Nina S. Gore

Nina S. Gore
Born July 25, 1903
Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died April 3, 1978 (aged 74)
New York City, U.S.
Spouse(s) Eugene Vidal
(m. 1922; div. 1935)
Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, Jr.
(m. 1935; div. 1941)
Robert Olds
(m. 1942; d. 1943)
Children Gore Vidal
Nina Auchincloss Straight
Thomas Gore Auchincloss
Parent(s) Thomas Gore
Nina Belle Kay

Nina S. Gore Vidal Auchincloss Olds (July 25, 1903 – April 3, 1978),[1] was a socialite known for her three marriages, to Eugene Vidal, Hugh D. Auchincloss, and Robert Olds, as well as her children, authors Gore Vidal and Nina Auchincloss.[2]

Early life

Nina's father, U.S. Senator Thomas Gore

Nina S. Gore was born on July 25, 1903 to U.S. Senator Thomas Gore and his wife Nina Belle Kay (1877–1963),[3] a Texas plantation owner's daughter.[4] She had a younger brother, Thomas Notley Gore (1910–1964), born of her parents. Her father, who lost his eyesight during his youth, was said to have been an atheist[5] and had a strong misanthropic streak. Nina's son would later write that "he was a genuine populist; but he did not like people very much. He always said no to anyone who wanted government aid."[4] He was claimed to have said that "If there was any race other than the human race, I'd go join it."[6]

Life and personality

From 1925 until 1950, she lived in Washington, D.C.. She later split her time between Cuernavaca, Mexico, and Southhampton, New York. In the seven years preceding her death, she lived in San Antonio, Texas.[7]

Nina was known as a vivacious, quixotic, and unpredictable person. Her son Gore referred to her as an alcoholic and "certifiably insane," as she likely suffered from bipolar disorder.[8] She was candid about her sexual exploits[9] and was said to have had an affair with John Hay Whitney in the early 1930s while he was married to Liz Whitney Tippett, at the same time Liz had an affair with Nina Vidal's husband, Eugene Vidal.[10] She was also described thusly:

"When she enters a room you feel here comes everything that is fresh, healthy and beautiful. Her skin glows warmly and her huge brown eyes are bright. An outdoor woman, she is full of indoor charm. Rides every day of her life."[8]

Gore was glamorous and has been described as a flighty mother with an apparent lack of maternal interest in her children. Her son, Gore Vidal, would later say about his mother, "we rarely got into a conversation. It was pointless. She didn’t see me. I wished I didn’t see her."[11]

In 1969, she loaned Gore $3,000 toward the purchase of Edgewater, his estate on the Hudson River.[3] However, years later she wrote a letter to Time magazine, complaining that her Vidal never gave her any credit for his success. In turn, he never spoke to her again, and in letters to others, claimed he detested her, writing that if "you are going to be a world-class hater, as he was, what better place to start than your mother?"[11]

Personal life

In 1922, Gore married to Eugene Luther Vidal, an American commercial aviation pioneer. Because her father was ill and couldn't attend, U.S. Representative William A. Rodenberg walked her down the aisle.[12] They divorced in 1935. Together, they had one child:

In 1935,[8] Nina married Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, Jr. (1897-1976), the son of Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, Sr. (1858–1913), a merchant and financier, and Emma Brewster Jennings. Hugh had previously been married to Maya de Chrapovitsky (1899-1990),[13] a Russian noblewoman, from 1925 to 1932. Hugh and Maya had one child, Hugh Dudley Auchincloss III (1927–2015).[14] Together, Nina and Hugh had two children:

Hugh and Nina S. Gore divorced in 1941. Hugh remarried to Janet Lee Bouvier (1907-1989), the mother of future First Lady Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Bouvier (1929–1994) and Caroline Lee Bouvier (born 1933). Hugh and Janet had two children together, Janet Jennings Auchincloss (1945–1985) and James Lee Auchincloss (born 1947).

In June 1942, Nina remarried for the third and final time to Robert Olds (1896-1943). Robert died of pneumonia on April 28, 1943, after hospitalization for constrictive pericarditis and Libman-Sacks endocarditis,[20][21] at the age of 46, just prior to his son Robin Olds' graduation from West Point.[22]

Nina died on April 3, 1978 in New York City at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital after a long illness.[1][7]

Descendants

Gore was the grandmother of Hugh Auchincloss Steers (1963–1995), an artist and Burr Gore Steers (born 1965), a filmmaker.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Times, Special To The New York (7 April 1978). "Deaths". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Vespa, Mary (May 11, 1981). "Jackie & Gore Launch a Gossipy Novel—and Make a Name for Nina Straight". People Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Straight, N. A. (February 6, 2013). "A Letter from Gore Vidal: N.A. Straight Reflects on the Life and Lessons of Her Half-Brother". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Kauffman, Bill (2006-11-20) The Populist Patriotism of Gore Vidal, The American Conservative
  5. ↑ "Real Time with Bill Maher Episode #149 April 10, 2009". www.veoh.com.
  6. ↑ Vidal, Gore, Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir, 1964 to 2006 (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 19
  7. 1 2 "Nina Gore Olds, 74, Socialite, Kin to U.S. Senator, Novelist". The Washington Post. 6 April 1978. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Pottker, Jan (August 27, 2013). Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781466852303. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  9. ↑ Kloman, Harry (October 29, 1995). "THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO GORE VIDAL | No one inside his famous circle is too sacred for words, except the writer himself.". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Kaplan, Fred (1999). Gore Vidal, A Biography. New York: Doubleday. p. 61. ISBN 0-385-47703-1.
  11. 1 2 Brown, Craig (5 September 2015). "Gore Vidal biography reviewed by Craig Brown: Gore blimey!". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "MISS NINA GORE MARRIES.; Former Senator's Daughter Weds Lieut. Eugene L. Vidal.". The New York Times. January 12, 1922. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Maria Nikolayevna "Maya" Chrapovitsky Rand". findagrave.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Hugh Dudley "Yusha" Auchincloss, III". findagrave.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Cheshire, Maxine (February 24, 1972). "Potpourri". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  16. ↑ The New York Times Staff (June 9, 1957). "Miss Nina Gore Auchincloss Wed to Newton Ivan Steers Jr.". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  17. 1 2 Barnes, Bart (February 12, 1993). "REPUBLICAN NEWTON I. STEERS JR. DIES". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Mrs. Steers Wed to Michael Straight". The New York Times. May 2, 1974. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (January 5, 2004). "Michael Straight, Who Wrote of Connection to Spy Ring, Is Dead at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  20. ↑ Zamzow 2008, p. 85
  21. ↑ Fogerty, Ronald P. (editor, 1953), USAF Historical Study 91: Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952, Vol II: "L-Z".
  22. ↑ Anderson 2004, p. 187
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