'KEEPING UP WITH THE CUSHINGS': Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney (Part 1)

Long before the Kardashians, Hadids and Hiltons there existed a trio of sisters that turned the practice of ‘marrying well’ into an art form.

The Cushing sisters - Minnie, Betsey and Barbara, known by her childhood nickname Babe-captivated the American public with their glamorous lifestyles wealth, privilege and their six high-profile marriages to some of the top families in The Social Register. At the center of it all was their social-climbing mother, Kate Cushing, known as ‘Gogsie’ who groomed her daughters to marry well, schooling them from childhood in the art of pleasing powerful men.

The first to marry was the middle sister, 21-year-old Betsey Maria Cushing who caught the eye of James Roosevelt II, the eldest son of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, First Lady Eleanor. 1000 guests made up of America’s elite gathered on June 4, 1930 to witness the wedding between the young Roosevelt and his beautiful bride, who defied tradition and wore a Grecian-inspired, silver lame gown.

Despite the groom’s superb social credentials, he still fell short of Mother Cushing’s expectations for her daughter. According to biographer, David Grafton, Gogsie confided to a New York gossip columnist that she fully expected her girls ‘to marry into the highest level of European nobility or into America’s moneyed aristocracy.' Although the Roosevelt’s family lineage was impeccable, James’ prospects for a large inheritance were close to none as his grandmother Sara, held the purse strings of the Roosevelt family’s $2 million fortune.

Since First Lady Eleanor was often away, Betsey became the de-facto White House hostess and here she proved that entertaining guests was her forte. Her refined sense of sophistication and social decorum earned Betsey the affections of her father-in-law. The President began to rely heavily on Betsey in social situations, most notably during King George’s historic visit to America in 1939.

Betsey had became the maven of Washington DC political social circles. Betsey’s close relationship to President Roosevelt brought forth jealousy and resentment from both his wife Eleanor and his son, James.

The notoriously no-nonsense First Lady never warmed to Betsey—finding her courteousness and gentility forced and unnatural. The public scrutiny of their relationship did not help the situation. At the time, James and Betsey were America’s version of royalty, and they couldn’t share a kiss, much less have an argument in public, without it being headline news.

In 1938, James left Washington for Hollywood and a job as an aide to Samuel Goldwyn. Betsey followed him to Hollywood but the marriage fell apart after 10 years of matrimony and they divorced in 1940. She was granted custody of their daughters Sara and Kate along with child support but by most accounts, James had little to no contact with his children throughout the rest of their childhood. James Roosevelt went on to marry three more times.

As fixtures on the high society scene, Betsey did not have a difficult time finding a second husband. She was determined to find herself a partner that matched the credentials of her two brothers-in-law, which landed her in the arms of John Hay Whitney, known to friends as ‘Jock.’ Much like the Astors, Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, the Whitney family were icons of The Gilded Age.

The Yale graduate who had been previously married to socialite Elizabeth Altemus, was tall, athletic, stinking rich and famous for his playboy reputation - which did not stop Betsey, who was attracted to Jock for his more intellectual interests. Unlike his polo-playing pals, Jock was a scholar of fine art and a generous supporter of the performing arts. He was responsible for producing Gone With The Wind, the blockbuster movie which is still the most successful film in box office history to this day.

What set this marriage apart from the other Cushing marriages?

This was a relationship that was bound by genuine love. On March 1, 1942, she married Whitney, who in turn adopted both of her daughters. They moved to London in 1957, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower named Whitney Ambassador to the Court of St. James. During the 1970s, Whitney was listed as one of the ten wealthiest men in the world.

They were married for 40 years till Jock passed away in 1982. Betsey died on March 25, 1998 in Manhasset, New York. Her personal fortune was estimated at $700 million in 1990 according to Forbes magazine and her estate left eight iconic paintings to the National Gallery of Art.