Mary Livingston Ripley

Mary Moncrieffe Livingston Ripley (1914 – April 15, 1996) was a U.S. horticulturist, entomologist, photographer, and scientific collector.

Mary Livingston Ripley
Mary and Dillon Ripley (front row, right), 1976 in India
Born
Mary Moncrieffe Livingston

(1914-05-11)May 11, 1914
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 1996(1996-04-15) (aged 81)
Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S.
NationalityU.S.
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1949; her death 1996)​
Parent(s)Gerald Moncrieffe Livingston
Eleanor Hoffman Rodewald Livingston
Memorial plaque in the Smithsonian Gardens.

Early life

Mary Livingston was born in New York City in 1914.[1] She was the daughter of Gerald Moncrieffe Livingston, a governor of the New York Stock Exchange, and Eleanor Hoffman (née Rodewald) Livingston. Through her father, she was a member of the long prominent Livingston family.[2] Her sisters were Mrs. Livingston Briggs and Geraldine Livingston.[3]

Her paternal grandfather was Crawford Livingston and her maternal grandfather was William MacNeil Rodewald of Tuxedo Park, New York.[3] Her great-grandfather was the Rev. Dr. Charles Frederick Hoffman.[3]

Career

She worked in a clerical position for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.[4] While traveling with the OSS, she was a roommate of Julia Child (then Julia McWilliams).[5]

After she married, she accompanied her husband on ornithological and entomological expeditions to India, Bhutan, Indonesia and Irian Jaya. Ripley's work of organizing volunteers led to the creation of the Smithsonian Institutions Women's Committee.

In 1983, Ripley was made an Honorary life member of the Smithsonian's Women's Committee.[4]

Personal life

Mary, a member of the Colony Club and the Colonial Lords of the Manors and the Colonial Dames of America, was first married to Spencer F. Eddy Jr., son of diplomat Spencer F. Eddy, before their divorce in 1935.[6] While stationed in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) and working for the OSS, she met Sidney Dillon Ripley (1913-2001).[7] They married in 1949, and were the parents of three daughters:[4]

  • Julie Dillon Miller
  • Rosemary L. Ripley
  • Sylvia McNeill Addison.

Ripley died in Litchfield, Connecticut on April 15, 1996.

Legacy

The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, part of the Smithsonian Gardens, is named after her.[8]

References
  1. "Mary L. Ripley, Smithsonian Leader". The Washington Times. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  2. Nemy, Enid (27 July 1981). "The Livingstons - a Clan's Story". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. "MRS. MARY L. EDDY BECOMES FIANCEE; Daughter of G. M. Livingstons Betrothed to Dr. Sidney D. Ripley 2d of Yale Faculty" (PDF). The New York Times. August 13, 1949. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. "Mary Livingston Ripley". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  5. Stone, Roger D. (2017). The Lives of Dillon Ripley: Natural Scientist, Wartime Spy, and Pioneering Leader of the Smithsonian Institution. University Press of New England. pp. 58, 106–110. ISBN 9781512600612. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  6. "Miss Mary M. Livingston Married To Spencer Eddy Jr. in St. Thomas" (PDF). The New York Times. May 1, 1935. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  7. Molotsky, Irvin (13 March 2001). "S. Dillon Ripley Dies at 87; Led the Smithsonian Institution During Its Greatest Growth". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  8. "Mary Livingston Ripley Garden". www.si.edu. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
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