New York’s Own – Page 4 – The Exasperated Historian

673) Caresse Crosby

"I can't say the brassiere will ever take as great a place in history as the steamboat, but I did invent it."

673: Caresse Crosby

The First Person to Patent the Modern Brassiere

Born: 20 April 1891, New Rochelle, New York, United States of America

Died: 24 January 1970, Rome, Italy

Original Name: Mary Phelps Jacobs

After receiving her patent, Caresse went on to start the Fashion Form Brassiere Company employing women to manufacture wireless bras.

Before the invention ever really took off, she sold her patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company for $1500 (over the next 30 years the company would earn $15 million for this acquisition).

Caresse first created her bra after getting dressed for a debutante ball when she was nineteen. The traditional whale bone corsets worn by most upper-class women of the day looked uncomfortable and funny under Caresse’s slinky dress; so in a pinch she crafted a bra out of silk, thread, and ribbons.

Soon after, Caresse’s friends and other high society women started asking after her new invention. By November of 1914, Caresse had been granted her patent from the US Patent Office and launched her business.

Part of the reason why Caresse’s design was so popular in the early years was because of the lack of metal needed to construct them. During World War I, the government rationed the metal needed to create corsets, leaving Caresse’s bra a viable alternative. However, Caresse’s bra has very in common with the bras used today. Instead, they are much closer to a bralette. Caresse’s design offered little to no support and actually flattened the breasts to the chest.

Caresse began an affair while still married to her first husband and after divorcing him married the man she’d been seeing and the side. By this time, she was twenty-nine and ready to start her life anew. All her life, Caresse had been known as “Polly”, but after saying “I Do” for the second time, she changed her name to the provocative “Caresse”. Oh, and she named her dog Clytoris.

Caresse and her new beau moved to France where she and her husband became publishers (opening their own company called Black Sun Press) and expatriates living the Bohemian lifestyle. They started boozing, taking opium, and having wild parties with friends. Those same friends were invited to sprawl their signatures on the wall of the Crosby home with watercolor paints. The Crosbys were so ahead of their time they also had an open marriage. Caresse and her husband even vowed to commit suicide together—crazy I know. But when her husband killed himself it was his new girlfriend that followed him to the grave and not Caresse.

In later life she married again (for three years) opened a gallery in DC, returned to Europe, bought a castle in Rome, and entered politics. She was remembered in her obituary from TIME Magazine as, “[the] literary godmother to the 'lost generation' of expatriate writers in Paris."

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71612/caresse-crosby-brazen-inventor-brassiere

http://www.phelpsfamilyhistory.com/bios/mary_phelps_jacob.asp

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39959760/caresse-crosby

657) Emily Howland

657: Emily Howland

The First Female Director of a US National Bank

Born: 27 November 1827, New York, United States of America

Died: 29 June 1929, Sherwood, New York, United States of America

Emily was also a philanthropist, educator, and advocate for African American civil rights, temperance, and women’s suffrage.

Emily was friends with Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Harriet Tubman.

She worked at a school for African American girls before the War Between the States broke out and after she taught freed slaves in Arlington, Virginia and participated in helping the sick during a smallpox epidemic.

Emily continued working at her various jobs passed the age of one hundred years in some cases. She is also credited with convincing Ezra Cornell to make his now famed school, Cornell University, co-educational.

In March of 2019, Emily’s name was in the news thanks to the discovery of a new portrait of Harriet Tubman from when she was a young woman. This new photograph was found inside one of Emily Howland’s photo albums. That same album contains numerous photographs of other prominent abolitionists and civil rights leaders from the day. One of the most incredible finds, outside of Harriet’s picture, is the only known photograph of John Willis Menard, the first African American man ever elected to the United States Congress (House of Representatives for the state of Louisiana, however he was never allowed to take his seat). The album is now on permanent display in Washington DC at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/projects/catalog/emily-howland

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/previously-unknown-portrait-abolitionist-harriet-tubman-young-woman-goes-view-180971796/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158238946/emily-howland

643) Kate Warne

This watercolor of Kate is from 1866. There are no known photographs of Kate.

643: Kate Warne

The First Female Detective in the United States

Born: c.1833, Erin, New York, United States of America

Died: 28 January 1868, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

Kate worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency for twelve years, from 1856 until her death. When she arrived at the Pinkerton office, she told Allan Pinkerton she was applying for the new detective job, not to work as a secretary. As a recently widowed woman, Kate was looking for a job to support herself, and evidently also wanted some adventure in her life.

Only two years after starting to work for Pinkerton, Kate was able to catch a thief. The man had stolen around $50,000 from an equity fund, and with Kate becoming friends with the thief’s wife, she was able to catch him in the act. The man would later return around $30,000 worth of the stolen cash and was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Kate was also one of the operatives who protected President Lincoln in 1861 as he traveled from Illinois to Washington DC to assume the presidency. The most important part of her job for the president came in Baltimore, when Kate uncovered an assassination plot against the president-elect. Kate posed as the president’s sister, while he posed as an invalid in disguise on the train, potentially saving his life. Kate was one of two detectives traveling with the president that day; the other was Allan Pinkerton.

Kate also helped break the Rose O’Neal Greenhow spy ring during the War Between the States.

After the war, Kate investigated the murder of a bank-teller. By making friends with the suspected murderer’s wife, Kate was not only able to catch the killer, but also account for the $130,000 taken during the course of the crime.

Then she became superintendent of the Female Detective Bureau in the Chicago office, overseeing the training and operation of several other female detectives.

Kate fell ill with pneumonia and died with Pinkerton himself by her side. Kate was buried in the Pinkerton family plot alongside several other fallen detectives. Kate was so important to Allan Pinkerton he personally thanked her in his memoirs.

In 1871, the majority of the Pinkerton Case files in Chicago were destroyed in a fire, so the already elusive life of Kate Warne became even more so.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Who Knew? Women in History by Sarah Herman

The Pinks: The First Women Detectives, Operatives, and Spies with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency by Chris Enss

Sources:

https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2019/august/detective-kate-warne/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/kate-warne

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/03/celebrating-womens-history-americas-first-female-p-i/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6425/kate-warne

592) Iris Burton

“I hate to say it, but kids are pieces of meat. I’ve never had anything but filet mignon. I’ve never had hamburger. My kids are the choice meat.”

592: Iris Burton

Talent Agent for Child Stars

Born: 4 September 1930, Manhattan, New York, United States of America

Died: 5 April 2008, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

Original Name: Iris Burstein

Iris’s clients included River Phoenix and his siblings, the Olsen Twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley) Drew Barrymore, and more.

Iris started her career as a child dancer before moving to Broadway and later as a dancer in Hollywood films. Among the movies she appeared in were The Ten Commandments and Top Banana. After her dancing projects started to wane, she switched to working at a talent agency before later opening her own. Iris chose child stars because she knew the transition to adult stardom was hard to come by and gravitated towards wanting to help the younger generations.

She had one son, an actor who won a Tony award in 1985.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013336/bio

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/movies/18burton.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26152309/iris-burton

570) Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi

570: Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi

Pioneer and Mother of Women’s Judo

Born: 30 July 1935, Coney Island, New York, United States of America

Died: 21 November 2009, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America

Rusty fought for over two decades to get women’s judo recognized as an Olympic sport. Eventually, she would coach the US Olympic Women’s Judo Team.

Her fight to get women’s judo recognized began in 1959 after she won a championship (while dressed like a man) and was stripped of her medal after the organizer asked her if she was a woman.

Rusty was the first woman allowed to train at Japan’s judo headquarters (the Kodokan). She was also a driving force behind the fight for Title IX in the United States.

In 2019, a street in Rusty’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York, was renamed in her honor.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2019/October/28/A-Street-In-Brooklyn-Is-Now-Named-For-The-Mother-Of-Womens-Judo-Rena-Rusty-Kanokogi

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/sports/olympics/23kanokogi.html

https://jwa.org/weremember/kanokogi-rusty

https://jwa.org/people/kanokogi-rusty

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101383194/rena-kanokogi

549) Catherine “Kitty” Genovese

549: Catherine ‘Kitty’ Genovese

Murder Victim

Born: 7 July 1935, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America

Died: 13 March 1964, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, United States of America

Catherine’s tragic death led to the birth of the emergency operator system in the United States. Dialing 911 became the official number to call in 1968.

The night of the murder, Catherine was walking home when her assailant appeared, stabbed her, then was scared off by a neighbor. Catherine managed to stumble towards her apartment building before he returned, stabbed her again, and raped her, leaving her there to bleed out. Catherine died en route to the hospital.

Allegedly, thirty-eight witnesses were identified who stood by and didn’t call for help while Catherine was being stabbed to death in the street. This number was first reported by The New York Times following the murders, however, as the years passed, the actual number of witnesses has dropped dramatically. Catherine’s murder gave rise to studying The Bystander Effect, or the theory that the more witnesses there are to a crime the less likely one of those witnesses will help. Today, only two witnesses are recognized as being present and aware the murder was taking place.

Unfortunately, the police spent six hours interviewing her girlfriend on what their sex life was like instead of doing actual police work too, bringing even more hurt to Catherine’s family. If that all isn’t sad enough, Catherine’s family had left New York after her mother witnessed a murder in the city. Her parents and four younger siblings were living in Connecticut at the time of the murder; Catherine had stayed in the city for work. She was the manager of a bar and a loving girlfriend, with her whole life ahead of her.

Catherine’s assailant was caught and sentenced to life in prison. He gave no motive for the crime and was a married man with children. After further questioning, he admitted to several other rapes and two other murders. At the time of his death in 2016, the murderer was known as the longest serving prisoner in New York State.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/08/kitty-genovese/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7195328/kitty-genovese

537) Caroline Kennedy

537: Caroline Kennedy

Diplomat, Author, Political Figure, and Attorney

Born: 27 November 1957, New York City, New York, United States of America

Caroline served as the US Ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017. As of 2022, she is now the US Ambassador to Australia.

Caroline is the oldest and only still-surviving child of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She hadn’t quite yet turned six years old when her father was killed. Two weeks after the assassination, Jackie moved her children out of the White House, and soon after they moved to New York City, trying their best to stay out of the public eye.

Caroline is a Radcliffe and Columbia Law school graduate and mother of three children. Her foray into politics started early, when she worked as an intern to her Uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, while in college.

After she finished school at Radcliffe (now a part of Harvard), Caroline began working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she met her husband, and as president of the John F Kennedy Library Foundation. She entered law school soon after and published her first of several books. Since then she has become board member for various institutions, including Chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

In 2019, Caroline officially christened the second ship named in honor of her father by the United States Navy.

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

The House of Kennedy by James Patterson and Cynthia Fagen

Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/personality/caroline-kennedy

https://www.jfklibrary.org/about-us/jfk-library-foundation/board-of-directors/caroline-kennedy-honorary-president

https://people.com/politics/caroline-kennedy-christens-navy-ship-uss-jfk/

https://au.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates-canberra-ambassador/

536) Linda Lovelace

536: Linda Lovelace

Porn Star Who Became a Born-Again Christian

Born: 10 January 1949, Bronx, New York, United States of America

Died: 22 April 2002, Denver, Colorado, United States of America

Original Name: Linda Boreman

Linda “converted” (for lack of a better term) in later life and did lecture tours on the evils of pornography. She even spoke on how it dehumanizes women and testified before Congress on how dangerous pornography can be.

Linda also alleged her husband at the time coerced her into working in the film that made her famous (Deep Throat—the first full-length pornographic film). Linda stated she made no money from the film (which grossed around $600 Million) but her husband collected $1,250 for her work. It should be noted that her ex-husband denied the charges, and never faced any criminal action from the allegations.

Linda ended up having two children with her second husband, proving you can turn your life around if you really want it. The young family struggled financially, and Linda had to have a liver transplant in the late 1980’s after contracting hepatitis, reportedly from a bad blood transfusion, but Linda never went back to the industry that made her famous.

Linda died from injuries sustained during a car crash. Despite her separation from her second husband in 1996, he was present with their sons when she was taken off of life support.

In 2013, Amanda Seyfried starred as Linda in a biographical film about her life, entitled Lovelace.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/performer/linda-lovelace

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001483/bio

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6364421/linda-lovelace

528) Mary Von Waldersee

528: Mary Von Waldersee

Philanthropist Who Married Into German Aristocracy

Born: 3 October 1837, New York City, New York, United States of America

Died: 4 July 1914, Hanover, Germany

Mary may have had an affair with Kaiser Wilhelm II.

She was known for her political salons and charities. There is little other information for Mary available online. In fact, the first page of Google search results lists several different Wiki articles, her Find a Grave Memorial, and a thesis from 2012 about her husband that is available on the internet.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_von_Waldersee

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/15b1/059a9223904e93923cc503ebcc3eefeaabf2.pdf

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188706660/mary-ester-von_waldersee

519) Priscilla Presley

518: Priscilla Presley

Business Magnate and Actress

Born: 24 May 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America

Priscilla is best known for marrying Elvis Presley and being the mother of his daughter Lisa Marie. They met in 1959 while Elvis was in the armed forces. Priscilla’s stepfather was in the Air Force and stationed in West Germany. Priscilla was fourteen at the time; they married eight years later.

She has a son from another relationship.

Though raised Catholic, Priscilla joined the church of Scientology in 1978—however some claim she left the church in 2017 (her publicist denied this).

Priscilla appeared in three Naked Gun films as well as the hit TV show Dallas. She also competed on a season of Dancing With the Stars.

Priscilla turned Graceland, the famous mansion and estate of Elvis, into a multimillion-dollar tourist destination. She is also Chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Sadly, Priscilla's daughter Lisa Marie passed away in January 2023.

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001636/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

https://www.biography.com/musician/priscilla-presley