Noël Haskins Murphy

Noël Haskins Murphy (December 25, 1895 - 1982) was a long grieving widow of Frederic Timothy Murphy who died of wounds suffered in World War I. She was the lover of Paris correspondent Janet Flanner.

Noel Haskins Murphy, three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing left, by George Hoyningen-Huene

Early life

Born Noël Haskins into the distinguished Havemeyer family, Haskins was one of two daughters of Charles Waldo Haskins, co-founder of the accounting firm Haskins and Sells, a predecessor to Deloitte, and Henrietta S. Havemeyer, the daughter of the wealthy sugar merchant Albert Havemeyer whose brother, William F. Havemeyer was twice elected mayor of New York City.[1][2]

Haskins trained to be a singer and was involved in theatre, performing with the Washington Square Players under the name Noël Haddon.[2]

Personal life

Noël Haskins Murphy lived in France since 1920, after she married Frederic Timothy Murphy (1885-1924), brother of Gerald Murphy.[2][3] Frederic Timothy Murphy, who was seriously wounded during World War I, died on May 23, 1924. Noël Haskins Murphy, inconsolable, bought a house in the village of Orgeval, Yvelines, northeast of Paris, not far from the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Old Communal Cemetery where her husband was buried.[4][1]

In 1931 Janet Flanner fell in love with Noël Haskins Murphy, whom she called Noeline, and they had a short-lived romance with Flanner spending a lot of time at Orgeval. Solita Solano, Flanner's long-time lover, accepted the relationship and was a frequent visitor at Murphy's country house.[4] They separated in 1933.[2]

After Flanner, Solano started a relationship with Elizabeth Jenks Clark; in 1958 the two women moved to Orgeval as well. Solano died in 1975 and was buried in Orgeval.[4]

During World War II Noël Haskins Murphy served with the Comité Américain de Secours Civil and refused to leave her Orgeval house, because she did not want to leave her husband's grave. She was deported to an internment camp in Vittel.[2]

She died in France in 1982.

Noël Haskins Murphy at Find a Grave

References
  1. Murray, William (2000). Janet, My Mother, and Me: A Memoir of Growing Up with Janet Flanner and Natalia Danesi Murray. Simon and Schuster. p. 46. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  2. Wineapple, Brenda (1992). Gen?t: A Biography of Janet Flanner. U of Nebraska Press. p. 114. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  3. "Murphy, Gerald, 1888-1964". Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  4. Who's Who in Lesbian and Gay Writing, edited by Gabriele Griffin
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