Beatrice Minerva Ashley Chanler (born Minnie W. Collins; May 7, 1880
[Thomas, Lately. ''The Astor Orphans: A Pride of Lions'', W. Morrow, 1971. ] – June 19, 1946), also known as Minnie Ashley, was an American stage actress, artist, and author. She was active in charity and
philanthropy during World War I and World War II.
Early life and stage career
Beatrice Chanler was born Minnie W. Collins on May 7, 1881 to Eliza Collins and an unknown father, according to the novelist Stephanie Dray.
[Raquel Laneri,"The shocking secret past of wild child turned NYC high-society doyenne," ''New York Post,'' April 15, 2021](_blank)
/ref> "At first, I believed that I was going to be telling a story about a blue-blooded do-gooder born in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Instead, I found the story of an illegitimate daughter of Irish immigrants who lived a difficult childhood in Boston. And suddenly, the story became much more meaningful," Dray told the ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
.'' The ''Post'' says that Ashley was born as "Minnie Collins" in Boston to an Irish-American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
widow named Eliza Collins. When Minnie was a toddler, her mother moved in with George Ashley, and she took his surname. The birth record of Minnie W. Collins on May 7, 1880, to Eliza Collins in Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Dartmouth ( Massachusett: ) is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Old Dartmouth was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts to be settled by Europeans, primarily English. Dartmouth is part of New England's farm coast, which c ...
is consistent with this story. George Ashley died shortly after Minnie's 8th birthday, on May 11, 1888, in Boston.
Ashley likely adopted the middle name of Minerva for George Ashley's aunt, Minerva Crapo Lindley, who died around the time that George Ashley and Eliza Collins began living together.
She appeared in Broadway and London stage productions as Minnie Ashley from 1893 until 1902. She launched her acting career in 1893 (at the age of 12) as a member of the chorus in '' 1492 Up to Date'' by R. A. Barnet, produced on Broadway by Edward E. Rice. She then served as understudy
In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...
for Edna Wallace Hopper
Edna Wallace Hopper (January 17, 1872 – December 14, 1959) was an American actress on stage and in silent films. She was known as the "eternal flapper".
Biography
Hopper was believed to have been born on January 17, 1872, as Edna Marga ...
in John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...
's operetta ''El Capitan
El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its talles ...
'' (1896) starring DeWolf Hopper
William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater, he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat" ...
. The following summer she married William Sheldon, an actor, and was separated from him within a few months.
Her future husband, William A. Chanler
William Astor "Willie" Chanler (June 11, 1867 – March 4, 1934) was an American soldier, explorer, and politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York. He was a son of John Winthrop Chanler. After spending several years exploring Eas ...
, first saw her in a 1902 production of ''A Country Girl
''A Country Girl, or, Town and Country'' is a musical play in two acts by James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross, additional lyrics by Percy Greenbank, music by Lionel Monckton and additional songs by Paul Rubens.
The musical opened at D ...
'' starring C. Hayden Coffin at Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...
's theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in London. By then, Ashley was already well known after appearing in ''The Geisha
''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...
'' (1896), ''The Circus Girl
''The Circus Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Walter Apllant (Palings), with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll, and additional music by Lionel Monckton.[A Greek Slave
''A Greek Slave'' is a musical comedy in two acts, first performed on 8 June 1898 at Daly's Theatre in London, produced by George Edwardes and ran for 349 performances. The score was composed by Sidney Jones with additional songs by Lionel Monckto ...]
'' (1899) and ''San Toy
''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...
'' (1900 and 1902). Ashley was anxious to quit her stage career due to damage to her eyesight resulting from prolonged exposure to theatrical arc lights.
In 1911, after a decade's absence from the stage, Ashley returned briefly to acting, revisiting her role as Madame Sophie in "A Country Girl."
Marriage and children
Minnie Ashley was courted both by William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
and William A. Chanler. During this courtship, in spite of the protections of secretaries at the Hearst Corporation, Chanler stormed into Hearst's office and punched him in the nose, ultimately winning the affections and hand of Miss Ashley. Ashley married Chanler on December 4, 1903 at St. George's Episcopal Church in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. The union was controversial as Chanler's family disapproved of his choice to marry an actress and because of Ashley's previous divorce. The couple spent their honeymoon in the Caribbean on board Chanler's recently-purchased yacht ''Sanibel''.
They had two sons:
* William Astor Chanler, Jr. (1904–2002), a published historian.[Chanler, William Astor, Jr. ''And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time: A Seven Hundred Acre Island Reminiscence''. Rockport, ME: Outerbridge Books, 1984.]
* Sidney Ashley Chanler (1907–1994), a public relations executive who in 1934 married Princess Maria Antonia of Braganza (1903–1973), daughter of the Duke of Braganza and Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (German: ''Maria Theresa, Prinzessin von Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg'') (4 January 1870, Rome, Papal States – 17 January 1935, Vienna, Federal State of Austria) was a Princess of L ...
In 1909 Willie expressed a desire to go to Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
to fight for the Senussi against Italy in the Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...
. When Beatrice objected, reminding him that he had a family to support and could not risk his life so easily, Willie revised his will, signing over the better part of his estate to his wife and sons in trust. Beatrice remained dissatisfied, however, in particular because Willie's drinking had become a problem. In the fall of 1909, Willie and Beatrice separated on good terms. The separation was never legally formalized and she retained his surname for the rest of her life. Following their separation, she maintained a home in Paris on the left bank
In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows.
In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terra ...
not far from his residence on the right bank
In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows.
In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...
, and met frequently with him until his death in 1934. She socialized with prominent members of the theatrical community in Paris, and became close friends with Arturo Toscanini and Lionel Barrymore. In 1939 she relocated to New York City.
Artistic and philanthropic career
After separating from her husband, she became a sculptor, studying under George Gray Barnard
George Grey Barnard (May 24, 1863 – April 24, 1938), often written George Gray Barnard, was an American sculptor who trained in Paris. He is especially noted for his heroic sized '' Struggle of the Two Natures in Man'' at the Metropolitan Museu ...
. In 1912 she executed a 400-foot-long frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
for the ground floor of the Vanderbilt Hotel at 4 Park Avenue in New York City.
In 1915, her husband Willie had his leg amputated in the American Hospital of Paris
The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Franc ...
and Beatrice took her sons to visit him. The hospital was filled with war wounded from the Western Front, and this inspired her to become involved in philanthropy. In 1917, she volunteered to spend five months in France and told the ''New York Times'' in June:
Later that year she co-founded and managed the French Heroes Lafayette Memorial Fund headquartered at the Château de Chavaniac
The Château de Chavaniac aka Chateau Lafayette is a fortified manor house of eighteen rooms furnished in the Louis XIII style located in Chavaniac-Lafayette, Haute-Loire, in Auvergne, France.
Flanked by two towers of black stone, it was built ...
in Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
. The château served as a school, orphanage and preventorium
A preventorium was an institution or building for patients infected with tuberculosis who did not yet have an active form of the disease. Popular in the early 20th century, preventoria were designed to isolate these patients from uninfected indivi ...
for the care of pre-tubercular, frail and malnourished
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
children, as well as a museum of the life and family of the Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
. During World War II the château was used as a secret hiding place for Jewish children.
Late in life she became an author, publishing a literary novel in French in 1927. She also extensively researched (on location in Paris and Algiers) a 1934 biography of Cleopatra's daughter
''Cleopatra's Daughter'' ( it, Il sepolcro dei re) is a 1960 historical drama film set in Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu
Khufu or Cheops was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, in the ...
citing English, French, German, Latin and Greek references.
During World War II she was president of two relief organizations, the Friends of Greece and the Committee of Mercy, She also served as a committee member for the National Allied Relief Committee, the League of the Allies, Relief of Belgian Prisoners in Germany, the American Fund for the Heroes of France and Her Allies, the American Branch of the French Actors' Fund, and the Russian War Relief Committee. For her philanthropic work during World War I she was decorated as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
["Mrs. William A. Chanler Dies," ''The Rhinebeck Gazette / Red Hook Times'', Rhinebeck, NY June 27, 1946, p. 10.](_blank)
/ref> and for her work during World War II she was awarded (posthumously) the Greek Order of the Phoenix.Henry McBride, ''An Eye on the Modern Century: Selected Letters of Henry McBride'', Steven Watson and Catherine Morris, editors. Yale University Press, 2000.
p. 344.
Death
Beatrice Chanler died on June 19, 1946, aboard a train from New York to Portland, Maine, where she was going to open her summer home in Islesboro, Maine
Islesboro is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States, comprising Islesboro Island and several smaller islands. The population was 583 at the 2020 census. It has a summer colony accessible by state ferry service from Lincolnville Beach th ...
. Her funeral was delayed to give time for her Order of the Phoenix decoration to be flown from Athens and placed on her casket, along with her Legion of Honor cross.
Gallery
File:Minnie Ashley by Sarony - Theatre Magazine.jpg, Beatrice Minerva "Minnie" Ashley, as she appeared during a production of ''San Toy
''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...
''
File:Minnie Ashley, Famous Prima Donnas.jpg, Minnie Ashley in 1900, from ''Famous Prima Donnas'' (1900) by Lewis C. Strang
File:Minnie Ashley Camera Work 1905 10 0009.jpg, Beatrice Chanler in April 1905. Portrait by Gertrude Käsebier
File:Stage actress Minnie Ashley (SAYRE 2307).jpg, Beatrice Ashley Chanler in 1908
File:Mrs. Wm. Astor Chanler LCCN2014712008.tif, Beatrice Ashley Chanler on her way to visit France, about 1915
File:Mrs. W.A. Chanler LOC 23204003513.jpg, Beatrice Ashley Chanler visiting France, sometime between 1915 and 1920
References
External links
Beatrice Ashley Chanler: Actress Turned Relief Worker
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chanler, Beatrice
1880 births
1946 deaths
Actresses from Massachusetts
19th-century American actresses
American stage actresses
20th-century American actresses
Astor family
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Chanler family
American people of World War I
People from Dartmouth, Massachusetts
American people of Irish descent