Caroline M. Estes Smith (November 29, 1877 - April 18, 1970) was the first woman to manage the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles.

Caroline Estes Smith, 1901, Pacific coast music review

Early life

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Caroline M. Estes was born on November 29, 1877, in Winn, Maine, the daughter of Willie A. Estes and Mary Graves. [1] [2]

Career

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Robert E. Cowan, Cowan's wife Marie, and Caroline Estes-Smith, in the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library's sunken garden

Caroline Estes Smith was William Andrews Clark Jr.’s private secretary until 1922, when she became the first woman to manage the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles. Even after she retired from her private secretary's job, she and her husband, George Leslie Smith, were frequent guests of Clark at Mowitza Lodge, Salmon Lake State Park, Montana, and lived around the corner from the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library on St. Andrews Place. [1] [3] In 1930 she published The Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles. [4]

 
Uplifters Clubhouse

She was a member of the Woman's Athletic Club, Casa del Mar, Southern California Athletic and Country Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club, California Country Club, Uplifters Club, Order of the Eastern Star. [1] [2]

Personal life

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On October 2, 1899, Caroline Estes Smith married George Leslie Smith (1874-1943), at Calais, Maine, and had one son, George Leslie, Jr. For several years a resident of Boston, Caroline Estes Smith moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1903, and lived at 1237 S. Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, California. [1] [2]

She died on April 18, 1970, and is buried with her husband at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Binheim, Max; Elvin, Charles A (1928). Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of America. p. 84. Retrieved 8 August 2017.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c McGroarty, John Steven (1922). California of the South Vol. V. Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. pp. 277–279. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Item of the Week: Snooks and friends". 16 July 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  4. ^ The Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles. Caroline Estes Smith. 1930. Retrieved 8 September 2017.