Mary Elsie Moore

Mary Elsie Moore, Princess Civitella-Cesi (October 22, 1889 – December 21, 1941), was an American railroad equipment heiress who married and divorced Italian Prince Don Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi.

Mary Elsie Moore
Born	October 22, 1889 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	December 21, 1941 (aged 52) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Donna Elsie Torlonia,[1] the "Dollar Duchess"
Occupation	American heiress
Title	Princess of Civitella-Cesi Duchess di Poli e Guadagnolo
Spouse(s)	Don Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi ​ ​ (m. 1907; div. 1928)​
Children	Donna Olimpia Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi Donna Cristina Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi Donna Marina Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi
Parent(s)	Charles Arthur Moore Mary L. Campbell
Relatives	Francis Alexander Shields (grandson) Brooke Shields (great-granddaughter)

Early life

Mary Elsie Moore was born October 22, 1889 in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest child of Charles Arthur Moore (1846–1914)[2] and Mary (née Campbell) Moore (1854–1928).[3] Her father was a shipping broker and hardware manufacturer from Connecticut, who went on to become the president of Manning, Maxwell and Moore, a large industrial concern.[4][5]

Her siblings were Charles Arthur Moore Jr., who married Elizabeth Hyde (actress Glenn Close's maternal grandfather); Eugene Maxwell Moore, who married Titanic survivor Margaret Graham; and Jessie Ann Moore, who married the son of U.S Navy Admiral Colby Mitchell Chester.

Moore was educated at Mrs. Dow's School in Briarcliff Manor, New York.[4]

Personal life

On August 15, 1907, Moore married the then Duke of Poli and Guadagnolo Don Marino Torlonia (1861–1933) at Old Orchard, her parents' estate in Belle Haven, Greenwich, Connecticut.[6] She was nicknamed, "the Dollar Duchess" by the media.[5][7] Upon his brother Augusto Torlonia's death in 1926, her husband became the 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi. Together, the Prince and Princess of Civitella-Cesi had four children:[4]

• Princess Donna Olimpia Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi
• Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi (1911–1986),[4] who married Infanta Beatriz of Spain (1909–2002), the daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
• Princess Donna Cristina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1913–1974, who was married to banker Daniel Lord from 1935 until 1937.[4][8][5]
• Princess Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1916–1960),[4] who married two Americans: Francis Xavier Shields (by whom she had several children, including a son who became the father of the actress Brooke Shields) and Edward Slater.[9]

In 1922, the Duke of Torlonia fought a duel with Count Filippo Lovatelli, the famous Italian sculptor, over a statue of the Duchess, causing an international sensation.[10][11]

The Prince of Torlonia was having an affair.[5] In 1925, the couple separated and in 1926, the Duchess filed for divorce in the United States.[12] Her American citizenship was brought into question,[13] but the Connecticut courts decided that her residence in the state was legal and granted her divorce in February 1928.[14][15]

Once settled in the United States she became a socialite, active in society life in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island.[5] Moore died at her home, 375 Park Avenue in New York City, on December 21, 1941.[4]

References

1. "The Torlonia's Son Christened". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Life. 6 January 1912. p. 16. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
2. "C.A. MOORE DIES AT SEA. President of American Protective League Was on His Way to Rome" (PDF). The New York Times. December 10, 1914. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
3. "C.A. MOORE REJECTED BY ROME HUNT CLUB Clique His Son-in-Law, Don Marino Torlonia, Had Offended Takes Its Revenge. ACTION WAS NOT EXPECTED High Play Goes On at the Club, and Mr. Moore's Wealth, It Was Thought, Would Be a Passport" (PDF). The New York Times. April 24, 1910. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
4. "PRINCESS TORLONIA DEAD HERE AT 53; Former Wife of Late Italian Nobleman Succumbs to Long Illness in Her Home" (PDF). The New York Times. 1941-12-22. p. 17.
5. Roberts, Rob (1938-04-10). "Nobility KO's Cupid So A Princess Picks A Playboy". newspapers.com. The Times of Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
6. "MISS MOORE WEDS THE DUKE TORLONIA; New York Girl Becomes Duchess of Poli at Quiet Wedding in Greenwich". The New York Times. 1907-08-16. p. 7.
7. "Ex-Queen Absent as Infanta Becomes Bride to Torlonia". Newspapers.com. Times Union. 14 January 1935. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-12-30. The Dollar Duchess
8. "Last Saturday". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner. 5 January 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
9. "Princess Dies in Crash; Marina Torlonia Slater Killed in Accident in Italy", The New York Times, 16 September 1960
10. "NO CHURCH BAN ON DUELIST Order of Excommunication Not Issued in Torlonia's Case" (PDF). The New York Times. March 3, 1922. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
11. "EXIT DUEL IN EUROPE Public Prosecutors in France Instructed by the Minister of Justice to Suppress Encounters—Church Takes Stand Against Code in Italy by Excommunication" (PDF). The New York Times. April 2, 1922. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
12. "AMERICAN DUCHESS SEEKS DIVORCE HERE; Move in Suit of Former Elsie Moore Against Italian Duke of Torlonia Is Due Friday" (PDF). The New York Times. 1926-11-22. p. 8.
13. "HER CITIZENSHIP IS ISSUE; Duchess of Torlonia's Passport Is Called For in Divorce Suit". The New York Times. 1927-11-23. p. 2.
14. "DUCHESS TORLONIA OBTAINS A DIVORCE; Bridgeport Judge Frees Former Elsie Moore From Italian Husband". The New York Times. 1928-02-11. p. 19.
15. "DUCHESS TORLONIA WINS DIVORCE SUIT APPEAL; Gains Decision of Connecticut High Court That Residence in State Is Legal". The New York Times. 1928-07-28. p. 6.