Edith : The Rogue Rockefeller Mccormick by Andrea Friederici Ross (2021, Trade Paperback)

Southern Illinois University Press

0809338629

9780809338627

20050080881

Edith : the Rogue Rockefeller Mccormick

Andrea Friederici Ross

Trade Paperback

English

Women, Rich & Famous, United States / State & Local / MidWest (IA, IL, In, Ks, MI, MN, MO, North Dakota, Ne, OH, Sd, Wi), Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)

2021

Biography & Autobiography, History

256 Pages

9in.

0.6in.

6in.

2.3 Oz

F548.5

"A deeply researched, briskly readable account of the life of Chicago grande dame Edith Rockefeller McCormick . . . This is fascinating, stranger-than-fiction Chicago history, and a page-turner. Can't wait for the miniseries it's sure to inspire."-- Deanna Issacs , Chicago Reader "'Unusual woman' is only a hint to whom readers will meet in the book. It is filled with family members and recipients of her patronage who have their own views of Edith and her spending. She acquired costly jewels and antiques but was also interested in affordable housing for young, first-time home buyers."-- Jodie Jacobs , Chicago Theater and Arts "This is a fascinating, well-researched book about the life of John D. Rockefeller's most intelligent, creative and misunderstood child."-- Ann McCauley , Story Circle "Meticulously researched and featuring a number of black/white historical photos, Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick is an inherently fascinating life story of a remarkable woman who lived a wealthy yet unconventional life."-- James A. Cox , Midwest Book Review "A research tour de force that reads like a novel. . . . This book is so involving, I even enjoyed consulting the footnotes."-- J. Wynn Rousuck , Theater Critic, Midday, WYPR Radio, Baltimore " Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick " is an exceptional book about an exceptional woman. . . . This is a remarkable work that honors Edith's many legacies and highlights a history that might otherwise have been lost."-- Valerie Biel , author of the Circle of Nine series "Edith Rockefeller was the most intelligent, creative, and misunderstood of John D.'s children. In this well-researched and nuanced biography, Ross recounts how Edith's determination, boldness, and sheer will defied her patriarchal family. Her belief in a socially responsible life led to significant contributions in medicine, philosophy, psychology, and the civic life of Chicago. The arc of her life reveals startling shifts certain to surprise and engage the reader."-- Clarice Stasz , author, The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour, and Tragedy " Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick is a revealing and captivating account that illuminates the significance and the originality of my great-grandmother. Fascinating!"-- A descendant of Edith Rockefeller McCormick "Andrea Friederici Ross has brought fresh light to the story of the powerful Rockefeller family through the life of John D.'s daughter Edith. Raised in a strict Baptist household where her mother, Laura Spelman, carried on John's prescription of severe thriftiness despite enormous wealth, Edith liberated herself through marriage to another wealthy heir, Harold McCormick. Extravagant in the extreme and often in debt, the power couple lived a peripatetic life marked alternatively by great joy and tragedy, excessive spending and generous philanthropy. Ross masterfully weaves in the family's struggles with mental illness and their pursuit of treatment through the new field of psychoanalysis and old-fashioned quackery. Edith takes us into the world of early twentieth-century industrial capitalists and a new generation of modern women seeking to reshape America and claim their place. A captivating read! "-- Kate Clifford Larson , author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, " Edith fills a longstanding lacuna in American biographical literature. By consolidating and centralizing disparate sources and fragmented accounts into a single narrative treatment, Ross offers an important touchstone for further work on Rockefeller McCormick herself or on the various topical intersections related to her life. Ideally, this work will mark the beginning of a renewed interest in Edith Rockefeller McCormick, sparking further contributions and building on the ground broken by Ross."-- C.A. Norling , Middle West Review "A deeply researched, briskly readable account of the life of Chicago grande dame Edith Rockefeller McCormick . . . This is fascinating, stranger-than-fiction Chicago history, and a page-turner. Can''t wait for the miniseries it''s sure to inspire."-- Deanna Issacs , Chicago Reader "''Unusual woman'' is only a hint to whom readers will meet in the book. It is filled with family members and recipients of her patronage who have their own views of Edith and her spending. She acquired costly jewels and antiques but was also interested in affordable housing for young, first-time home buyers."-- Jodie Jacobs , Chicago Theater and Arts "This is a fascinating, well-researched book about the life of John D. Rockefeller''s most intelligent, creative and misunderstood child."-- Ann McCauley , Story Circle "Meticulously researched and featuring a number of black/white historical photos, Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick is an inherently fascinating life story of a remarkable woman who lived a wealthy yet unconventional life."-- James A. Cox , Midwest Book Review "A research tour de force that reads like a novel. . . . This book is so involving, I even enjoyed consulting the footnotes."-- J. Wynn Rousuck , Theater Critic, Midday, WYPR Radio, Baltimore " Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick " is an exceptional book about an exceptional woman. . . . This is a remarkable work that honors Edith''s many legacies and highlights a history that might otherwise have been lost."-- Valerie Biel , author of the Circle of Nine series "Edith Rockefeller was the most intelligent, creative, and misunderstood of John D.''s children. In this well-researched and nuanced biography, Ross recounts how Edith''s determination, boldness, and sheer will defied her patriarchal family. Her belief in a socially responsible life led to significant contributions in medicine, philosophy, psychology, and the civic life of Chicago. The arc of her life reveals startling shifts certain to surprise and engage the reader."-- Clarice Stasz , author, The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour, and Tragedy " Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick is a revealing and captivating account that illuminates the significance and the originality of my great-grandmother. Fascinating!"-- A descendant of Edith Rockefeller McCormick "Andrea Friederici Ross has brought fresh light to the story of the powerful Rockefeller family through the life of John D.''s daughter Edith. Raised in a strict Baptist household where her mother, Laura Spelman, carried on John''s prescription of severe thriftiness despite enormous wealth, Edith liberated herself through marriage to another wealthy heir, Harold McCormick. Extravagant in the extreme and often in debt, the power couple lived a peripatetic life marked alternatively by great joy and tragedy, excessive spending and generous philanthropy. Ross masterfully weaves in the family''s struggles with mental illness and their pursuit of treatment through the new field of psychoanalysis and old-fashioned quackery. Edith takes us into the world of early twentieth-century industrial capitalists and a new generation of modern women seeking to reshape America and claim their place. A captivating read! "-- Kate Clifford Larson , author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter

Contents Preface Growing Up Rockefeller 1872-1888 The Prince of McCormick Reaper 1888-1895 Trickle Down Edith 1896-1899 The Show Must Go On 1900-1904 Dangers 1905-1910 Grand Causes 1909-1911 Trying to Stay Sane 1911-1913 A New Father Figure 1913-1914 In for the Long Haul 1915-1916 Psychological Club 1916-1917 A Family in Tatters 1917-1920 Trying to Find a Way Home 1919-1921 On Her Own 1921-1922 A Year in the Life 1922-1923 Partnership 1921-1925 Elder Stateswoman 1925-1928 Full Steam Ahead, Blindly 1926-1928 Disaster 1928-1932 Death 1932 Aftermath 1932 Legacy Acknowledgments Abbreviation Notes Sources Index

Trade

707.5092

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