Betsy Bloomingdale

Betsy Bloomingdale
Born Betty Lee Newling
(1922-08-02) August 2, 1922[1][2]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Socialite, philanthropist
Spouse(s) Alfred S. Bloomingdale (m. 1946-1982; his death)
Children 3
Parent(s) Dr. Russell Lee Newling
Vera Browner

Betsy Bloomingdale (born Betty Lee Newling; August 2, 1922) is an American socialite and philanthropist. She is the widow of businessman Alfred S. Bloomingdale, heir to the department store chain. She has appeared on the International Best Dressed List since 1970.[3][4]

Life and work

Betty Lee Newling was born on August 2, 1922, and was raised in Los Angeles, California, to a socially prominent family. She is the daughter of Vera (née Browner) and Dr. Russell Lee Newling, both born in Australia.[5]

She is a frequent party host, mainly for charity, for which she has been dubbed "Good Queen Betts".[6] Her life and marriage and her husband's well-publicized affair were the basis of Dominick Dunne's novel An Inconvenient Woman.[7] Bloomingdale remained friendly with Dunne, appearing with him at the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2006. Other friends include Nancy Reagan,[8] Joan Collins and Nan Kempner.

In 2009, Bloomingdale was the subject of an exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. The exhibit, called "High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture", displayed 60 Haute Couture gowns that she had collected since the 1960s.[9]

Personal life

On September 14, 1946, Betsy married Alfred S. Bloomingdale, the son of Rosalind (née Schiffer) and Hiram Bloomingdale,[10] and the grandson of Lyman G. Bloomingdale, a co-founder of the famous department store Bloomingdale's. The couple had three children:[11]

She is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, currently residing in Holmby Hills.[15] A practicing Roman Catholic, she has been involved in fundraising projects for the Los Angeles Cathedral. She contributed to the funding for the development of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. In 2007, Bloomingdale took part in presenting fashion designer James Galanos with the Rodeo Drive Style Award, and attended the opening of "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style", an exhibit chronicling Nancy Reagan's different clothing at the Reagan Presidential Library.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Born in 1922 as per California Births, 1905-1995. Family Tree Legends Records Collection (Online Database). Pearl Street Software, 2004-2005
  2. ↑ Date of birth confirmed as 08/02/1922, californiabirthindex.org; accessed July 27, 2015.
  3. ↑ VF Staff (1970). "World's Best Dressed Women". The International Hall of Fame: Women. Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  4. ↑ Ultimate Style - The Best of the Best Dressed List. 2004. p. 158. ISBN 2843235138.
  5. ↑ Extract of Alfred and Betsy Bloomingdale's California Marriage License No. SM-2044, County of Los Angeles, BOOK 2676, PAGE 181 (dated September 10, 1946) with names of both parties' parents listed, familysearch.org; accessed July 27, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Was it for Love or Money?". time.com. 1982-10-04. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  7. ↑ Dominick Dunne, Fatal Charms & The Mansions of Limbo, Ballantine Books, p. 55.
  8. ↑ Peters, Jeremy W. (June 15, 2012). "Power Is Always in Vogue". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Betsy Bloomingdale". WireImage.com. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  10. ↑ American Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Business Visionaries by Charles W. Carey retrieved March 18, 2013
  11. ↑ "Two Unerdervalued Diors Get Betsy Bloomingdale in Trouble with the Feds in Los Angeles", people.com, September 13, 1976.
  12. ↑ Staff (June 15, 1972). "Geoffrey Bloomingdale Weds Elizabeth Fahr". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Staff (September 22, 1974v). "R. McKim Bell, Lawyer, Weds Lisa Bloomingdale". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Hayley Bloomingdale". vanityfair.com. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Gaines, Jake (June 26, 2014). "The Chic Austin Nuptials Of Natalie Bond And James Bloomingdale". The Society Diaries. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
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