Dorothy Douglas Robinson Kidder (June 30, 1917 – September 18, 1995) was an American socialite, philanthropist and political hostess. She was president of the Association of American Foreign Service Women.

Early life and education

Dorothy Douglas Robinson was born in

Manchester, Massachusetts Manchester-by-the-Sea (also known simply as Manchester, its name prior to 1989) is a coastal town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is known for scenic beaches and vista points. According to the 2020 population ...

, the daughter of Monroe Douglas Robinson and Dorothy M. Jordan Robinson (later Chadwick). Her grandparents included

Douglas Robinson Jr. Douglas Robinson Jr. (January 3, 1855 – September 12, 1918) was an American businessman who was married to Corinne Roosevelt, a sister of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and an aunt of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Early life Robinson was b ...

and

Corinne Roosevelt Robinson Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (September 27, 1861 – February 17, 1933) was an American poet, writer and lecturer. She was also the younger sister of former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and an aunt of future First Lady of the ...

, and her great-grandfather was Boston businessman

Eben Dyer Jordan Eben Dyer Jordan Sr. (October 13, 1822 − November 15, 1895) was an American business executive, best remembered as the co-founder of the department store chain Jordan, Marsh & Co. with Benjamin L. Marsh in 1841. Early life Jordan was born in ...

. Her aunt

Corinne Alsop Cole Corinne Alsop Cole (born Corinne Douglas Robinson; July 2, 1886 – June 23, 1971) was an American politician who served two terms as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Early life Corinne Robinson was born on July 2, 1886, in ...

and her uncle

Theodore Douglas Robinson Theodore Douglas Robinson (April 28, 1883 – April 10, 1934) was an American politician from New York who served as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy from November 1924 to 1929. He was a member of the Roosevelt family through his mother and was ...

were both in politics. Her first cousins included journalists

Joseph Alsop Joseph Wright Alsop V (October 10, 1910 – August 28, 1989) was an American journalist and syndicated newspaper columnist from the 1930s through the 1970s. He was an influential journalist and top insider in Washington from 1945 to the late 196 ...

and

Stewart Alsop Stewart Johonnot Oliver Alsop (May 17, 1914 – May 26, 1974) was an American newspaper columnist and political analyst. Early life Alsop was born and raised in Avon, Connecticut, from an old Yankee family. Alsop attended Groton School and Yale ...

. Writer

Susan Mary Alsop Susan Mary Alsop (June 19, 1918 – August 18, 2004) was an American writer and socialite active in Washington, D.C. political circles. She was the wife of columnist Joseph Alsop and a descendant of founding father John Jay. Her Georgetown (Washi ...

, a relation by marriage, was a close friend and one of her bridesmaids. Robinson attended the

Chapin School Chapin School is an all-girls independent day school in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood in Manhattan. History Maria Bowen Chapin opened "Miss Chapin's School for Girls and Kindergarten for Boys and Girls" in 1901. The school origin ...

in New York and the

Foxcroft School Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educated the daug ...

in Virginia.

Personal life

Dorothy Douglas Robinson married foreign service officer Randolph Appleton ("Randy") Kidder, son of archaeologist

Alfred V. Kidder Alfred Vincent Kidder (October 29, 1885 – June 11, 1963) was an American archaeologist considered the foremost of the southwestern United States and Mesoamerica during the first half of the 20th century. He saw a disciplined system of archaeolog ...

, in 1938. They had a son, Michael, born in Canada, and a daughter, Charlotte, born in Australia. She died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

in 1995, aged 78 years, at her home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Her memorial service was held at the

National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

Career

With her diplomat husband, Kidder lived and worked in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, and France from 1938 to 1968. Her husband was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia in 1964, but was not able to serve. She was president of the Association of American Foreign Service Women in the 1960s, and contributed travel, fashion, and interview articles to the ''Boston Globe'', while she was living in Paris in the 1970s. Kidder's philanthropic efforts focused on the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, the National Arboretum, and the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, especially its dance programs. She also founded the Hopeful Fund, to support services for the unhoused population in Washington, D.C. In June of 1988, Kidder gave an "amusing" oral history interview to the

Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) is a United States non-profit organization established in 1986 by retired Foreign Service officers. It produces and shares oral histories by American diplomats and facilitates the publica ...

, recounting dances with the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

in Sydney, exorcisms in Brazil, and too many gimlets in Saigon, among other adventures. "We had a joint career," she said of her time as a foreign service wife.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidder, Dorothy Douglas Robinson 1917 births 1995 deaths American philanthropists Chapin School (Manhattan) alumni Foxcroft School alumni people from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts