Mary Landon Baker (b. August 15,[1] 1901;[2] died 1961) was a rich American socialite and heiress famous for her romantic life.[3][4] Newspapers worldwide covered her love life with Allister McCormick, whom she repeatedly left at the altar in the early 1920s.[4]
In 1926 she was briefly engaged to Bojidar Pouritch, who worked as a Yugoslav diplomat; a New York Times correspondent stated their engagement caused, "the greatest excitement since the European war".[4][5]
Among those she rejected as possible husbands were also an English Lord, a rich Spaniard, and an Irish prince.[4] She reportedly had received 65 marriage proposals by the time she died, but never married.[6] The New York Times reported that the theater actor Barry Baxter died of a heart attack on the day that Baker broke up with him.[7]
Baker was apparently enamoured for most of her life with the British politician and writer Henry "Chips" Channon who refers to her repeatedly in his published diaries.[8]
Family edit
Baker's parents were Chicago lawyer and financier Alfred L. Baker and Mary Corwith. She had an older sister, Isabelle,[2] whose married name in 1926 was Mrs. Robert M. Curtis[9] and in 1934, Mrs. Isabelle Baker Curtis Welch, and two nieces Isabelle and Priscilla.[10]
Baker lived most of her life in Chicago, and when her father passed away in 1927 she inherited a large inheritance which allowed her to remain single and live on her own, unlike many women at the time who lacked money of their own.[7]
References edit
- ^ U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
- ^ a b Crowell, Deborah, ", ancestry.com from the book Men of 1914. The name is spelled 'Isabelle' in this report. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
- ^ "April 1, 1956 - Mary Landon Baker-She left her man waiting at the church | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. 1956-04-01. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ^ a b c d "She Received 65 Proposals, but Never Married". The New York Times. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ^ "Milestones: Nov. 1, 1926 - TIME". Time. Content.time.com. 1926-11-01. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ^ Gabriella Paiella (January 31, 2017). "Mary Landon Baker Got 65 Proposals, Never Married". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ^ a b Polat, Guy (2022-02-19). "Mary Landon Baker: Even 65 Proposals Couldn't Get Her To Marry". Trailblazing Women & LGBTQ Folks. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ "The Diaries of Chips Channon Vol 1". Penguin UK. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Alfred L. Baker, Financier, Ill at Lake Forest", Chicago Daily Tribune, September 30, 1926. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
- ^ "Robert M. Curtis Acts to Settle Alimony Dispute", Chicago Daily Tribune, November 24, 1934. The names are spelled 'Isabel' in this report. Retrieved 2017-02-09.