in the pool and swearing at the crew. According to Wikipedia, Forbes & Various Online resource, Rebekah Harkness’s estimated net worth Under Review.You may check previous years net worth, salary & much more from below. In 1972, she bought an old theater near Lincoln Center and refurbished it on a grand scale as the first theater devoted exclusively to ballet. She went on to marry four times, but it was her second marriage to Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness in 1947 that turned her into one of the wealthiest women in America. In 1957, Harkness was commissioned by her friend Marquis de Cuevas to compose a ballet score for his Grand Ballet, to be performed at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. She became the patron of French sculptor Guitou Knoop and took up sculpting herself, although most of her time was devoted to her music. Harkness was surprisingly generous when it suited her, but also unpredictably bizarre. An entry in your loved one's guest book, noting your contribution. By all accounts, Harkness was a character. Julia Harkness We found 13 records for Julia Harkness in Texas, Kansas and 8 other states. Instead, she put herself front and center, natch, and the pictures were often just of her doing lift after lift and living out her Dirty Dancing dreams. For what it’s worth, Allen called the years he spent in the clinker—and away from his mother—the “happiest of his life.”. The resulting composition, Journey to Love, was extraordinarily well received, turning Harkness' ongoing interest in the dance into a full-blown obsession. According to a 1982 obituary published in the Post-Dispatch, Harkness was born Rebekah West in 1915 in St. Louis and was the granddaughter of Thomas H. West, the … Besides taking pills, the poor girl also jumped off a roof on at least one occasion, and in response, Harkness only mused at her daughter’s various attempts. Current Biography 1974. After a two-week run in the theater, the ballet company embarked on a tour in Europe and the Middle East. Aerial view the former Holiday House. The last great American dynasty, indeed. Rebekah Harkness became one of the wealthiest women in America after she inherited her husband’s vast Standard Oil fortune when he died in 1953. Well, Harkness couldn’t bear to be upstaged, so she unceremoniously fired Rhodes and doomed her own precious ballet company in the process. She hired Salvador Dali to design sets. Dancer and choreographer (one who develops and directs dances) Twyla Tharp is known for developin…, Ailey, Alvin NY: H.W. In April 1964, she took her plan further, forming her own company and endowing it with $2 million from both of her foundations. The theater opened with a performance of the Harkness Ballet on April 9, 1974, a gala event that was attended by the most important figures in the dance world, as well as a roster of society swells and assorted royalty. NY: H.W. Though Harkness took those nasty testosterone injections to strengthen her body for dance, the “medicine” actually had the opposite effect. Her reason was chilling. The Joffrey dancers who spent the summer at Holiday House loved it. The song also mentions Rebekah spending quite a lot of her deceased husband’s money “on the boys and the ballet.” According to articles about Rebekah that are kept at the Culbertson Mansion, she did spend quite a lot of money on the ballet. At the time of her death, he points out, her dance empire had been destroyed, she had been humiliated by the press, and most of her fortune had been lost through her capricious behavior. In 2020, Swift then penned the song “the last great american dynasty,” which tells Harkness’s twisted story for the world. Immediately following Bill's death, Harkness indulged in luxuries her husband would have frowned upon: a penthouse in Madison Avenue's elegant Westbury Hotel, a chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad, and a yogi named B.K.S. Dancy Mason is the Editor-in-Chief at Factinate. Relatives. Yet while there, Harkness gave new meaning to the word “prima donna.” The socialite, fancying herself a dance expert, started writing her own ballets. Rebekah struggled with drugs and alcohol. By 1982, the end was near for Harkness, yet tragically her son Allen wasn’t there. They performed a strip tease at a social event and put mineral oil into the punch bowl at a coming-out party. She supported the arts in general, ballet in particular, and she had the … People similar to or like Rebekah Harkness. Nine servants and three cooks kept the place running. Now, a grown woman can do whatever she wants in her own bed, but this was a strange choice—and not because of the age gap. Much of their marriage dynamic was about his domineering presence setting her on the straight and narrow. Who Is Rebekah Harkness? On any given morning when she and I had something to talk about, Rebekah would come down in her pink and blue leotards and literally stand on her head, and we would have the conversation with her standing on her head. Harkness was jealous to an absolute fault, and even to her own detriment. Harkness was also a complex individual with a decidedly self-destructive edge. But Rebekah made the most of it…. She loved to pour Dom Perignon into her pool and let guests swim around in the bubbly. Born in Rogers, Texas, the only child of working-class parents who separated when he was two, dancer and choreographer…, Born Georgi Melitonovitch Balanchivadze, Balanchine was one of three children born to Meliton Balanchivadze and Maria Nikolayevna Vassilyeva. While at her fancy finishing school, Harkness didn’t seem to care that her classmates were people with last names like “Roosevelt.” Instead, she scrawled in her scrapbook that she wanted to “do everything bad.” Well, she certainly achieved her goal…. 17 April 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri; d. 17 June 1982 in New York City), capricious and exceptionally wealthy philanthropist and patron of … Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Swift bought Harkness’s Rhode Island “Holiday House” in 2013 and used the near-palatial estate to throw her own lavish parties, notably her “Taymerica” July 4th bashes. From 1965, when Harkness replaced original director Skibine with Bertrand Castelli (who later produced the musical Hair), the company began a series of shifts in leadership, although Harkness always retained the upper hand and exercised an iron will. Robert Joffrey View Current Email . We were a real unit. Dancer, choreographer, director All of the work and much of the music was original. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. The subject of “Folklore” song “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Harkness — née Rebekah Semple West — was born in 1915 to “a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis … In 1937, she rounded out her youthful activities with an around-the-world cruise, accompanied by her brother Allen. Pierce claimed to be a descendant of President Franklin Pierce, though that would have been quite a feat. The Swift connection is that the superstar bought Holiday House for a reported $17 million in 2013. Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train, it was sunny / Her saltbox house on the coast took her mind off St. Louis / Bill was the heir to the Standard Oil name and money / And the town said / “How did a middle-class divorcée do it?” Harkness, in the meantime, attempted, without much success, to rent out the theater to other dance companies. In 1969,…, Harkness, Margaret (Elise) 1854-1923 (John Law), Harkey, Ira B., Jr. 1918-2006 (Ira Brown Harkey, Jr.), https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/harkness-rebekah-1915-1982. Harkness paid her friend Salvador Dalí $250,000 to design a jeweled, rotating goblet called The Chalice of Life that would someday be her urn. Harkness. Mobile number. Rebekah Harkness, composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist sits in the sumptuous office of her Harkness Ballet Comapny that was headquartered in … This had devastating consequences. Immediate Family: Son of William … Wilson, 1982. She supported the arts in general, ballet in particular, and she had the wealth with which to do it. She was brought up by a nanny who was chosen because she had worked in an insane … She didn’t help herself with her capriciousness. Thanks for your help! Since 2013, it has … The couple divorced in 1977…but Rebekah’s life was about to take a much darker turn. In St. Louis, when she was … The decade of the 1970s took a personal toll on Harkness as well. The music video featured the beach and the waves from the house, just as Rebekah Harkness would have seen it. In November of 1977, her son Allen shot a man during a brawl in Miami. Sponsoring a 12-week summer workshop at Watch Hill, the goal of which was to prepare the ballet for an international tour, Harkness hosted the entire roster of dancers along with six choreographers commissioned to create new works for the company. . Harkness' daughter Terry also came but did not spend much time at her mother's bedside. Friends who knew Rebekah and William said that although the oil tycoon was a bit of an idiot, the new Mrs. Harkness was actually “scared of him”—and for good reason. When she erected a giant blue geodesic dome on her lawn, they sued her for zoning violations. Unable to pump enough money into the dance company, she began soliciting funds to save the company. Everybody knew it but her. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Rebekah Harkness became one of the wealthiest women in America after she inherited her husband's vast Standard Oil fortune when he died in 1953. The couple married in 1947 and purchased the seaside Rhode Island home that Taylor now owns and named it 'Holiday House.' The song is called “the last great american dynasty” and tells the story of Rebekah Harkness. Her children, not so much. Harkness had quite the life according to The New York Times.The socialite was born in 1915 to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri. By the time she was 16, Harkness (known to her friends as Betty) had grown from a pudgy, round-faced child into a striking, self-assured woman. Raised primarily by a series of nannies, Harkness had every advantage money could provide but seemingly lacked warmth and affection. "She was grateful to see Edith every day," said a friend. Scevers and Harkness brought out the worst in each other. But behind her perfect façade lies a chilling history. Rebekah's dream was over. The parties continued when she brought the entire Joffrey to Watch Hill in 1962 and 1963. Unger, Craig. When Joffrey refused to perform the schlock, Rebekah’s revenge was brutal. In the final days of her illness, Harkness took responsibility for the pain she had caused her children. © Copyright 2021 by Factinate.com. Rebekah Harkness became one of the wealthiest women in America after she inherited her husband’s vast Standard Oil fortune when he died in 1953. Unfortunately for Rebekah, the endeavour ended in national embarrassment and disaster. "I want to apologize for making you the black sheep in the family," Harkness told Allen. Illustrates hitherto mysterious methods of comic art using as examples such Mighty Marvel heroes as Thor, The Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, and The Hulk The reviewers, although kind to the dancers, panned the choreography and the theater itself, for which they saved their most savage remarks. By 1974, as a result of the millions spent on the theater, a raging inflation, and the sluggish stock market, Harkness was in serious financial difficulty. She also commissioned Spanish artist Enrique Senis-Oliver to paint a 120-square-yard mural Homage to Terpsichore on the stage's proscenium arch. Yet like so much of Harkness’s life, what seemed beautiful on the outside was rotting on the inside. By 1970, she was so involved with the new company that she missed the main company's New York season premiere. or. She started by bringing the company to Watch Hill (despite the neighbors) in the summer for instruction, practice and choreography. Harkness became the picture of the young society matron. It would be all very Proustian and never made too much sense." Nowaday, the name Rebekah Harkness probably raised only a few eyebrows for the uninitiated. But the loud parties caused problems with the neighbors. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. In one devastating blow, Rhodes was fired and the rest of the tour was canceled. Edward Stephen Harkness (January 22, 1874 – January 29, 1940) was an American philanthropist.Given privately and through his family's Commonwealth Fund, Harkness' … After the company's first New York season in 1967, reviews were generally positive with regard to the dancers, but still questioned the repertory and the choreography. An account of the life of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness, known for both her philanthropy and eccentricity, traces her involvement with alcohol and drugs She showered them with gifts of perfume or scarfs or expensive leather purses." Join Facebook to connect with Rebekah Harkness and others you may know. Yet this came with great tragedy: The baby, named Angel, was severely brain-damaged. "Harkness, Rebekah (1915–1982) The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. The same fate befell the popular tunes she composed. In this book, authors Allison Tait and Valerie Khoo -- co-hosts of the popular So You Want To Be A Writer podcast -- will give you the steps you need to make your dream a reality. This is not a book about how to write. Share. Press photo of Rebekah Harkness in 1966 with two o her Harkness dancers. She gave them weekends off and charge accounts to the shops in town. A patron of dance and medicine. Harkness later admitted that she married the poor schmuck because she “had nothing else to do.” In fact, Rebekah had a much loftier—and extravagant—destiny in mind for herself. In 1955, her 20-minute tone poem "Safari Suite" (inspired by a trip to Africa with Bill) was performed at Carnegie Hall to a polite reception. For a time in the 1950s, socialite Rebekah Harkness was true American royalty. Dance magazine said it looked like "a lavish ladies' powder room.". But most people don’t know the most chilling part. All of this and more is chronicled in Craig Unger’s scandal-ridden page-turner, Blue Blood: How Rebekah Harkness, One of the Richest Women in the World, Destroyed a Great American Family, and presented as a sort of Cliff-Notes edition via a series of fascinating late-night tweets by New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme. Even Harkness, who had been a somewhat disinterested mother, began spending time with the children. Bobby Scevers and Nikita Talin, along with their friends, formed her new circle of admirers. Rebekah Harkness was born in St. Louis on April 17, 1915.. On Popular Bio, She is one of the successful Celebrity. If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it really was. When Harkness offered to pay Ella Fitzgerald to sing some of her pop songs, Fitzgerald wouldn’t do it. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Taylor Swift revealed that she gives historical tours of her Rhode Island home to her inner circle, thanks to her … The couple married … Lucky weaves together the stories of two powerful women: Rebekah Harkness— notorious, scandalous heiress of the Standard Oil Fortune; and Rae Harmonía— America’s … Wonder Rebekah turned out, was a tyrant who alternately terrorized and ignored her, but she annoyed neighbors... 10 bills baked into it. '' fate befell the popular tunes she composed with,... Of our success absolutely nothing to do were awful about his subject phone number relatives... Wealthy St. Louis ( miss. ). '' Harkness children led tortured lives began soliciting funds to the. One a year later, from which he did his stepchildren, whom he treated if... By 3.0, https: //commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php? curid=90905376 years and which Allen and Terry later unsuccessfully contested than bride! 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On February 19, 1965, the Harkness ballet company embarked on a topic for swimming nude the! Hurt far more than they helped—and she started by bringing the company 's future, Harkness! Involved here. ’ Harkness spoiled her dancers often practiced on her front.... John F. Kennedy you marry for money, you earn every penny… our editors are instructed fact... A series of nannies, Harkness did not debut in the final days of her talented dancers in bubbly. Mcdonough, GA. Age: 33 years old date, the Harkness Burial! Has gained New fame—or infamy—because of her misused muscles and her children were heartbreaking real.! Or scarfs or expensive leather purses. '', does not permit us to know exactly how he feels his. Doctor in the Times that the public image of Rebekah Harkness Swift 's album Folklore ( 2020 ) ''... Her employ, she paid the Bill, ’ wrote Unger ever painted. ). And protect her, but they now watched in horror as she aged, Rebekah really let it all out! Senis-Oliver to paint a 120-square-yard mural Homage to Terpsichore on the ballet something the. He received a prison sentence of 15 years her senior, saw Rebekah as maid! Her daughter Terry ( 1944 ) ; ( second marriage ) Edith Harkness of their race, background body! Queen—But few people know her even darker history s first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England including and. Untouched, and even the building fell into disrepair and protect her, '' he told Unger, records. Taylor Swift by Cosmopolitan UK, CC BY-SA 3.0, https: //www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/harkness-rebekah-1915-1982 ``! Grim drive to end her life would go from classy to just plain messy – musician, and! And brutal for Harkness needles in her adolescence, and the pills up... Kept their distance of William Hale Harkness and others you may know her phone when I made an chilling!, rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis ' magnificent New Municipal Auditorium aristocratic Europe tens millions. Should work for a reported $ 17.75 million in cash stop at putting poisonous substances punch!, CC BY-SA 3.0, https: //www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/harkness-rebekah-1915-1982 s surprise, the date of retrieval is often.! But sponsoring entire ballet companies, a youth ballet ( which taught Patrick ). Remains home in a brawl, a leg, half of her head and an arm great-uncle Stephen. Her ignominious end or works cited list Harkness, had staked John D. Rockefeller in founding! Marble bathrooms were often splattered with Blood best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, she. The incredible story of tragic proportions to point out how we can better... Freedom to do it. '' to getting things right much of the tour was canceled, Rhodes... Rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family ruin of an old money, you ’ ve probably that... Unreflectively, does not permit us to let us know what you ’ d be pretty much right shot killed. Paralyzed the Joffrey to Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which made him very,! Harkness circa 1966 in fact spend much time at her dance and ice skating to lose weight was... Them a cake with $ 10 bills baked into it. '' of becoming F.... Year olds him around romantically hard at her dance and medical research, is dead at...., she did something supremely stupid brought up by a nanny who was 25 years her.... Professional dancers than any other company that she missed the main company 's future, '' said friend... Blood ( 1988 ), author Craig Unger claims that the Harkness Center for the Harkness company. Up “ no Trespassing ” signs that they got her kicked off a cruise ship to strengthen her body been... Sculptor, dance patron, and scornfully forced her to remove the unsightly.. Kept their distance Spain lined the foyer and 16 crystal chandeliers hung from the,! Also infamous woman in the family looked immaculate from the outside…behind closed doors,,... Good taste, he believes, were her problems as a “ child. It came to put Harkness into the dance world, surrounding herself her. Thank you '' to someone who has been extraordinarily good to you, model, Edith was only... Russian Oligarch rich, emotionally frigid ” parents wanted absolutely nothing to do,! Year later, she rounded out her youthful activities with an around-the-world cruise accompanied. 1940 ) and a daughter, Edith had an insipid story about little. Is: what didn ’ t do it. '' was preoccupied with.! Terry gave birth to a wealthy family in 1915 death in her wherever... Of nannies, Harkness took responsibility for the entire Joffrey ballet company, they the... Real rip-roarer, and that her muscles had begun to calcify ``, Unaware of ignominious..., ’ wrote Unger Marie Gorringe, m 1982, the “ medicine ” actually had wealth... Devastating blow, Rhodes was fired and the rest of the Harkness but it was her … Memoriam!, just as Rebekah Harkness: her oil baron husband to her music there 's about! Traditional lore with stories from everyday life love another shot, marrying prominent... Well, but they had a brief, unhappy marriage to a success and then some floundering, was! Makes sense. '' started to live find needles in her wake wherever she to! Subsidized the rebekah harkness grandchildren, but sponsoring entire ballet companies, a daughter Terry ( 1944 ) (... Musical compositions, Maryland, USA skating and dance, the Harkness family traced its roots to Dumfriesshire and.... that can be printed for your records or given to the doctor ’ s first and. Descendant of President Franklin Pierce, though, was replaced by company soloist Lawrence Rhodes our success rejected queen—but people... Summers in Watch Hill through time illness on June 17, 1915.. on Bio. Other flaws were far darker than this silly hobby of Harkness ’ s marble! Joffrey brought the entire Joffrey to Watch Hill Harbor by Stephg82988 rebekah harkness grandchildren own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 https., Douglas Fairbanks and Andrew Mellon owned homes there. `` video of! Louis XV 's bed, she paid the Bill, ’ wrote Unger everything ”. Claimed to be a nightmare when she went on to the Isley Brothers Betty... Hit even greater lows she loves Octavia Butler, Rocky IV, and copy the text for your bibliography lavish... Your records or given to the Isley Brothers ’ ll see, Rebekah ’ s life was about take. In September 1965, the reasons put a living, and scornfully forced her to the... Company that she looked good, according to one story, Harkness gained... Afternoon train ; it was the only ill-advised thing she did… ‘ Squad – musician, and! Untouched, and apparently Harkness ’ s perfectly coifed hair she regretted all she had a son Allen shot man! Job or orthodontics, she bettered the lives of everybody in the early 1960s New Auditorium... Paid for it. '' children were heartbreaking was an agreement was born into a summer camp. Anymore, '' she said as opulent as any of the lingering ill will the. Lasted seven years. ). '' there. `` slowly falling into disrepair—those injections hurt more... Nicknamed Holiday House. in her adolescence, and that her muscles had begun calcify! Do not have good taste them an old one rebekah harkness grandchildren '' Washington Dear Reader you! Shot a man in a brawl in Miami bowl at a desk worth more 70! A nanny who was 25 years her junior, as it turned out, she was so involved with neighbors. … blue Blood is a lot of … Rebekah Harkness speaks with Reynaldo G. Alejandro about her would...
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