Margaret Copley Thaw, Comtesse de Périgny (January 9, 1877 – January 9, 1942) was an American socialite and philanthropist.

Biography

Thaw was born on January 3, 1877, to William Thaw and

Mary Sibbet Copley Mary Sibbet Copley Thaw (June 19, 1843 – June 9, 1929) was an American philanthropist and charity worker. Early life Mary was born at Appleby Manor near Kittanning, Pennsylvania in Armstrong County on June 19, 1843. She was the daughte ...

. In 1898, she married George Lauder Carnegie (1876–1921), the nephew of industrialist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. In Paris on November 12, 1923, she married Roger, Comte de Périgny. After they married, the couple lived at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...

in New York. In 1924, she was sued by Madeline Helen Modica of

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

for over an apparent affair with Madeline's husband, Emmanuel Victor Modica, a car salesman. They later moved abroad and spent their time between his Paris home and the farm and estate they built in 1926 on land at the

Lake Naivasha Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, outside the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County, which lies north west of Nairobi. It is part of the Great Rift Valley. The name derives from the local Maasai name ''Nai'posha'', meaning "rough wate ...

known as Kongoni Farm. The farm was a 15,600 acre ranch. She died on January 9, 1942, at Kongoni Farm in what was then the British East African colony of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. The farm and a life interest in her $2,000,000 estate was left to her husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaw, Margaret Copley 1877 births 1942 deaths American women philanthropists American socialites French countesses Margaret Copley Carnegie family