Anthony Dryden Marshall

Anthony Dryden Marshall (born Anthony Dryden Kuser; May 30, 1924 – November 30, 2014) was an American theatrical producer and C.I.A. intelligence officer and ambassador. Marshall died on November 30, 2014, at the age of 90.

Anthony Dryden Marshall
United States Ambassador to Seychelles
In office
April 1, 1976 – April 26, 1977
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byCreated
Succeeded byWilbert John LeMelle
United States Ambassador to Kenya
In office
December 19, 1973 – April 26, 1977
PresidentGerald Ford (1974-1977)
Richard Nixon (1973-1974)
Preceded byRobinson McIlvaine
Succeeded byWilbert John LeMelle
United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
In office
February 15, 1972 – December 27, 1973
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byJ. Fife Symington Jr.
Succeeded byLloyd I. Miller
United States Ambassador to Madagascar
In office
December 15, 1969 – June 1, 1971
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byDavid S. King
Succeeded byJoseph Mendenhall
Personal details
Born
Anthony Dryden Kuser

(1924-05-30)May 30, 1924
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2014(2014-11-30) (aged 90)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Cynthia Cryan
Thelma Hoegnell
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1990)​

Charlene T. Gilbert
​
​
(m. 1992; his death 2014)​
Children2
ParentsJohn Dryden Kuser
Brooke Astor
EducationBrooks School
Alma materBrown University
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/serviceU.S. Marine Corps
RankLieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II:
 • Battle of Iwo Jima

Early life and family

Known as Tony, Marshall was the only child of the American philanthropist Brooke Astor and her first husband, New Jersey state senator John Dryden Kuser.[1] Marshall was the stepson of Charles H. Marshall (his mother's second husband, whose surname he adopted at the age of 18),

By his father's second marriage, he had a half-sister, Suzanne Dryden Kuser (born November 24, 1931), who served with the U.S. Department of State, was an intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, and has been a consultant to the National Security Agency. He also had two stepsiblings, Peter Marshall and Helen Huntington Marshall (born April 6, 1918), wife of the composer Ernest Schelling and later of the cellist János Scholz.

Marshall attended Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. After enlisting in 1942, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps (his grandfather John H. Russell, Jr. had served as commandant before the war) and led his platoon in the battle of Iwo Jima, attaining the rank of captain and earning a Purple Heart. After the end of the war, he enrolled in Brown University.

Career

Marshall was the U.S. consul in Istanbul, Turkey (1958–1959), then, during the Nixon administration, served as the U.S. ambassador to the Malagasy Republic (1969–1971).

Later he served as ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (1972–74) and Kenya (1973); as well as during the Ford administration, to the Seychelles (1976).[2] He was also appointed special assistant to Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. to oversee the development of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

In the 1980s, Marshall was an officer with United States Trust Company of New York, where he assisted the bank with the management of large estate accounts.

Theatrical productions

Anthony Marshall's first production was the Tony-nominated Alice in Wonderland which he produced with Sabra Jones and WNET. He and his wife, Charlene Marshall, formed Delphi Productions in 2003 with producer David Richenthal, and they produced the Tony Award-winning Long Day's Journey into Night (Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play (2003)), and I Am My Own Wife (Tony Award, Best Play, (2004)).

Personal life

Marshall was married three times. His first wife was Elizabeth Cynthia Cryan, whom he married on July 26, 1947, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.[3] The groom's stepfather, Charles Marshall, was his best man.[4] The couple had twin sons:

  • Alexander R. Marshall (born May 14, 1953), a photographer
  • Philip Cryan Marshall (born May 14, 1953), a tenured professor and director of historic preservation at Roger Williams University—until 2017, when he left to dedicate his efforts, full-time, to elder justice as founder of Beyond Brooke.

His second wife was his former secretary Thelma Hoegnell (born May 11, 1928), whom he married on December 29, 1962.[5] The couple were divorced on January 24, 1992, reportedly following Marshall's affair with Charlene Gilbert, the wife of an Episcopal priest in Northeast Harbor, Maine.[6]

His third wife, and widow, whom he married in 1992, is the former Charlene Detwiler Tyler (born July 28, 1945), the former wife of Paul E. Gilbert, a naval officer turned Episcopal priest, and a daughter of Charles Matthew Tyler, an insurance actuary and businessman of Charleston, S.C. By this marriage Marshall had two stepdaughters, Arden (born 1969) and Inness (born 1972) and a stepson, Robert (born 1976).{

In July 2006, Philip Marshall filed suit against his father, alleging mistreatment of his grandmother Brooke Astor and mismanagement of her funds. He requested that Anthony Marshall be dismissed as her guardian and replaced by family friend Annette de la Renta. That request was granted temporarily, pending a court hearing on August 8, 2006. In December 2006, based on a Court Evaluator's report, Anthony Marshall was found not guilty of elder abuse.

Trial

On November 27, 2007, Marshall surrendered to authorities at the Manhattan district attorney's office to face indictment on sixteen counts relating to the handling of Brooke Astor's will and financial affairs.[7] The charges included conspiracy, grand larceny and possession of stolen property. Attorney Francis X. Morrissey was also charged with six counts including conspiracy, forgery and possession of a forged instrument.[7]

At a press conference following Marshall's arrest, Manhattan district attorney Robert M. Morgenthau stated that "Marshall and Morrissey took advantage of Mrs. Astor’s diminished mental capacity in a scheme to defraud her and others out of millions of dollars." He further said that "Marshall abused his power of attorney and convinced Mrs. Astor to sell property by falsely telling her that she was running out of money. He is charged with stealing money from her as well as stealing valuable art work from her Park Avenue apartment."[8]

The trial of Marshall and Morrissey started March 30, 2009, coincidentally his late mother's birthday.[9] On October 8, 2009, Marshall was found guilty of 14 of the 16 charges, including first-degree grand larceny.[10] Although he had his mother's General Durable Power of Attorney since the 1970s, jurors convicted him of giving himself an unauthorized raise bringing his salary up to about $1 million for managing his mother's finances which he had managed since 1977 earning her $82 million.

On December 21, 2009, Marshall was sentenced to one to three years in New York State prison.[11] Marshall's attorneys appealed, citing jury tampering,[12] but the appeal was rejected. 89 year-old Marshall reported to prison on June 21, 2013.[13]

However, after serving just eight weeks of his sentence, the 89-year-old Marshall had grown so sick and frail that he was granted medical parole on August 22, 2013. His health problems included Parkinson's disease and congestive heart failure; his lawyers claimed he could not walk, stand, or dress himself.[14] Marshall died on November 30, 2014, at the age of 90 with his wife Charlene by his side.[15]

References
  1. GeneAll.net: John D. Kuser: lists children from his four marriages.
  2. "Anthony Dryden Marshall". U. S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  3. "Elizabeth Cryan Will Be Married: Student at Pembroke College Engaged to Anthony Dryden Marshall of Brown U.", The New York TImes, 8 April 1947, page 33
  4. "Elizabeth C. Cryan Ex-Marine's Bride", The New York Times, 29 June 1947, page 46
  5. The Political Graveyard: Marshall, Anthony Dryden".
  6. Serge Kovaleski, "Mrs. Astor's Son Denies Neglect", The New York Times, 28 July 2006
  7. "People of the State of N.Y. v. Anthony Marshall, Francis Morrissey". FindLaw. November 11, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  8. Serge F. Kovalesky (November 27, 2007). "Astor's Son Surrenders on Charges". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  9. John Eligon (March 30, 2009). "Jury Selection Begins in Fraud Trial of Brooke Astor's Son". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  10. Eligon, John (October 8, 2009). "Brooke Astor's Son Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Her". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  11. Barron, James (December 21, 2009). "Brooke Astor's Son Is Sentenced to Prison". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  12. Eligon, John (2010-02-22). "An Astor Juror Says Fear Dictated Her Vote". The New York Times.
  13. "Astor's Son, His Appeals Exhausted, Goes to Prison". New York Times. June 26, 2013.
  14. Russ Buettner (2013-08-22). "Brooke Astor's Son Is Paroled". New York Times.
  15. Robert D. McFadden (2014-12-01). "Anthony D. Marshall, Astor Son Who Was Convicted in Swindle, Dies at 90". New York Times.
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