Jacques Alexandria Samossoud

Jacques Alexandria Samossoud (September 8, 1894 – June 14, 1966) was a Russian composer and conductor.

Biography

He was born on September 8, 1894. In 1924 he married the Greek soprano Thalia Sabanieva and they divorced in 1926. He conducted the orchestra of the Washington National Opera from 1919 to 1936. He left during a contract dispute.^[1]

He married Mark Twain's daughter, Clara Langdon Clemens (1874–1962) in 1944 at Clara's Hollywood, California home.^[2][3]

He died on June 14, 1966.

References

1. McPherson, Jim, "Mr. Meek Goes to Washington: The Story of the Small-Potatoes Canadian Baritone Who Founded America's 'National' Opera," The Opera Quarterly, volume 20, no. 2, Spring 2004
2. "Jacques Samossoud, Wed To Mark Twain's Daughter". New York Times. June 15, 1966. San Diego, California, June 14, 1966 (Associated Press) Jacques Alexandria Samossoud, composer and conductor, whose late wife was the last surviving child of Mark Twain, died today, at the age of 71.
3. "Mrs. Jacques Samossoud Dies; Mark Twain's Last Living Child; Released 'Letters From Earth'". New York Times. November 21, 1962. Retrieved 2007-07-21. San Diego, California, November 20, 1966 (United Press International) Mrs. Clara Langhorne Clemens Samossoud, the last living child of Mark Twain, died last night in Sharp Memorial Hospital. She was 88 years old.