Countess Miriam Terry Caracciolo di Melito (née Crosby; 1888 – 23 August 1966) was an American socialite. Born into a prominent family from New Orleans, she was the daughter of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. She grew up in Virginia and Washington, D.C., where she was a prominent

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 " ...

. She married the Italian-American actor Mario Carillo, becoming an Italian noblewoman upon her marriage and assuming the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

The younger sons are not entitled to inherit the hereditary title of their father in the Nobility of Italy. They all usually bear from birth the junior titles of '' Nobile'' or '' Don''. of countess in society events. She was the sister of stage actress Juliette Crosby.

Biography

Miriam Terry Crosby was born in New Orleans in 1888 to explorer and politician Oscar Terry Crosby (1861-1947) and his wife Jeanne Maria Bouligny Crosby (granddaughter of

Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny (1773–1833) was a lawyer and politician, elected as U.S. Senator from Louisiana, serving from 1824 to 1829. He had earlier served in the territorial House of Representatives. Of French and Spanish descent, he wa ...

, US Senator from Louisiana). Her father was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during the Woodrow Wilson administration and as the president of the International Council of Finance during World War I. She was the older sister of Juliette Crosby and of Celeste Crosby. A prominent

, Crosby was well-known in Washington D.C.'s high society. She married the actor Mario Carillo, born '' Nobile'' Mario Caracciolo '' dei Duchi'' f the Dukesdi Melito, aka " Count" Mario Caracciolo di Melito, a former Italian cavalry officer who immigrated to the United States to pursue a Hollywood career. The wedding, a private ceremony in Naples, was attended by the Duke of Cerranova, the Duke of Mondragone, the Baron Compagna, and Prince Ludovico Spada Veralli Potenziani. The Caracciolos had a son, Ludovico Caracciolo di Melito. Countess Caracciolo di Melito remained a renowned society hostess in her adult life, hosting functions at View Tree, her parents' estate in Virginia, and attending society events in Virginia and Washington, D.C. She died in Rome on 23 August 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carcciolo di Melito, Miriam 1888 births 1966 deaths American debutantes American socialites

Miriam Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tor ...

Italian countesses People from New Orleans