Marietta Peabody Tree
| Marietta Peabody Tree | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marietta Endicott Peabody April 17, 1917 Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1991 (aged 74) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Breast cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | St. Timothy's School |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Socialite, political supporter |
| Spouse(s) |
Desmond FitzGerald (1939–1947) Ronald Tree (1947–1976) |
| Children |
Frances FitzGerald Penelope Tree |
| Parent(s) | Malcolm Endicott Peabody Mary Elizabeth Parkman |
| Relatives |
Rev. Endicott Peabody (grandfather) Endicott Peabody (brother) |
Marietta Peabody Tree (April 17, 1917 – August 15, 1991) was an American socialite and political supporter, who represented the United States on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, appointed under the administration of John F. Kennedy.
Marietta Endicott Peabody was the only daughter of Malcolm Endicott Peabody, the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Mary Elizabeth Parkman. Her grandfather Rev. Endicott Peabody was founder and first headmaster of Groton School where her four brothers Endicott, Samuel, George, and Malcolm were educated.
Although born into an old New England family, Tree's parents were strictly middle-class, and were among the old-line Yankees and Episcopalians in what was fast becoming the Roman Catholic stronghold of Lawrence. Tree's mother Mary was an extensive charity worker, and encouraged her daughter to get involved with the community.
Tree attended St. Timothy's School, where she excelled in athletics above studies. An effervescent, leggy blonde, she was an accomplished flirt and irresistible to men from an early age. She undertook a grand tour of Europe and finishing school in Florence upon graduation to avoid college. When asked to predict her own future, she wrote down: "Parties, people, and politics."
Her father insisted that she, unlike many society girls of the time, attend college, and she enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in 1936. Although she withdrew from the Class of 1940, reflecting the era's skepticism of higher education for women, in later interviews she would exclaim: "I'll never stop being grateful to my father for forcing me to go to college. It changed my life." In 1964 she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and in 1971 with an honorary Bachelor of Arts. She is also an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
...
Wikipedia