Charles Francis Sweeny (October 3, 1909,

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

– March 11, 1993) was an American businessman and

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

who played a major role in the formation of the

Eagle Squadrons The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941. Wit ...

, composed mostly of volunteer American pilots eager to fight in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

prior to the United States entering into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life and family

Sweeny's paternal grandfather, also named Charles Sweeny, was an Irish immigrant who made his fortune in mining in the Coeur d'Alene region in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. His father, Robert, was a successful lawyer in Los Angeles, before moving to New York City in 1916 to pursue business opportunities and enlarge the family fortune. One uncle was

Charles Sweeny Charles Michael Sweeny (January 26, 1882 – February 27, 1963) was an American Mercenary, soldier of fortune, United States Army lieutenant colonel, French Foreign Legion officer, Polish Land Forces, Polish army brigadier general, Royal Air ...

(1882–1963), a soldier of fortune and officer in various armies. He and his younger brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

grew up in Manhattan. The brothers attended Loyola School in New York City and Canterbury School in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...

. The family regularly vacationed in Europe. Robert Sweeny Sr. either joined or in 1926 founded the Federated Trust and Finance Corporation of London, and by the late 1920s, had homes in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

and

Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of 4, ...

. Both brothers were excellent athletes and avid golfers. They took golf lessons in Le Touquet and occasionally played with Edward, Prince of Wales, another frequent visitor to Le Touquet. Charles lost in the quarterfinals of the 1926

Boys Amateur Championship The Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A. History The Boys Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921. In 1921 boys had to ...

, and both he and his brother competed in 1927. Charles was accepted by

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, but chose

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

. He was a member of the Oxford golf team and in 1933 stayed with his friend, the Prince of Wales, ahead of the 1933 Varsity Match against Cambridge.

First marriage

After graduating, he was attracted to the

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

Margaret Whigham Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll ('' née'' Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 – 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce fr ...

(1912–1993). Whigham, the only child of a Scottish millionaire, converted to Sweeny's

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and on February 21, 1933, they were married at the

Brompton Oratory Brompton Oratory is a large neo-classical Roman Catholic church in the Knightsbridge area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Its full name is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as named in its Grade II* archite ...

, London. Such was the publicity surrounding her

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth in 1940, an ...

wedding dress that traffic in

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

was blocked for three hours. They had three children: a daughter who was stillborn at eight months in late 1933; daughter Frances Helen (born 1937, she married Charles Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland), and son Brian Charles (1940–2021). Before these pregnancies, she suffered eight miscarriages. The Sweenys divorced in 1947. (She became the third wife of

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th and 4th Duke of Argyll (18 June 1903 – 7 April 1973), was a Scottish peer and the Chief of Clan Campbell ( gd, MacCailein Mòr). He is chiefly remembered for his unhappy marriage to, and scandalous 1963 divorce fro ...

on 22 March 1951; their marriage ended in a scandalous divorce in 1963 on grounds of her adultery.)

Business

Shortly before Sweeny's marriage, his father obtained for him a position at Charterhouse Investment Trust, a merchant bank. In the late 1930s, he joined his father's firm, Federated Trust.

Second World War

With the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he formed a

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

unit, the First Motorised Squadron, composed of American expatriates in London. Then, while his soldier-of-fortune uncle Charles recruited pilots from the still-neutral United States for the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

, he proposed to the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

the idea of raising an American squadron for the

(RAF). In July 1940, the Ministry accepted his recommendation, and the first of the

, 71 Squadron, was authorized, though it was not formed until September. The squadrons were staffed by the few Americans already serving in the RAF and new recruits. The two Sweenys recruited pilots in the United States and paid for their travel to Canada and from there to Britain. The younger Sweeny designed the shoulder patch for the uniform; it featured an eagle, hence the name "Eagle Squadrons".

Later life

Sweeny married American fashion model Arden Sneed (born c. 1932) in September 1957. He obtained a divorce in 1966 on the grounds of desertion; they had no children. He lived in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

for the last 63 years of his life.

References

External links

Photograph of the Sweenys on their wedding day in 1933
in ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'' magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeny, Charles Francis 1909 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American socialites Eagle Squadrons Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Businesspeople from Scranton, Pennsylvania American emigrants to England