My main sources of information for this book consisted of personal interviews with more than one hundred people and a vast array of documents.
I am tremendously grateful to the administrators of Huguette Clark’s estate for allowing me to read and quote from material in seventy-six boxes—more than twenty-five thousand documents—that belonged to Huguette Clark and were removed from her Fifth Avenue apartment after her death. This trove included Huguette’s 1920 diary; her sister Andrée’s 1919 diary; family letters written by Huguette, Andrée, and their parents, Sen. William Andrews Clark and his wife, Anna; hundreds of personal letters and telegrams; and thousands of photographs, receipts, and business letters dating back to 1926; plus items of historic interest, including the 1925 contents of William Andrews Clark’s wallet and his Senate briefcase.
At press time, I was the only reporter allowed to see the entire archive: seventy-one boxes stored at the Manhattan offices of the law firm Milbank Tweed plus an additional five boxes at Christie’s storage facility in Brooklyn. I was also the first journalist allowed, on January 21, 2014, to tour Huguette’s Santa Barbara estate, Bellosguardo. Special thanks to the lawyers who made both possible: Peter Schram, for the public administrator; Carl Distefano of the New York Attorney General’s office; and Thomas LeViness, the co-administrator for the estate and trustee for Huguette Clark’s intellectual property. The Clark family archival material will eventually go to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library at UCLA in Los Angeles.
Huguette Clark took painting lessons for thirty years from artist Tadé Styka, who was also her frequent evening escort, taking her to the Ziegfeld Follies, to the 1939 World’s Fair, and dancing at the Rainbow Room. His daughter, Wanda Styka—Huguette Clark’s goddaughter—generously made exclusively available to me the appointment calendars, journal entries, and letters of her parents, Tadé and Doris Styka, dating from 1935 through 1980. These documents enabled me to reconstruct much of Huguette’s life during that period.
Other vital material: William Andrews Clark’s letters to his lawyer, W. S. Bickford, and other archival documents at the Montana Historical Society in Helena; William Andrews Clark’s letters to Butte Miner editor J. S. Dobell, plus bound volumes of Montana newspapers and other archival materials at the Silver-Bow Historical Society in Butte.
I relied on databases for newspaper stories from 1869 through 2013: ProQuest Historical, LexisNexis, Old Fulton NY Post Cards, the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, NewspaperArchive.com, America’s Historical Newspapers, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com. Books are also listed separately in a bibliography.
From August 2011 through September 2013, I attended court hearings for the Huguette Clark probate case and read the voluminous depositions and legal documents, File 1995/1375, Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, 31 Chambers Street.
Interviews: former Corcoran Gallery directors Paul Greenhalgh and David Levy, Ian Devine, Carla Hall, Karine McCall, Wallace Bock, Irving and Judi Kamsler, Cynthia Garcia, Beverly Bonner McCord, Martha FitzSimon, Stanley Pitts.
Depositions: Ian Devine, Carla Hall, Erika Hall, Karine McCall, Paul Clark Newell Jr.
Articles cited: “Mr. Clark of Montana,” Washington Post, December 3, 1899; “Morris-Clark Wedding,” New York Times, May 29, 1900; “Fortunes Which Exceed a Hundred Million,” New York Times, February 24, 1907; “Coolidge Cuts Silken Cord Opening Art Gallery Annex,” Washington Post, March 11, 1928; “Mrs. John H. Hall,” New York Times, March 22, 1968; Bob Thompson, “Corcoran Director Quits; Trustees Shelve Gehry Plans,” Washington Post, May 24, 2005; Katherine Boyle, “Corcoran’s Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet Breaks World Record at Sotheby’s Auction,” Washington Post, June 5, 2013.
Documents: Information on monthly fees of Wallace Bock and Irving Kamsler; Huguette M. Clark probate case; File 1995/1375. Carla Hall speech at the Clark reunion, courtesy of Carla Hall.
Laura Coyle and Dare Myers Hartwell, Antiquities to Impressionism: The William A. Clark Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 2001.
Lewis Hall, The William A. Clark Collection, Treasures of a Copper King, Corcoran Catalog, 1978.
Writer’s Note: Anna La Chapelle’s name is sometimes spelled as LaChapelle, but Anna signed both Huguette’s birth certificate and a Montana marriage register using La Chapelle.
Interviews: Wallace Bock, Ian Devine, Carla Hall, Karine McCall, Irving Kamsler.
Depositions: Hadassah Peri, Dr. Jack Rudick, Christie Ysit.
Articles cited: Tommy Hallissey, “Porno Sting Nabs Temple President,” Riverdale Press, September 20, 2007; Megan James, “Kamsler Admits Guilt in Child Pornography Case,” Riverdale Press, October 2, 2008; Carol Vogel, “Art Auctions Buffeted by Events,” New York Times, April 30, 2003; “A Splendid Hospital on the East Side Has Been Built Largely with Contributions from Poor People,” New York Daily Tribune, December 28, 1902; Joshua Kosman, “Agnes Albert—Pianist, S.F. Symphony Supporter,” Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2002; “Alumni Spotlight: Ian Devine, Class of 1968,” Bridge, Palm Beach Day Academy; Jacqueline Trescott, “A Museum’s Fortunes on the Decline,” Washington Post, January 5, 2011.
Interviews: Wallace Bock, Kati Despretz Cruz, Tina Lyle Harrower, Gordon Lyle Jr., Caterina Marsh, Christopher Sattler, Wanda Styka, Lucy (Lyle) Tower.
Depositions: Geraldine Coffey, Dr. Louise Klebanoff, Paul Newell Jr., Dr. Robert Newman, Hadassah Peri, Dr. Henry Singman.
Documents: Beth Israel Medical Center Statistical Review, average stay 5.5 days; Anna La Chapelle trust; Archives, estate of Huguette M. Clark. Huguette Clark’s letters to her father: With thanks to the Estate of Huguette Clark for access to review, and permission to extensively quote from, her letters.
Interviews: Irving Kamsler, Daniel Osborne, Christopher Sattler, Erin Sigl.
Speeches: William Andrews Clark speech, 34th Annual Convention, Montana Society of Pioneers, Livingston, September 5, 1917; William Andrews Clark speech, Montana Society of Pioneers, September 9, 1920; William Andrews Clark speech, 41st Annual Convention, Society of Montana Pioneers, August 28, 1924; Montana Historical Society, Helena.
Articles and research: “Whiskaway Brings $125,000,” New York Times, August 12, 1922; “Rich Men of Montana,” Washington Post, July 30, 1895; “Fortune His Wedding Gift: A Montana Millionaire’s Son Marries,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 1, 1896; “The Men Behind Bryan,” Hartford Courant, August 29, 1896; “W. A. Clark Buys Fortuny,” New York Journal, February 8, 1898; “Columbia Gardens, Butte’s Famous Summer Resort,” Butte Miner, December 22, 1901; “William Andrews Clark,” Cosmopolitan, February 1903; “Son of Senator Clark Is Sued,” San Jose Evening News, May 20, 1905; “In the Matter of Chinese: Senator Clark Raises His Voice Against Importing Coolies to Compete with Whites,” Anaconda Standard, December 9, 1905; “Lost $20,000 on Wheel,” Washington Post, October 9, 1908; “Senator Clark’s Son Sued,” Christian Science Monitor, May 2, 1911; Henry R. Knapp; Kenneth Ross Toole, “The Genesis of the Clark-Daly Feud,” Montana Magazine of History, April 1951; Byron Cooney, “Personal Reminiscences and Side Lights about Senator W. A. Clark,” Montana American, undated clip, Montana Historical Society archives; “Montana’s Political Feud,” New York Times, January 25, 1899; “A Bronze Door by Bartlett,” New York Times, November 7, 1897; “Fortunes Which Exceed a Hundred Million Dollars,” New York Times, February 24, 1907; “Clark Properties Sold to Anaconda,” New York Times, August 23, 1928; Christopher Gray, “When Spain Reigned on Central Park South,” New York Times, June 17, 2007; Michael P. Malone, “Midas of the West: The Incredible Career of William Andrews Clark,” Montana, The Magazine of Western History, Autumn 1983; Mary Montana Farrell, master’s dissertation, University of Washington, 1933; Beverly Bonner McCord, “The Senator’s Kin,” 2008 essay; PITWATCH: Berkeley Pit News 2013; Copper King Mansion Tour Script, 2011.
Books: The following books provided especially valuable background for chapters 4 and 5:
W. A. Clark entry in “Personal History and Reminiscences: Silver Bow County,” in History of Montana 1739–1885, Warner, Beers, & Co., 1885.
John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, American National Biography, vol. 4, Oxford University Press, 1999.
C. P. Glasscock, The War of the Copper Kings, Riverbend Publishing, 1939.
Donald MacMillan, Smoke Wars: Anaconda Copper, Montana Air Pollution, and the Courts, 1890–1920, Montana Historical Society Press, 2000.
Michael P. Malone, The Battle for Butte, University of Washington Press, 1981.
Progressive Men of the State of Montana, A. W. Bowen & Co., date unknown.
Dennis Swibold, Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics, and the Montana Press, 1889–1959, Montana Historical Society Press, 2006.
Interviews: Tina Lyle Harrower, Gordon Lyle Jr.
Articles: “They Knocked Him Out: One of Butte’s Fakirs Found Guilty by a Jury,” Anaconda Standard, November 14, 1890; “Americans in Paris: Brilliant Women Who Live in the French Capital,” Chicago Daily Tribune, May 6, 1893; “In Fairyland,” Anaconda Standard, August 28, 1895; “For Honor and a Prize,” Helena Independent, May 28, 1889; “The Death of Paul Clark,” Anaconda Standard, March 14, 1896; “Death of Paul Clark: Suddenly Expires at Andover While at School,” Butte Weekly Miner, March 12, 1896; “Clark’s New York Palace,” Chicago Daily Tribune, February 19, 1899; “Protegee of Copper King,” Boston Daily Globe, March 20, 1900; “Clark Lucky in Love If Not in Politics,” New York World, April 27, 1900; “Copper King’s Protegee,” Pharos-Tribune Logansport, May 19, 1900; “Senator Clark, Whose Election Is Being Investigated,” San Francisco Call, February 27, 1900; “Senate Committee Against Mr. Clark: Decision Based on Bribery,” New York Times, April 24, 1900; “Another Man Named to Succeed Clark,” New York Times, May 19, 1900; “Hard Man to Throw Down,” Washington Post, May 27, 1900; “Clark of Montana,” New York Times, November 13, 1900; “Gossip of the Capital City,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 18, 1900; “W. A. Clark Again a Senator,” New York Times, January 17, 1901; “Miss Laube in Politics,” Anaconda Standard, April 18, 1901; “Hattie Rose Laube Can’t Prove It by Clark Himself,” Anaconda Standard, April 21, 1901; “Beauty and Wealth United by Marriage,” Chicago Daily Tribune, June 20, 1901; “Millionaire Senator Is on the Jump,” Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1901; “A Rich Father Has Charles Clark,” Los Angeles Times, July 20, 1902; “Senator Clark to Wed Again?” Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1904; “Another Rumor,” Anaconda Standard, July 1, 1901; “Mrs. W. A. Clark Jr., Dead,” New York Times, January 2, 1903; “Woman Would Sue Clark in Public,” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1903; “Senator Clark in Breach of Promise Suit,” New York Times, April 19, 1903; “Clark Denies Lady’s Soft Impeachment,” Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1903; “Clark’s Daughter Seeks Divorce,” Bellingham Herald, November 19, 1903; Frederick Ackerman, “The Toil for Millions: Is There Pleasure in It?” Dallas Morning News, December 6, 1903; “Senator Clark’s Daughter,” Macon Telegraph, November 25, 1903; “Modern Croesus a Very Sick Man,” Minneapolis Journal, April 22, 1904; “Senator to Be Married,” New York Press, May 8, 1904; “Senator Clark Says He Is Not to Be Married,” Omaha World-Herald, June 19, 1904; “They’re Married and Have a Baby,” Anaconda Standard, July 12, 1904; “Clark Tells Why,” July 13, 1904; “Principals in the Wedding Whose Announcement Surprised Butte Yesterday,” Anaconda Standard, July 13, 1904; “Clark Surprise: Senator’s Family Not Apparently Pleased,” Boston Daily Globe, July 13, 1904; “Mrs. Clark Had Visited Here,” Salt Lake Tribune, July 13, 1904; “Senator Clark Quarrels with Son,” Des Moines Capital, July 15, 1904; “Details of Great Love,” Anaconda Standard, July 21, 1904; “May Marry Senator Clark,” Chicago Daily Tribune, March 1904; “Having Astonished All Europe, Boy Genius Will Dazzle America,” Atlanta Constitution, May 15, 1904; “Billionaire Clark to Lead to Altar Poor Girl,” Atlanta Constitution, June 19, 1904; “W. A. Clark’s Ward, Whose Marriage to Him Three Years Ago Is Announced,” Chicago Daily Tribune, July 12, 1904; “Clark Is Wed Again,” Chicago Daily Tribune, July 12, 1904; “Mrs. Clark’s Mother in Dark,” New York Times, July 13, 1904; “Senator Clark Tells of Bride,” Washington Times, July 13, 1904; “Clark Baby a Mystery,” Kansas City Star, July 15, 1904; “Mrs. W. A. Clark Nee Anna La Chapelle,” Seattle Star, July 16, 1904; “Romance of the Harp in Senator Clark’s Marriage,” Minneapolis Journal, July 22, 1904; “Senator Clark’s Brother-in-Law Has Thrown Money to the Birds,” Tacoma Times, July 27, 1904; “Why He Kept the Wedding Secret,” Hawaiian Star, August 22, 1904; “Million-Dollar Babe Is Motherless,” Boston Globe, January 2, 1905; “Photoplay News,” Washington Post, March 1, 1914; “Montanans Crash Films,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 1929.
Documents: William Andrews Clark letters to W. S. Bickford, Montana Historical Society.
Books:
Christopher P. Connolly, The Devil Learns to Vote, J. J. Little, 1938.
Adam Gopnik, Americans in Paris: A Literary Anthology, Library of America, 2004.
William Daniel Mangam, The Clarks: An American Phenomenon, Silver Bow Press, 1941. Includes Katherine Clark Morris’s letter to William Andrews Clark Jr.
David McCullough, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, Simon & Schuster, 2011.
Lael Morgan, Wanton West, Chicago Review Press, 2011.
Mark Twain, Mark Twain in Eruption, Harper & Brothers, 1922.
Interviews: Christopher Sattler, Neal Sattler.
Depositions: Geraldine Coffey, Hadassah Peri, Dr. Henry Singman.
Articles: “A Youthful Genius,” Los Angeles Times, September 24, 1904; “Three Amazing Lads,” Washington Post, November 6, 1904; “Didn’t Bring Clark Baby,” New York Times, January 12, 1905; “And Clark Laughs,” Los Angeles Times, January 12, 1905; “Mrs. Clark Under Knife,” Anaconda Standard, February 18, 1905; “Slot Machine Couldn’t Bunko Senator Clark,” New York Times, February 20, 1905; “Not Home to Some of Butte’s Grand Dames Who Cut Her When She Was Poor,” Pawtucket Times, June 2, 1905; “Social War in Butte,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3, 1905; “New Mrs. Clark a Home Lover,” Chicago Daily Tribune, July 30, 1905; “In Expectation,” Anaconda Standard, April 18, 1906; “Luxury for That Clark Baby,” San Antonio Gazette, September 22, 1906; “Clark to Quit Politics,” Washington Post, October 25, 1906; “Children’s Party,” Anaconda Standard, June 16, 1907; “Paris Spring Salon,” New York Tribune, April 30, 1908; “Clark House,” Colorado Springs Gazette, November 22, 1909; Vance Thompson, “Palace Not Yet Finished,” Washington Post, May 29, 1910; “Mr. Clark and Sensitive Architects,” Chicago Daily Tribune, December 21, 1910; Christopher Gray, “Huguette Clark’s Worthless Girlhood Home,” New York Times, June 2, 2011; “Mistress of Big Mansion,” Oelwein Daily Register, November 18, 1910; “Ex-Senator Clark’s Wife Operated On,” Hartford Courant, February 21, 1911; “Hunt Two Burglars in Fifth Avenue,” New York Times, February 22, 1911; “Burglars on Roof of Senator Clark’s House,” Hartford Courant, February 22, 1911; “Tadé Styka Portrait,” Buffalo Courier News, March 12, 1911; “With Millions to Spend, She Could Not Buy Happiness,” Chicago Daily Tribune, April 16, 1911; “Senator Clark’s Son Sued,” Christian Science Monitor, May 2, 1911; “Senator Clark and Family Leave for the Coronation,” Oakland Tribune, June 4, 1911; “W. A. Clark Has Test of $120,000 Organ,” New York Times, June 10, 1911; “Clark for Art, Not Society,” New York Times, October 26, 1911; “Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Man Old Enough to Be Her Father?” Chicago Daily Tribune, February 12, 1911; “Mrs. William Clark Ill,” Chicago Daily Tribune, February 20, 1911; “Clark Plans House Opening,” New York Times, September 2, 1911; “Organs in Millionaires’ Homes,” Wall Street Journal, October 21, 1911; “Clark to Open Gallery to Gotham Public,” Atlanta Constitution, December 11, 1911; “Mrs. Wm. A. Clark Back from Europe,” New York Tribune, December 17, 1911; “Dies Suddenly of Acute Pneumonia,” Anaconda Standard, January 24, 1912; “Society Not Worthwhile: Says Ex-Senator Clark—His Fifth Avenue Home Open to His Friends,” New York Times, February 10, 1912; “Fashion’s Fads and Fancies,” Washington Post, March 12, 1912; “They Were Passengers on Board the Ill-Fated Titanic,” Anaconda Standard, April 17, 1912; “The Fashionable Revivification of the Harp,” Town & Country, April 20, 1912; “Finest Collection of Jewels in the World,” Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1912; “Many Notable Persons Return Here from Europe,” New York Sun, November 12, 1912; Walter Ed Taylor, “The House Montana Copper Built,” clip in hanging files, Montana Historical Society; “Senator Clark Safe,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 6, 1914; “Ex-Senator Clark Home,” Wall Street Journal, October 23, 1914; “Senator Clark Returns from War Zone,” Anaconda Standard, October 27, 1914; “Grim Poverty in War’s Wake,” Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1914.
Documents: William Andrews Clark letters to W. S. Bickford, Montana Historical Society.
Books:
T. Bentley Mott, Myron Herrick, Friend of France, Doubleday, 1929.
Interviews: Erika Hall, Gordon Lyle Jr., Roberto Socas, Wanda Styka.
Depositions: Geraldine Coffey.
Articles: “The Aladdin Palace, Home of W. A. Clark,” Kansas City Star, February 28, 1915; “Senator Clark Indignant,” New York Times, November 27, 1903; “Photo of Portrait of Andrée Clark,” New York Times, January 31, 1915; “What Girls May Do: A Teacher Who Teaches Play,” Boston Daily Globe, February 11, 1915; “Mr. Tartoue Limns Society Delicately,” New York Herald, 1915; “Will Society Keep Lent?” New York Times, February 21, 1915; “An Evening of French Music,” New York Times, February 23, 1915; “W. A. Clark’s Palace Used for Charity,” Anaconda Standard, March 4, 1915; “Miss Andre and Miss Huguette Clark and Their Six Million Dollar House on Fifth Avenue,” Evening World, March 6, 1915; “Society Goes Charity Mad and Finds Its Reward,” New York Sun, March 7, 1915; “American Artists’ Committee of 100,” New York Times, March 21, 1915; “Clark’s Grandson Dead: Gerald Clark Kling, Victim of Appendicitis,” New York Tribune, September 20, 1915; “Some Grand Old Men and What They Do to Stay Well,” Anaconda Standard, January 1, 1917; “Mrs. Clark and Daughters Will Tour the Yellowstone,” Anaconda Standard, July 6, 1917; “The Clarks in Butte,” Anaconda Standard, July 26, 1919; “Miss Clark Dies at Summer Home,” Anaconda Standard, August 8, 1919; “Beautiful Girl Called to Heavenly Home,” Butte Miner, August 8, 1919; “Funeral Tomorrow at St. Thomas for Andrée Clark, Dead of Meningitis,” New York Herald, August 10, 1919; “Montana Pioneers with Sons and Daughters Meet,” Butte Miner, August 30, 1919; “Ex-Copper King Emerges,” Miami District Daily News, April 4, 1920; “Camp Site to Perpetuate Girl’s Love for Scouts,” New York Tribune, November 11, 1920; Photo of Senator Clark and Huguette Clark, Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, November 12, 1920; “Miss Alma Guy, 68, Aide to Blind, Dies,” New York Times, September 30, 1938; “Orchestral Society Aims to Foster American Talent,” New York Tribune, March 20, 1921.
Documents: Family letters and telegrams: Huguette Clark, Andrée Clark, William Clark, Anna Clark; Diaries of Huguette Clark and Andrée Clark; With thanks to the Estate of Huguette Clark for access to review, and permission to extensively quote from, her letters. William Andrews Clark letters to W. S. Bickford, Montana Historical Society. Interview with Alma Guy and Andrée Clark’s letters, Girl Scout National Historic Preservation Center.
Books:
Mary Dillon Edmondson, Profiles in Leadership: A History of the Spence School 1892–1992, Phoenix Publishing, 1991.
Interviews: Andrew Alpern, Lindsay Mican Morgan.
Depositions and interviews: Paul Albert, Karine McCall.
Articles: “Mrs. Kling Gets Divorce,” Oregonian, May 6, 1922; “Hawaiian Youth, Protege of Copper King’s Wife, Sees End of College Dream Here,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 1921; “Clark Protege May Return to Hawaii,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 1921; “Sail for Europe Today,” New York Times, May 30, 1922; “Look Who’s Here: Sen. William Clark of Montana,” New York Tribune, September 17, 1922; “Social Notes,” New York Times, October 8, 1922; “That Disappointed Admirer of Pola Negri,” Ogden, Utah, February 23, 1923; “Artist Styka’s Heart Heals Slowly,” Los Angeles Times, February 26, 1923; “Millicent’s Diary,” Washington Post, March 20, 1923; “Social Notes,” New York Times, May 4, 1923; “Miss Clara B. Spence,” New York Times, August 10, 1923; “Her Beauty Fires Styka’s Genius,” Los Angeles Times, August 19, 1923; “Bye-the-Bye in Wall Street,” Wall Street Journal, January 9, 1924; “Wine Cellar in Doll House for Queen Is Protested,” Washington Post, April 14, 1924; “Queen Mary’s Million Dollar Dollhouse,” Washington Post, May 18, 1924; “Queen’s Dolls Have Priceless Library,” New York Times, August 24, 1924; Byron Cooney, “Personal Reminiscences and Side Lights about Senator W. A. Clark,” Montana American, undated clip, Montana Historical Society; “New York Society,” Chicago Daily Tribune, June 6, 1924; “On Art and Artists,” Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1924; “Mrs. Mary Clark Kling a Bride,” New York Times, March 2, 1925; “Pneumonia Proves Fatal to Picturesque Montanan at Fifth Avenue Home,” New York Times, March 25, 1925, “Senator Clark’s Vivid Life,” New York Times, March 8, 1925; “Senator Clark Dies in Gotham,” Los Angeles Times, March 8, 1925; “Clark Rites Amid His Art Treasures,” New York Times, March 7, 1925; “Will of W. A. Clark Disposes of Vast Fortune,” Anaconda Standard, April 7, 1925; “The Clark Gift,” New York Herald Tribune, April 8, 1925; “Art Lovers Hope Museum Takes Clark Paintings,” New York Herald Tribune, April 9, 1925; “Museum Refuses $3,000,000 Clark Collection,” New York World, April 21, 1925; “Masterpieces in the Clark Collection,” New York Times, March 15, 1925; “How Not to Become Immortal,” Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1925; “Clark Family Hurt by Metropolitan’s Refusal of His Art,” New York Tribune, April 25, 1925; “W. A. Clark’s Widow Resigns as Executrix,” Washington Post, June 11, 1925; “Corcoran Gallery Takes Clark Art,” New York Times, August 2, 1925; “Fifth Avenue Losing Fight,” Los Angeles Times, August 9, 1925; “Divorces Charles W. Clark,” New York Times, August 17, 1925; “Social Notes,” New York Times, September 30, 1925; “Clark’s $7,000,000 Palace Is Going Begging,” Boston Globe, October 1, 1925; “Storrs Give a Dinner,” New York Times, March 4, 1925; “Part of Senator Clark’s Art to Be Auctioned; Heirs Also to Part with Fifth Avenue Home,” New York Times, November 22, 1925; “Clarks Give $700,000 and 210 Art Pieces for Corcoran Wing,” Washington Post, November 29, 1925; “Druggist Was Father of 3 Clark Claimants,” Washington Post, February 7, 1926; “Sure Senator Clark Was Former Druggist,” New York Times, February 7, 1926; “Crowd Gathers for Selection of Jury to Try Clark Case,” Butte Miner, July 1, 1926; “Charles W. Clark Tells of Life in Deer Lodge Town,” Anaconda Standard, July 7, 1926; “Anderson Clark Called Father of Missouri Women,” Anaconda Standard, July 8, 1926; “History of Days of Covered Wagon Trains Is Written in Court Record of Clark Case,” Butte Miner, July 11, 1926; “Women Lose Claim to Clark’s Wealth,” Washington Post, July 16, 1926; “Takes 45 Minutes for Jury to Rule on Clark Contest,” Butte Daily Post, July 16, 1926; “Death Bed Confession of William Anderson Clark Factor in Settling Battle over Late W. A. Clark’s Fortune,” Three Forks News, undated, tentative October 12, 1931, Montana Historical Society; “Poor Little Rich Clark Girl—Everybody’s after Her $333 a Day,” syndicated feature, 1926; “View Clark Home, Due to Be Wrecked,” New York Times, February 23, 1927; “Clark’s Folly Stripped,” New York Times, March 29, 1927; “Quai D’Orsay Ball Draws Paris Elite,” New York Times, June 5, 1927; “Clark Estate Wins Against Tax Here,” New York Times, September 23, 1927; Hilton Kramer, “When Money, Not Taste, Builds a Collection,” New York Times, June 4, 1978.
Documents: Family letters and telegrams: Huguette Clark, William Andrews Clark, Anna Clark, Charles Clark; Katherine Morris, William Andrews Clark Jr.; courtesy of Estate of Huguette M. Clark. William Andrews Clark’s letters to W. S. Bickford, Montana Historical Society. William Andrews Clark’s will, Montana Historical Society; Silver-Bow Archives.
Books:
Marshall Bond Jr., Adventures with Peons, Princes, and Tycoons, Star Rover House, 1974.
William Daniel Mangam, The Clarks: An American Phenomenon, Silver Bow Press. 1941.
David F. Myrick, Montecito and Santa Barbara, Volume II, The Days of the Great Estates, Montecito Publishing, 1991.
Writer’s Notes: Huguette’s essay “Happy Moments,” dated December 16, no year, was stored with her high school report cards at Christie’s warehouse. Huguette Clark’s lessons with Tadé Styka began in the 1920s, but the precise year is uncertain. He mentions seeing her paintings in January 1925; she does not call him “chere maitre” in her letters until 1929.
Interviews: Kati Despretz Cruz, Gordon Lyle Jr., Tina Lyle Harrower, Christie Merrill, Christopher Sattler.
Articles: “William A. Clark Gives Easter Monday Dance for Debutante Granddaughter,” New York Tribune, March 29, 1921; “Sketches Interior of Clark Mansion,” New York Times, January 24, 1926; “New York Society,” Washington Post, October 8, 1926; “Debutantes Feted at Two Luncheons,” New York Times, November 23, 1926; Sunday photo section, New York Times, December 5, 1926; “Frank V. Storrs, Advertising Man,” New York Times, March 9, 1939; “Clark Home Sold Under $3,000,000,” New York Times, February 2, 1927; “Why Not?” New York Times, February 5, 1927; “View Clark Home, Due to Be Wrecked,” New York Times, February 23, 1927; “Clark Mansion Open to Public,” New York Times, March 20, 1927; “William MacDonald Gower,” Nassau Herald, courtesy of Princeton University library; “De-Mun Cuyler Wedding Festivities Set New Records for Gayety,” Omaha World-Herald, May 15, 1927; “Dinners Given at Ritz,” New York Times, May 25, 1927; “Clark-Gower,” New York Times, December 14, 1927; “To Wed Heiress of Clark Riches,” New York Sun, December 14, 1927; “Princeton Graduate to Wed Heiress,” Trenton Times, December 15, 1927; “Many Betrothals of Wide Interest,” New York Times, December 25, 1927; “Jungle Dance for Debs,” December 30, 1927; “Give Revue for a Charity,” New York Times, January 23, 1927; “Lewis L. Clarkes Are Hosts at Dance,” New York Times, January 27, 1928; “Notes of Social Activities,” New York Times, February 15, 1928; “The Clark Collection,” Washington Post, March 11, 1928; “Engaged Couple Honored,” New York Times, April 11, 1928; “Wedding of William Gower to Miss Clark Occurs Today,” undated clip, Santa Barbara Historical Society, August 17, 1938; “Miss Huguette Clark Weds William Gower,” New York Times, August 18, 1928; “A $30-a-Week Husband for a $50,000,000 Heiress,” Salt Lake City Tribune, September 16, 1928; “She Shocked the 400 by Marrying for Love and $30 per Week,” Danville Bee, October 4, 1928; “New York Society Couple to Pass Through Salt Lake,” Salt Lake Tribune, October 28, 1928; “Tadé Styka Praises American Art Trend,” New York Times, December 28, 1928; “U.S. Has Loveliest Women, Says Famed Polish Artist,” Lancaster Daily Gazette, January 19, 1929; “Many Entertained by J. S. Laidlaws,” New York Times, February 10, 1929; “Mrs. de Brabant Is Hostess,” New York Times, May 10, 1929; Cholly Knickerbocker, “Gowers Near Divorce Court,” New York American, May 14, 1929; Eleanor Jewett, “Styka’s Paintings Entrance Critic Who Then Reveals Why,” Chicago Daily Tribune, January 25, 1930; “Mrs. Gower Goes to Reno,” New York Times, April 15, 1930; “Clark’s Daughter Coming to Reno for 3 Months,” Reno Evening Gazette, April 16, 1930; “Reno Agog over Clark Kin’s Move,” Los Angeles Times, April 17, 1930; “Why America’s $50,000,000 Heiress Cast Off Her $30-a-Week Prince Charming and Ritzed Reno by Renting an Entire Hotel Floor and Moving in with an Array of Servants,” Hamilton Evening Journal, June 28, 1930; “W. A. Clark’s Daughter Gets a Reno Divorce,” New York Times, August 12, 1930; “Fund for Neediest Nearing 1929 Total,” New York Times, December 26, 1930; “Mrs. Huguette Clark,” Associated Press, September 6, 1931.
Documents: Huguette Clark’s letters to Tadé Styka, courtesy of Wanda Styka and Estate of Huguette M. Clark; William Gower letter to Anna Clark and receipts from Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels, courtesy of Estate of Huguette M. Clark. Social Register, 1904–2011, New York Public Library, Bryant Park location. Corcoran Gallery catalogue, exhibit of paintings of Huguette Clark, April 1930.
Articles: “Duke Denies Plan to Wed,” New York Times, January 28, 1931; “Clark Sues to Void $10,000,000 Trusts,” New York Times, July 29, 1931; “Polish Artist Finds Gotham More ‘Wicked’ Than Paree,” Associated Press, November 30, 1931; “Toulmin-Gower,” New York Times, June 4, 1932; “Beauty Will Tell Story of Gross Cruelty,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 1907; “Hart M’Kee Only Wanted Wife’s Money,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 5, 1908; “Bitter Words for Husband,” Atlanta Constitution, April 9, 1908; “Charges of Wife Denied by M’Kee,” Chicago Daily Tribune, April 16, 1908; “Double Divorce in M’Kee Case,” Atlanta Constitution, May 8, 1908; “The Clark Millions,” Boston Herald, June 6, 1932; “Mrs. Constance Toulmin Bride of W. M. Gower,” New York Sun, June 4, 1932; “Mrs. Toulmin Weds,” New York Times, June 5, 1932; “W. A. Clark 3d Is Killed in Airplane Crash,” New York Times, May 16, 1932; “Old Names Missing in New Opera List,” New York Times, November 14, 1932; “Charles W. Clark, Head of Verde Copper, Dies,” Washington Post, April 9, 1933; “C. W. Clark Dead; A Copper Magnate,” New York Times, April 9, 1933; “By the Bye in Wall Street,” Wall Street Journal, May 3, 1933; Edward Alden Jewell, “Art of Tadé Styka,” New York Times, February 9, 1934; “Dinner Dance Held by Maytown Club,” New York Times, May 8, 1934.
Interviews: Gordon Lyle Jr., Karine McCall, Jan Perry, Wanda Styka.
Articles: “Asks $123,000 ‘Gifts’ as Social Adviser,” New York Times, January 20, 1929; “Artist’s Wife Ends De Brabant Suit,” New York Times, January 27, 1929; “Society Tongues Cease Wagging as Suit Fizzles,” Los Angeles Times, January 27, 1929; “Clark Rites in Abeyance,” Los Angeles Times, June 10, 1934; “William Andrews Clark, Second Son of Noted Montana Pioneer, Called by Death near Missoula,” Associated Press, June 14, 1934; “W. A. Clark Junior,” Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1934; “30 Others to Get Share of Huge Estate,” Associated Press, June 20, 1934; “Clark’s Heir Comes of Age, Gets $367,891,” Associated Press, March 11, no year, Montana Historical Society; “Clark’s Big Estate Now Distributed,” Associated Press, August 20, no year, Montana Historical Society; “Film Star’s Portrait Disrupts Art Show,” New York Times, June 23, 1934; “Marion Davies’ Portrait Stirs Row in Venice,” Chicago Daily Tribune, June 23, 1934; “Styka’s Davies,” Time, July 2, 1934; “Clark Will Discloses Further Large Gifts,” Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1934; “American Girl to Pose for Murals at Vatican,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 11, 1934; “Clark Estate Share Is Paid,” Trenton Times, November 8, 1935; “Night Club Notes,” New York Times, November 16, 1935; “Cabaret Men Cleared,” New York Times, February 29, 1936; “Rich Texas Widow Must Pay $30,000 to Wife in Love Theft,” Dallas Morning News, November 21, 1936; “Styka Brothers Joint Exhibitors,” New York Times, November 21, 1936; “Marquis Is Winner of Heiress Widow,” Associated Press, December 25, 1936; “Wealthy Widow Picks Marquis over Prince,” Los Angeles Times, February 25, 1936; “Miss Toulmin Will Make Debut in London,” New York Sun, February 6, 1937; “A Novel of an Age of Innocence: Myron Brinig’s The Sisters,” New York Times, February 7, 1937; “One of the Better Brooks,” Atlanta Constitution, March 14, 1937; “Says First-Floor Homes Give Women Slim Ankles,” New York Times, April 3, 1937; “William B. Gower, Leader in Copper,” New York Times, August 31, 1937; “Tadé Styka Shows Portraits at Tea,” New York Post, October 30, 1937; “Lady Decies Honored at a Luncheon Here,” New York Times, February 28, 1938; “La Chapelle Rites Solemnized,” Los Angeles Times, May 30, 1938; “New Films: ‘The Sisters,’ ” Daily Boston Globe, November 18, 1938; “Bette Davis Is Star Errol Flynn in Lead Dates back to 1904 Hit Stage Show,” Washington Post, November 19, 1938; Walter Winchell column, Charleston Daily Mail, November 22, 1938; Walter Winchell column, Brownsville Herald, May 31, 1939; “Joins Mother,” Los Angeles Times, September 6, 1939; Cholly Knickerbocker column, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 16, 1940; “Angelenos Gather,” Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1941; “Party at Opening of Cotillion Room,” New York Times, November 1, 1941; “Dress Makes the Woman, Painter Says,” Washington Post, May 16, 1942; Cholly Knickerbocker column, May 12, 1943; “Famous Cases and Criminals: Velvalee Dickinson, the Doll Woman,” FBI, http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/velvalee-dickinson-doll-woman; “Bare Knuckles on Bare Bodies,” Atlanta Constitution, June 15 1902; “Submarine Shells Southland Oil Field,” Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1942; “Refinery Fired On,” New York Times, February 24, 1942; “Winchell on Broadway,” June 25, 1946; “New Friends Offer Paganini Quartet,” New York Times, November 4, 1946; “Robert Maas, Led Paganini Quartet, 47,” New York Times, July 9, 1948; “Tadé Styka, Artist, Dies,” New York Times, September 12, 1954; Barbara Hoelscher Doran, “Huguette Clark: 1906–2011,” Santa Barbara Independent, June 9, 2011.
Documents: Affidavit of George Pale, August 27, 1935; letters from William A. Clark Jr. to George Pale, Montana Historical Society. Tadé Styka and Doris Styka appointment calendars, notes, and letters, courtesy of Wanda Styka. Huguette Clark letters, with thanks to the Estate of Huguette Clark for access to review, and permission to extensively quote from, her letters. Henri de Villermont letters to Huguette Clark, courtesy the Estate of Huguette Clark.
Books:
Myron Brinig, The Sisters, Grosset & Dunlap, 1937.
George H. Douglas, “Major Bowes,” in American National Biography, Volume 3, Oxford University Press, 1999.
William Daniel Mangam, The Clarks: An American Phenomenon, Silver Bow Press, 1941.
Interviews: Jane Bannerman, Kathleen Bride, Isabelle Cazeaux, Jacques Despretz, Kati Despretz Cruz, Ann Fabrizio, Anna Fels, Helen Garrett (by e-mail), Geraldine (McCall) Gottesman, Bernard Grandjany, Tina Harrower, Margaret Hoag, Sherry Stockwell Howard, Irving Kamsler, Linda Kasakyan, Joy Knapp, Gordon Lyle Jr., Caterina Marsh, Karine McCall, Jan Perry, Christopher Sattler, Neal Sattler, Wanda Styka, Sarah La Chapelle Thompson, Lucy (Lyle) Tower, Florence Young.
Depositions: Paul Albert, André Baeyens, Carla Hall, Gemma Hall, Karine McCall.
Articles: “Second Benefit Versailles Ball,” New York Times, October 3, 1954; “Mounts Literary Summit at 20: Polan Banks Kept Age Secret,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1926; “Maria T. Berry, Niece of School’s Founder, Married Here to Prince Alexis Droutzkoy,” New York Times, December 17, 1944; “Mrs. Frank V. Storrs,” New York Times, February 10, 1954; “Dr. William G. Lyle,” New York Times, November 26, 1955; “Mrs. Anna E. Clark, Widow of Copper Multimillionaire,” Newsday, October 12, 1963; “Anna Clark, Patron of Corcoran Gallery,” Washington Post, October 13, 1963; “Mrs. Anna Clark, Senator’s Widow,” New York Times, October 12, 1963; “William Gower Obituary,” New York Times, December 22, 1976; “William Leveson Gower, ’25,” Princeton Alumni Bulletin; “Charles S. Bannerman, Lawyer Who Specialized in Estates,” New York Times, September 29, 1976; “Algernon P. Banks, Novelist, Dies at 77,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 4, 1984; Barbara Hoelscher Doran, “Huguette Clark 1906–2011,” Santa Barbara Independent, June 9, 2011.
Documents: Doris Styka notes, courtesy of Wanda Styka. Huguette Clark letters and telegrams, with thanks to the Estate of Huguette Clark for access to review, and permission to extensively quote from, her letters. Letters and telegrams to Huguette Clark from William Gower, Harry Pepper, Etienne de Villermont, Henri de Villermont, Felix Lorioux, and Donald Wallace, receipts, and notes, courtesy of the Estate of Huguette Clark.
Books:
Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr., Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune, Ballantine Books, 2013.
A. A. Hoehling, Women Who Spied: True Stories of Feminine Espionage, Madison Books, 1967.
Interviews: Wallace Bock, Susan Brody, Rabbi Steven Burton, Isabelle Cazeaux, Barbara Cleary, Kati Despretz Cruz, Jacques Despretz, Ian Devine, Cynthia Garcia, Jennifer Gibbins, Paul Greenhalgh, Carla Hall, Kurt Harjung, Irving Kamsler, Judi Kamsler, David Levy, Sheila Lodge, Gordon Lyle Jr., Karine McCall, Marilyn McMahon, Daphne Merkin, Susan Olsen, Marie Pompei, Christopher Sattler, Neal Sattler, Fraser Seitel, Steve Shirley, Roberto Socas, Wanda Styka, Lucy (Lyle) Tower.
Depositions: André Baeyens, Jean-Loup Brusson, Geraldine Coffey, Ian Devine, Rodney Devine, Carla Hall, Erika Hall, Dr. Morton Hyman, Karine McCall, Paul Newell Jr., Dr. Robert Newman, Abraham Peri, Daniel Peri, David Peri, Geula Peri, Hadassah Peri, Steven Pyram, Dr. Jack Rudick, Danita Rudisill, Lewis Siegel, Dr. Henry Singman, Mildred Velasquez, Christie Ysit, Erlinda Ysit.
Articles: Joshua Kosman, “Agnes Albert: Pianist, San Francisco Symphony Supporter,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 20, 2002; Paul Tharp, “Renoir Auction Scratches 10-Year Itch,” New York Post, April 3, 2003; Bill Dedman, “The Clarks: An American Story of Wealth, Scandal and Mystery,” msnbc.com, March 2010; Tim Trainor, “Where Is Huguette Clark?” Montana Standard, March 7, 2010; Steve Myers, “MSNBC Uses Slide Show for In-Depth Narrative Story,” Poynter.org, March 9, 2010; Erica Pearson and James Fanelli, “A 42-Room Palace Sits Empty,” New York Daily News, July 31, 2010; Bill Dedman, “Who Is Watching Reclusive Heiress’s Millions?” msnbc.com, August 20, 2010; Doug Auer, Laura Italiano, Dan Mangan, “Princess of Beth Israel,” New York Post, August 27, 2010; Todd Venezia, “New York’s Hermit Heiress and Her Sad Secrets,” New York Post, August 27, 2010; Rebecca Rosenberg, “D.A. Targets 104-Year-Old Heiress’ Gifts to Lawyer,” New York Post, August 29, 2010; Jeanne MacIntosh, Ada Calhoun, Dan Mangan, “Heiress Phantom ‘Family,’ ” New York Post, August 31, 2010; Dan Mangan, “Heiress Kin to the ‘Re$cue,’ ” New York Post, September 4, 2010; “Heiress Wants Kin to Butt Out: Lawyer,” New York Post, September 8, 2010; Jennifer Peltz, “NY Judge: No Guardian for Copper Heiress, 104,” Associated Press, September 9, 2010; Margalit Fox, “Heiress to the High Life,” New York Times, May 25, 2011; Stephen Miller, “Society Girl Who Spent 8 Decades in Seclusion,” Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2011; “The Real Miss Havisham,” Asian News International, May 25, 2011; “Hermit Heiress from an Era of Excess,” West Australian, May 27, 2011; Marilyn McMahon, “Recluse, Yes; Cut Off from the World, No,” Santa Barbara News-Press, July 9, 2011; Marilyn McMahon, “Unraveling a Mystery,” Santa Barbara News-Press, May 29, 2011; Bill Dedman, “The $10 Million Degas Ballerina, Heiress Huguette Clark and the Tax Man,” msnbc.com, March 15, 2012; Alice Thorson, “Painting’s Story Touches Blochs, FBI and the Nelson,” Kansas City Star, March 15, 2012.
Documents: Beth Israel e-mails, letters, and records; Irving Kamsler and Wallace Bock letters, billing records, drafts of wills; nurses’ notes; Christopher Sattler time sheets; Huguette M. Clark probate case, File 1995/1375, Manhattan Surrogate’s Court; Sotheby’s catalogue, November 1999.
Interviews: Paul Albert, Wallace Bock, Harvey Corn, Celia Gray Cummings, John Dadakis, Ian Devine, Carl Distefano, John Graziano, Gerald Gray, Carla Hall, Irving Kamsler, Jason Lilien, Karine McCall, John Morken, Marie Pompei, Christopher Sattler, Wanda Styka.
Depositions: Wallace Bock, Ian Devine, Gerald Gray, Irving Kamsler, Dr. Robert Newman, Hadassah Peri, Dr. Jack Rudick, Danita Rudisill, Christopher Sattler, Lewis Siegel.
Articles: “Family Stiffed out of $400 Million Fortune,” New York Daily News; “Heiress Had Ill Will: Nurse $34 M, Kin 0,” New York Post, June 23, 2011; “All Dolled Up,” New York Post, November 20, 2011; “The Heiress and the Nurse,” New York Post, November 20, 2011; “Copper Heiress Signed 2 Wills in 2 Months,” Associated Press, November 28, 2011; Bill Dedman, “A $400 Million Twist: Huguette Clark Signed Two Wills, One to Her Family,” msnbc.com, November 28, 2011; Barbara Ross and Tracy Connor, “It’s 400M Battle of the Wills!” New York Daily News, November 28, 2011; Jason Sheftell and Erin Durkin, “Sheik-Down at Clark Apts,” New York Post, May 8, 2012; Elizabeth A. Harris, “Unraveling Some Mystery Surrounding the Homes of a Reclusive Heiress,” New York Times, March 20, 2012; Anemona Hartocollis, “Hospital Caring for an Heiress Pressed Her to Give Lavishly,” New York Times, May 30, 2013; David Montgomery, “Will the Corcoran Get the Monet?” Washington Post, January 31, 2013; Paul Sullivan, “In the Battle over the Estate of a Wealthy Recluse, Some Lessons,” New York Times, June 15, 2013; Anemona Hartocollis, “Two Wills, One Private Heiress,” New York Times, September 15, 2013; Anemona Hartocollis, “Tentative Deal in Battle over the Will of an Heiress,” New York Times, September 20, 2013; Dareh Gregorian, “$100 Million Suit: Hospital Hid Heiress Away,” New York Post, November 24, 2013.
Documents: Legal filings, Huguette M. Clark probate case, File 1995/1375, Manhattan Surrogate’s Court. Christie’s catalogue, April 2012.