Blanche Oelrichs
Blanche Marie Louise Oelrichs (born October 1, 1890 in Newport , Rhode Island , † November 5, 1950 in Boston , Massachusetts ) was an American poet , screenwriter and stage actress who was popular in the first half of the 20th century.
Life
Blanche Marie Louise Oelrichs was the youngest daughter of four children of the wealthy mining magnate Charles May Oelrichs and his wife Blanche Pauline Emilie DeLoosey. In addition to the families of the Astors , Vanderbilts , Rothschilds , Belmonts and Morgans, their families belonged to the "Four Hundred". Her childhood revolved around perfect behavior and social representation. She was taught exclusively at home by governesses and tutors with the help of her father's library . In addition to geography , history , math , art , dance and music - Blanche also learned French .
On January 26, 1910, Blanche Oelrichs married Leonard Moorhead Thomas (1889-1937), son of a Philadelphia banker, on the family estate in Newport . The joint connection resulted in two sons, Leonard Jr. (1911–1968) and Robin May (1915–1944). After her husband graduated from Yale University , he went to the diplomatic service in Rome and Madrid . At the same time, Blanche got involved with Anna Howard Shaw , Lucy Burns and Alice Paul , and a number of other women between 1912 and 1920 in the successful struggle for women's suffrage in the United States. She organized events and also funded the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Even after the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution , which guaranteed women the right to vote, Blanche remained active in women's politics until the mid-1920s. In addition to politics, she also found a love for literature and poetry , especially the works of Walt Whitman . She published her first volume of poetry (1916) under the pseudonym Michael Strange .
Blanche was one of the first members of the women's organization Lucy Stone League , founded by Ruth Hale , whose goal was, among other things, that women can keep their maiden name after marriage. Among the co-founders were Jane Grant , wife of Harold Ross , and Beatrice Kaufman , wife of the playwright George Simon Kaufman . Other members were Neysa McMein , Janet Flanner , Franklin Pierce Adams , Solita Solano , Anita Loos and Fannie Hurst .
Through her social activities, Blanche met John Barrymore (1882-1942), who came from an actor dynasty, and fell in love. After their divorce, she married him again, from the mutual connection a daughter, Diana Blanche (1921-1960) emerged. The marriage with Barrymore, who was considered a manipulative and pathological egomaniac, failed. A year later she married the prominent New York lawyer Harrison Tweed (1885-1969), the marriage lasted until 1942. Blanche Oelrichs died of complications from a leukemia disease and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York.
Marriages
- 1910-1919 Leonard Moorhead Thomas; two sons
- 1920–1928 John Barrymore; a daughter
- 1929-1942 Harrison Tweed; childless
Broadway productions, under the pseudonym Michael Strange
- 1921 Clair de Lune
- 1926 Easter One Day More
- 1928 L'Aiglon
Works, under the pseudonym Michael Strange
- 1916 Miscellaneous poems
- 1919 poems
- 1921 Resurrecting Life
- 1928 Selected poems
- 1940 Who Tells Me True
Web links
- Blanche Oelrichs in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Oelrichs, Blanche |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Strange, Michael (pseudonym); Oelrichs, Blanche Marie Louise (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American poet, screenwriter, and stage actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1890 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newport , Rhode Island |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th November 1950 |
| Place of death | Boston , Massachusetts |