Sydney Biddle Barrows
Encyclopedia
Sydney Biddle Barrows is an American
businesswoman who became known as an escort-service
owner while using the stage name
Sheila Devin and later became known as the "Mayflower Madam". She has since become a management consultant and writer.
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Her father is Donald Byers Barrows, Jr. (born 1926) and mother is Jeannette Ballantine. Her grandfather Donald Byers Barrows (1898–1991) married Sydney Biddle (born July 1901), daughter of Alexander Mercer Biddle (born 1865), son of Charles John Biddle
(1819–1873).
Her cousin twice removed Charles John Biddle
was an aviator in World War I
, and great-great-granduncle Edward Biddle (1851–1933) married the daughter of banker Anthony Joseph Drexel.
She claimed to be a Mayflower
descendant on her mother's side.
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology
, located in New York City
, New York
, followed by a short career in the fashion industry, she was introduced to the world of high-class prostitution
and started her own escort service named Cachet, which existed in New York City
from 1979 to 1984. Cachet offered superior service for its time, focusing on delivering a classy and elegant experience to the wealthy and powerful who either visited or lived in New York City. Some of its clients included industrialists, high-powered business executives and lawyers, foreign diplomats and Arabian oil sheiks.
In October 1984, her escort service was shut down and she was charged with promoting prostitution by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The name "Mayflower Madam" was coined by a New York Post reporter, Peter Fearon, who broke the story of her Mayflower connections. After her guilty plea, she published a best-selling autobiography, Mayflower Madam – The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows (1986), in which she imparted the advice that made her service so exclusive and successful: "Hire good people and pay them what they are worth". A television film, Mayflower Madam (1987) – based on the book – stars Candice Bergen
. Barrows has also written two subsequent books on modern sexual etiquette.
In late 2008, Barrows finished Uncensored Sales Strategies – A Radical New Approach to Selling Your Customers What They Really Want – No Matter What Business You're In, co-authored with marketing expert Dan Kennedy. Since the mid-late 1990s, Barrows ran a consulting business with a focus on customer service and experience.
An expert on luxury lifestyle, high-end retail and exclusive service delivery in restaurants and professional services environments, Barrows consults with owners and managers and trains staff to improve brand experiences.
on May 14, 1994. She lives in New York City.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
businesswoman who became known as an escort-service
Escort agency
Escort agencies are companies that provide escorts for the agency's clients. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room , or at the escort's residence . Some agencies also provide escorts for longer durations, who may stay...
owner while using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Sheila Devin and later became known as the "Mayflower Madam". She has since become a management consultant and writer.
Early life, education and career
After her escort service was exposed and disbanded, she gained worldwide notoriety, in part because she is part of the Biddle familyBiddle family
The American Biddle family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania yielded numerous and diverse people of interest down to the present era.William Biddle and Sarah Kempe were Quakers who emigrated from England to America in 1681 in part to avoid religious persecution...
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Her father is Donald Byers Barrows, Jr. (born 1926) and mother is Jeannette Ballantine. Her grandfather Donald Byers Barrows (1898–1991) married Sydney Biddle (born July 1901), daughter of Alexander Mercer Biddle (born 1865), son of Charles John Biddle
Charles John Biddle
Charles John Biddle was an American soldier, lawyer, Congressman, and newspaper editor.-Biography:Biddle was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Nicholas Biddle, president of the Second Bank of the United States, and nephew of Congressman Richard Biddle...
(1819–1873).
Her cousin twice removed Charles John Biddle
Charles John Biddle
Charles John Biddle was an American soldier, lawyer, Congressman, and newspaper editor.-Biography:Biddle was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Nicholas Biddle, president of the Second Bank of the United States, and nephew of Congressman Richard Biddle...
was an aviator in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and great-great-granduncle Edward Biddle (1851–1933) married the daughter of banker Anthony Joseph Drexel.
She claimed to be a Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
descendant on her mother's side.
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
, located in New York City
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...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, followed by a short career in the fashion industry, she was introduced to the world of high-class prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and started her own escort service named Cachet, which existed in New York City
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...
from 1979 to 1984. Cachet offered superior service for its time, focusing on delivering a classy and elegant experience to the wealthy and powerful who either visited or lived in New York City. Some of its clients included industrialists, high-powered business executives and lawyers, foreign diplomats and Arabian oil sheiks.
In October 1984, her escort service was shut down and she was charged with promoting prostitution by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The name "Mayflower Madam" was coined by a New York Post reporter, Peter Fearon, who broke the story of her Mayflower connections. After her guilty plea, she published a best-selling autobiography, Mayflower Madam – The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows (1986), in which she imparted the advice that made her service so exclusive and successful: "Hire good people and pay them what they are worth". A television film, Mayflower Madam (1987) – based on the book – stars Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
. Barrows has also written two subsequent books on modern sexual etiquette.
In late 2008, Barrows finished Uncensored Sales Strategies – A Radical New Approach to Selling Your Customers What They Really Want – No Matter What Business You're In, co-authored with marketing expert Dan Kennedy. Since the mid-late 1990s, Barrows ran a consulting business with a focus on customer service and experience.
An expert on luxury lifestyle, high-end retail and exclusive service delivery in restaurants and professional services environments, Barrows consults with owners and managers and trains staff to improve brand experiences.
Personal life
She was married to "attorney of last resort" Darnay Hoffman, whose clients include Joel SteinbergJoel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg , a former New York criminal defense attorney, attracted international media attention when he was accused of murder and convicted of manslaughter in the November 1, 1987, death of a six-year-old girl, Elizabeth , whom he and his live-in partner Hedda Nussbaum had illegally adopted...
on May 14, 1994. She lives in New York City.
Works
- Mayflower Madam – The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows (1986). With William Novak. New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
: Arbor HouseArbor HouseArbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specialising in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into...
. ISBN 0877957223, ISBN 0804101507. - Mayflower Manners – Etiquette for Consenting Adults (1990). With Ellis Weiner. New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
: Doubleday. ISBN 0385262450. - Just Between Us Girls – Secrets About Men From the Mayflower Madam (1996). With Judith Newman. New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
: St. Martin's PressSt. Martin's PressSt. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
. ISBN 0312139934, ISBN 0312960476. - Uncensored Sales Strategies – A Radical New Approach to Selling Your Customers What They Really Want – No Matter What Business You're In (2009). With Dan Kennedy. Entrepreneur Press. ISBN 1599181932, ISBN 978-1599181936.
See also
- List of American writers
- List of prostitutes and courtesans
- List of people from New York City