Phelan Beale
Encyclopedia
Phelan Beale was a wealthy attorney and sportsman in New York City
.
Beale, who was married to Edith Ewing Bouvier, an aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
, is probably best remembered as the absent father chronicled in the Grey Gardens saga portrayed in a 1975 movie documentary
, 2006 Broadway musical
, and 2009 HBO Film, all of which were named for his home
in East Hampton, New York
.
, and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama
. He graduated from the University of the South in 1902 and from Columbia University
Law School in 1905.
He was the grandson of John D. Phelan, an Alabama Speaker of the House, Alabama Supreme Court Justice.
He formed the law practice of Bouvier and Beale with Jacqueline Onassis's grandfather, "Major" John Vernou Bouvier, Jr.
In 1917 he married Bouvier's daughter Edith Ewing Bouvier (later nicknamed "Big Edie"). Among their children were Edith Bouvier Beale
("Little Edie"), Phelan Beale, Jr.
, of Tulsa, and Bouvier Beale
of Glen Cove, Long Island. Ushers at the January 17, 1917, wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
in New York City included Jackie's father John Vernon Bouvier III and W. Seargant Bouvier.
In 1924 he acquired the 28-room Grey Gardens mansion fronting the ocean (the oceanfront parcels were sold much later) in the Georgica Pond
neighborhood.
He and his wife separated circa 1926 and were legally divorced in 1931, but continued his presence in East Hampton. As part of the divorce, Edith was given the East Hampton house, Grey Gardens.
He owned the Grey Goose Gun Club of Cedar Point, a hunting preserve at what is now Cedar Point County Park
in East Hampton. In 1937 he expanded it by buying the abandoned Cedar Island Light
on an island next to his property. Washed up sand during the New England Hurricane of 1938
joined the island to the land via an isthmus. The lodge itself is now the park foreman's residence just north of the park's general store.
He remarried in 1947 to Dorothy D. Durham of Poplarville, Mississippi
. He died in Pass Christian, Mississippi
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Beale, who was married to Edith Ewing Bouvier, an aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
, is probably best remembered as the absent father chronicled in the Grey Gardens saga portrayed in a 1975 movie documentary
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in...
, 2006 Broadway musical
Grey Gardens (musical)
Grey Gardens is an American musical with book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie, based on the 1975 documentary of the same title about the lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale by Albert and David Maysles. The Beales were...
, and 2009 HBO Film, all of which were named for his home
Grey Gardens (estate)
Grey Gardens is a 14-room house at 3 West End Road and Lily Pond Lane in the Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York, that is chronicled in the Grey Gardens 1975 documentary, 2006 Broadway musical and 2009 television movie. The mansion has been the topic of numerous other books and...
in East Hampton, New York
East Hampton (village), New York
The Village of East Hampton is a village in Town of East Hampton, New York. It is located in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of eastern Long Island...
.
Biography
Beale was born in Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. He graduated from the University of the South in 1902 and from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Law School in 1905.
He was the grandson of John D. Phelan, an Alabama Speaker of the House, Alabama Supreme Court Justice.
He formed the law practice of Bouvier and Beale with Jacqueline Onassis's grandfather, "Major" John Vernou Bouvier, Jr.
In 1917 he married Bouvier's daughter Edith Ewing Bouvier (later nicknamed "Big Edie"). Among their children were Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale was an American socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill...
("Little Edie"), Phelan Beale, Jr.
Phelan Beale, Jr.
Phelan Beale, Jr. was an American journalist and unemployment compensation law expert. Beale was a son of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and a brother of Edith Bouvier Beale whose lives were highlighted in the documentary Grey Gardens...
, of Tulsa, and Bouvier Beale
Bouvier Beale
Bouvier Beale was a prominent American lawyer. Beale was a son of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and a brother of Edith Bouvier Beale whose lives were highlighted in the documentary Grey Gardens. Beale was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill.-Early life:Beale was born on 13...
of Glen Cove, Long Island. Ushers at the January 17, 1917, wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
in New York City included Jackie's father John Vernon Bouvier III and W. Seargant Bouvier.
In 1924 he acquired the 28-room Grey Gardens mansion fronting the ocean (the oceanfront parcels were sold much later) in the Georgica Pond
Georgica Pond
Georgica Pond is a coastal lagoon on the west border of East Hampton Village and Wainscott, and was the site of a Summer White House of Bill Clinton in 1998 and 1999....
neighborhood.
He and his wife separated circa 1926 and were legally divorced in 1931, but continued his presence in East Hampton. As part of the divorce, Edith was given the East Hampton house, Grey Gardens.
He owned the Grey Goose Gun Club of Cedar Point, a hunting preserve at what is now Cedar Point County Park
Cedar Point County Park
Cedar Point County Park is a park in East Hampton, New York that is owned by the government of Suffolk County, New York. It has commanding views of Gardiners Bay and is famed for its decommissioned lighthouse.-History:...
in East Hampton. In 1937 he expanded it by buying the abandoned Cedar Island Light
Cedar Island Light
Cedar Island Light is a lighthouse in Cedar Point County Park in East Hampton, New York. It has commanding views of Gardiners Bay.-History:The original lighthouse burned down in 1929 in suspicious circumstances and was rebuilt using the surviving material, however the engineer, Michel le Maq...
on an island next to his property. Washed up sand during the New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
joined the island to the land via an isthmus. The lodge itself is now the park foreman's residence just north of the park's general store.
He remarried in 1947 to Dorothy D. Durham of Poplarville, Mississippi
Poplarville, Mississippi
Poplarville is a city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,601. It is the county seat of Pearl River County. It hosts an annual Blueberry Jubilee, which includes rides, craft vendors, and rodeos....
. He died in Pass Christian, Mississippi
Pass Christian, Mississippi
Pass Christian , nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, along the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.