Mary Hayward Weir
Encyclopedia
Mary Hayward Weir, born Mary Emma Hayward (1915–1968), was an American steel heiress
and socialite. She was the wealthy widow of Pittsburgh
steel king Ernest T. Weir, and the former wife of author Jerzy Kosinski
.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana
, she was working as a secretary for the National Steel Corporation
in 1938 when she met and later married her boss, Chairman and CEO Ernest T. Weir. Ernest was 40 years her senior and was recently divorced with two grown sons roughly Mary's age.
Mary Hayward and Ernest T. Weir were married in December 1941, and together had one son, David Weir, born in 1944. She was later widowed in 1957, when her husband died at the age of 81.
On June 2, 1958 in Weirton, West Virginia
, a public library called "The Mary Hayward Weir Public Library" was named in her honor with Weir cutting the ribbon in person.
On January 11, 1962, she married the Polish
author Jerzy Kosinski
after a romance of 18 months. Kosinski had emigrated from Poland
in December 1957 to the United States. Weir and Kosinski met in the summer of 1960 in New York City, when the heiress hired the young Kosinski to catalogue her private library. Weir was a close friend of coffee heiress Abigail Folger
, of the Folgers
Coffee Company family, and it was through her husband Jerzy Kosinski that Abigail met her future boyfriend Wojciech Frykowski
(Folger and Frykowski were savagely murdered in 1969 by the Manson gang).
Weir was known for both her never ending volunteer work in many different areas, as well as her extensive travels around the world.
She was also known to have battled many serious bouts of depression beginning as far back as 1950, and at times suffered from blackouts as a result of this. She also struggled with alcoholism for years.
In 1965, Kosinski dedicated his novel The Painted Bird to her, and it was at this time that she began to feel ill. Later in 1966, Weir divorced Kosinski, but she still remained a close friend. Mary was later diagnosed with a brain tumour, of which she died on August 1, 1968, aged 52 or 53.
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
and socialite. She was the wealthy widow of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
steel king Ernest T. Weir, and the former wife of author Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, she was working as a secretary for the National Steel Corporation
National Steel Corporation
The National Steel Corporation was a major American steel producer. It was founded in 1929 through a merger arranged by Weirton Steel with some properties of the Great Lakes Steel Corporation and M.A. Hanna Company. Despite a difficult market in Depression-setting 1930, the company reported USD...
in 1938 when she met and later married her boss, Chairman and CEO Ernest T. Weir. Ernest was 40 years her senior and was recently divorced with two grown sons roughly Mary's age.
Mary Hayward and Ernest T. Weir were married in December 1941, and together had one son, David Weir, born in 1944. She was later widowed in 1957, when her husband died at the age of 81.
On June 2, 1958 in Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,411...
, a public library called "The Mary Hayward Weir Public Library" was named in her honor with Weir cutting the ribbon in person.
On January 11, 1962, she married the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
author Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
after a romance of 18 months. Kosinski had emigrated from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in December 1957 to the United States. Weir and Kosinski met in the summer of 1960 in New York City, when the heiress hired the young Kosinski to catalogue her private library. Weir was a close friend of coffee heiress Abigail Folger
Abigail Folger
Abigail Anne "Gibbie" Folger was an American coffee heiress, debutante, socialite, volunteer social worker, civil rights devotee and member of the prominent United States Folger family. She was the great-granddaughter of J. A. Folger, the founder of Folgers Coffee...
, of the Folgers
Folgers
Folgers Coffee is a major brand of coffee in the United States, part of the food and beverage division of The J.M. Smucker Co.-Company history:...
Coffee Company family, and it was through her husband Jerzy Kosinski that Abigail met her future boyfriend Wojciech Frykowski
Wojciech Frykowski
Wojciech Frykowski was a Polish actor and writer who was murdered in the home of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski by members of Charles Manson's "Family".-Early life:...
(Folger and Frykowski were savagely murdered in 1969 by the Manson gang).
Weir was known for both her never ending volunteer work in many different areas, as well as her extensive travels around the world.
She was also known to have battled many serious bouts of depression beginning as far back as 1950, and at times suffered from blackouts as a result of this. She also struggled with alcoholism for years.
In 1965, Kosinski dedicated his novel The Painted Bird to her, and it was at this time that she began to feel ill. Later in 1966, Weir divorced Kosinski, but she still remained a close friend. Mary was later diagnosed with a brain tumour, of which she died on August 1, 1968, aged 52 or 53.