Ruth Vanderbilt Twombly (April 15, 1885 – September 1, 1954) was an American philanthropist, tennis coach, socialite, and heiress to the Vanderbilt family fortune. In 1931, she was the Chairman of the Peacock Ball, later called "the greatest charity event ever held."

Personal life

Twombly was born in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

, on April 15, 1885. Her parents were Florence Adele Vanderbilt, an American socialite and heiress, and

Hamilton McKown Twombly Hamilton McKown Twombly Sr. (August 11, 1849 – January 11, 1910) was an American businessman. Early life Hamilton McKown Twombly Sr. was born on August 11, 1849 in Middlesex County, Massachusetts and grew up in Boston. His parents were Alexand ...

, an American businessman. Her great-grandfather was

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, railroad magnate. Some time during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

, Twombly and her mother commissioned American architect

Whitney Warren Whitney Warren (January 29, 1864 – January 24, 1943) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who founded, with Charles Delevan Wetmore, Warren and Wetmore in New York City, one of the most prolific and successful architectural practices in the ...

to design a playhouse for their estate. It included a pool and "a scenic landscape by Chanler that featured a broad assortment of bird life, including turkeys, peacocks, flamingos and cranes." In 1908, Twombly was a bridesmaid during a "notable international marriage event" of Gladys Vanderbilt and Count

László Széchenyi Count László Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (18 February 1879 – 5 July 1938) was an Austro Hungarian military officer, Imperial Chamberlain, diplomat and venture capitalist. His great-uncle was István Széchenyi. László Széchenyi mar ...

of Hungary. Széchenyi was chamberlain to the Austrian emperor. The ceremony, led by St. Patrick's Cathedral Monsignor Michael J. Lavelle, took place at the

Cornelius Vanderbilt II House The Cornelius Vanderbilt II House was a large mansion built in 1883 at 1 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It occupied the frontage along the west side of Fifth Avenue from West 57th Street up to West 58th Street at Grand Army Plaza ...

at 1 West 57th Street, New York. In 1918, she attended the Easter parade on 5th Avenue, and ''Issues and Events'' magazine reported on her outfit. In 1923, fashion magazine ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'' described Twombly as wearing a "deep, rose-colored satin" outfit to the

Met Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

in a fashion article. In 1928, her address is included in ''Dau's New York Social Blue Book'', a listing of prominent family's addresses.

Philanthropy

On November 6, 1931, Twombly was the Chairman of the Peacock Ball, a New York charity event with 3,000 prominent attendees. Guests included notables of stage, screen, and radio, including

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

Marion Harris Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison; April 4, 1896 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the late 1910s and the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.Ward, Elij ...

, and

Nick Lucas Dominic Nicholas Anthony Lucanese (August 22, 1897 – July 28, 1982), known professionally as Nick Lucas, was an American jazz guitarist and singer. Known as the Crooning Troubadour, he was the first jazz guitarist to record as a soloist. His p ...

. It was held in the newly constructed

Waldorf-Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...

and broadcast live over WJZ Radio. Proceeds would go to the

Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor (AICP) was a charitable organization in New York City, established in 1843 and incorporated in 1848 with the aim of helping the deserving poor and providing for their moral uplift.Coble, Alan ...

. The following year, the event featured 11 orchestras and over 500 musicians. The Peacock Ball has since been called "the greatest charity event ever held," despite the luxurious event being held during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1926, Twombly founded The Opportunity Shop, a high-end charity thrift shop and volunteer project. It was located on the ground floor of 46 West 47th Street and celebrated its 40-year anniversary in 1966. Some time after 1938, Twombly was active with the

Community Service Society of New York The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1939. Originally formed as a charity providing direct assistance to the poor, its mission has evolved include research and advocacy as well a ...

. One of her personal chefs was French "master chef" Joseph Donon, who served her and other members of her family for 38 years. ''The'' ''New Yorker'' has called Donon "probably the richest and most famous private chef in the world." In 1940, Twombly was involved, possibly as an investor, in the Redwood Library and Athenaeum in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

Death and legacy

On September 1, 1954, Twombly died of heart failure at the Hôtel Ritz in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, a city she "dearly loved." Twombly left behind an estate of $22 million, which was liquidated in an

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

on July 15 and 16 of 1955. The auction included furniture, rugs, tapestries, and other fine art pieces. The highest individual item sold for $315,195.

References

{{Reflist Vanderbilt family American socialites 1885 births 1954 deaths American women philanthropists