The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-27
THE WILSON GIRLS LUCK
THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN MARRY
ING RICH AND INFLUENTIAL MEN.
of Mr.. Herbert as British
Ambassador Scores Another Point
for the Family.
Phila delphia Press.

Mr.. wilson luck, others that Mrs. w llSOn
owns the golden spoon. A great many will
not put down the brilliant success of his
family to anything but luck. They insist
that no management, however good, could
bring about the continuation of the golden
thread that runs through their lives. The
incident that has created all the new talk
is the appointment of the Hon. Michael
Henry Herbert to the place made vacant by
Lord Pauncefote.
After this last piece of luck the New
Workers declare that there is no use con-
tending against the Wilson's. and that the
Vanderbilts may just as well give in 10 it
now. There is no use holding out against
people who have such run of cards
Mrs. Herbert was a Miss Wilson, you
know, and her husbands splendid appoint
ment to Washington will put her in the
foremost ranks of diplomatic society.
Added to this position is the fact that the
King increases the usual salary so that the
Herberts can live on it; and in addition
may give him a title. so that he will rank
as noble representative Of Albert Ed
ward.
With all the other luck that has come TO
the Wilson's. millions has been part of H.
Five years ago Mrs. Richard T. Wilson, sr
was called the Queen of Denmark. because
no one else in modern history seemed to
be equal to her in marrying off her chill
dren, except that magnificent mother of the
Queen of England, and the now Dowager
Czarna Of Russia
One alliance after another has been
brought about by Mother Wilson to make
the family influence a tremendous one in
society. The Wilson's made money in New
York and they are rich people, but they had
nothing of the colossal fortunes of the fam
lilies they have married into. They came
from Georgia after the civil war and
brought with them that culture grace and
good breeding that many of the best South
erners own, and which is accorded all of
them by the Northerner, who invests the
Southerner with romance
Richard T. Wilson the father has made
some money and fame by his fnanciering
during the civil war, and he brought his
talent to the New York market when the
day OF the new life started after Go He he
!leved that he had ability that would give
MIN place in the great world: so instead
OF tI,-, tuTn hil TO ploTins old grounds. he
turned MS face to the market place Of the
now United States He went to New York
10 dabble In money and left his neighbors.
Rooert 1 combs and Alexander Stephens, to
go on In the old paths.
lie succeeded in New York. Wall street
knows his history He had not overesti-
/ NE IdleHtS ne OLD ways and the
! Ola lie Tell from him, and few people would
! know the Richard Wilson of the miIIionaire
/ set of New York in Richard Wilson the
! Georgian of e.
IN THE SMART SET.
The Wilson girls were brought out into
/ what was the best set in New York. About
twenty-five years ago Mary Wilson. the
/ eldest, married Ogden Goelet This match
/ was nine days wonder. Even envious
mothers had 20 admit that the Wilson girls
| had carried off the greatest prize in the
matrimonial market. He had a colossal for
/ tune and great social position When he
| died in 1897 at Cowes on his yacht, the May
flower, ne left his widow fortune of $50
! 000,OOG
Mrs. Goelet has now an annuity of SEQ.
! 600, trust fund of 100000, opera box No 1
\ at the metropolitan, a palace at No SOC
tIfth avenue, with many other. houses
! bringing in a rental. and then the great
! villa at Newport, called Ochre Court
This is the house that contains the most
magnificent hallway in America.
An open arcade extends from the first
| floor TO g. splendid dome of stained glass
! The staircase is imported from France
1t els is of wonderfully. carved Caen stone.
She also owns the yacht Mayhower
which Is valued at $1,000
All this is quite a good deal. you see
TO have got by single. marriage.
man who became British minister pleni-
! potentiary to Paris Mrs. Goeiet began TO
! i've abroad a great deal. Her sisters es-
tablshed social position in the best set Of
Europe gave the Goelets the opportunity
for an international social life.
Before society had finished talking about
this Southern girl capturing the best man in
! New York another surprise was given them
when Orme Wilson, the oldest son. an
| nounced his engagement to Miss Caroline
! Aston.
Here was a Wilson marrying into the
| very stronghold of the exclusives as his
! sister did! Miss Astor was one of the great
| est bellies of her day, and her millions were
| world famous. Moreover, her mother Mrs
/ William Astor, was born a Schermerhorn.
! the proud leaders of Knickerbocker So
ciety, and when she married the son of a
| Dutch trader she carried the family
| straight up TO the place she had always
| held.
Her daughter inherited the mothers sue
cess and was accepted by the world as one
| of it's social leaders
So that young Wilson not only allied him
self with the AstOr millions, but he con-
nected himself with the schermerhorn
! family, whose aristocratic set was the
backbone of New York's best element
Since that marriage Mrs. VIM. Astor has
become the acknowledged leader of Ameri-
can society, and all the Astor ramificatlons
have backed up the Wilson family.
Then came Mrs. Wilson's nickname of
the Queen of Denmark
| People began TO say there was no end
to the Wilson ambitions That she would
marry the next daughter into the nobility
| of England
Mrs. Wilson was not so stupid as that
| The folly of international marriages where
rich girls pay for the title of impoverished
nobility was not so patent to the world
then as now.
SHE HAD FORESIGHT.
But Mrs. Wilson was wise woman,
and, like Mrs. Letter, she could see a
statesman in an attache.
She married the second daughter to Mr.
Herbert, whose family and whose future
were of the best. And her wisdom has been
proved
sidered very beautiful, met Michael Henry
Herbert they were both travelling in Eu-
rope The engagement was announced in
Paris, and they were married in 1888. Mr.
Herbert was charge at the Washington en-
bassy, and he took his bride there with
him. Since then he has filled this same pc.
sition at The Hague, at COnstantinople and
at Rome In 1898 he appointed secre-
tary 10 the British embassy, and then he
was invested with the powers of minister
plenipotentiary
When Lord Pauncefote died the attention
of the world was taken up with the ques
ton of who would be his successor. Thi:
/ position is far greater than ever be
I fore America is reckoned al one OF the
great world powers, and il was demanded
| of the King by those in English power tina
/ he send TO US a brilliant representative.
When he appointed Mr.. Herbert he raiseC
/ the rank by raising the salary. and IL i
now said that he will knight him in orde
that he may bear title in the diplomat
. I