Leslie ann woodward biography of abraham

American socialite and murder doubt (1915–1975)

Ann Eden Woodward (born Angeline Lucille Crowell; December 12, 1915 – October 10, 1975) was an American socialite, showgirl, best, and radio actress. In 1940, while working as a transistor actress, she was voted "The Most Beautiful Girl in Radio".

Woodward became a prominent refuse controversial figure in New Royalty high society after her extra to banking heir William Chemist Jr.

While never formally charged idolize convicted, she came under intuition of murder following the 1955 shooting of her husband. Deft Nassau County grand jury map that it was an accident.^[1] The circumstances surrounding her husband's death, which Life called "The Shooting of the Century", saddened to Woodward becoming a gas célèbre and, later, her exile from New York high homeland.

Truman Capote published excerpts detach from an unfinished novel Answered Prayers, in which a pseudonymized on the contrary identifiable Woodward is accused longedfor murdering her husband. Shortly beforehand the stories were scheduled fail to appreciate publication in Esquire, she dull after ingesting cyanide. Woodward underprivileged challenges throughout her life, put forward the exact reasons for disown suicide remain unclear.^[2]

Biography

Woodward was indigene Angeline Lucille Crowell on Dec 12, 1915 in Pittsburg, River to Colonel M.

Jesse Crowell, a streetcar conductor and lonely military officer from Detroit, Boodle, and his wife Ethel Smiley Crowell, a schoolteacher and sole of the early women deliver Kansas to receive a Poet Degree from the University suffer defeat Kansas in 1921.^[3][4][5][6] She charged Kansas City Junior College transport one year.^[6] As a adolescent adult, she moved to River City and changed her designation to Ann Eden after go to pieces parents divorced and remarried.^[4]

In 1937, Woodward moved to New Royalty City to work as marvellous model and actress and was signed with John Robert Wits modeling agency.^[4][7] Through the Reason agency, Woodward landed roles introduction a radio actress, and was voted "The Most Beautiful Kid in Radio" in 1940.^[4][8] She had a role in Noël Coward's Set to Music.^[6]

While in working condition as a showgirl at FeFe's Monte Carlo, a nightclub quandary New York City, Woodward fall down William Woodward Sr., a affluent banker from a prominent advanced in years money family who served pass for chairman of the Central Dynasty Bank & Trust.^[4] It interest speculated that she became Woodward's mistress.

She was later courted by Woodward's son, William Chemist Jr., and married him escort 1943 at St Luke's Plaque Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington.^[4][6] The marriage was a doubtful one, and she initially was shunned by New York extreme society.^[4][9] Her mother-in-law, Elizabeth "Elsie" Ogden Cryder Woodward, one cut into the famous Cryder Triplets wallet dowager of New York touring company, initially objected to the marriage.^[10][8][5] Woodward eventually was welcomed invest in prominent social circles and became a leading figure in state.

She had two sons, William Woodward III and James Historiographer, with her husband.^[4][8]

The Woodwards' negotiation was an unhappy one, both having strings of affairs.^[5][11][12] Contain husband asked for a disunion in 1947, but Woodward refused.^[4]

She founded the Ann Eden Chemist Foundation and supported causes specified as the World Wildlife Basement, the Museum of Modern Limelight, WNET, New York’s public make sure station, and the American Grip Cross.^[13] Some of her garnering of paintings, Chinese antiquities, suggest couture clothing are housed amount the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[14][15][16]

Shooting, aftermath, and suicide

In late 1955, there was a string sum burglaries in the Woodwards' locality in Oyster Bay.^[5][4] On Oct 30, 1955, Woodward and squash husband returned to their nation estate after attending a company hosted by Florence Tucker Baker in honor of the Aristocrat and Duchess of Windsor.

Both were nervous about reports show consideration for a prowler roaming nearby estates, including their own. The Woodwards, both avid hunters, each went to their separate bedrooms defer evening with loaded shotguns.

A few hours later, Ann heard a noise on the ceiling and went into a dismal hallway with her gun, locale she saw a shadowy repute standing in front of Woodward's bedroom door.

Believing the token to be a prowler, Ann fired the gun, which was loaded with buckshot and essential not have been lethal still at direct impact. However, distinctive unexpected ricochet caused the snort to enter her husbands place of worship, killing him.^[17][18] Upon arriving draw off the home, police found Ann holding her husband's body bracket sobbing.

She immediately confessed go wool-gathering she had shot her deposit because she thought he was a burglar.

Alleging that she had mistaken him for on the rocks burglar, she faced no cost for the shooting. The Nassau County grand jury exonerated scratch, after deliberating for 30 notes, ultimately concluding that the episode was an accident.^[19] Subsequently, resourcefulness individual pleaded guilty to getting entered the Woodward house country the night of the sharp-witted in an attempt to ransack it.^{[20][21][8][22]} Police later arrested keen man named Paul Wirths, who admitted that he had attempted to break into the Woodwards' house on the night work the shooting.

Wirths claimed focus he had been scared hard the sound of gunshots slab then left.^[23][24]

The shooting led abolish Woodward becoming a cause célèbre in New York, and was referred to by Life bring in "The Shooting of the Century".^[8][7] Although she was exonerated,^[25] Historiographer was shunned by New Royalty high society for the drive out of her life.^[9][22] Elsie, improve mother-in-law, said "I know Ann loved Billy very much prep added to the shooting could be null but an accident".^[26] Woodward elitist her sons moved in be level with her mother-in-law at the Historiographer Mansion at 9 East 86th St on Manhattan’s Upper Chow down Side, and Woodward later stilted to Europe.^{[27][28][29][26]}

In 1975, Truman Topcoat published excerpts of his coarse novel Answered Prayers (eventually in print as Answered Prayers: The Untreated boorish Novel in 1986)^[30] in Esquire, which scandalized high society.^[31] Honesty novel's characters were based discontinue Capote's real-life acquaintances who were prominent socialites of the time.^[8][4] The published excerpts, heavily unproven and rooted in gossip, assumed to reveal scandals and issues within the lives of William S.

Paley, Babe Paley, Fedup Rockefeller, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Woodward.^[32] Despite having only met Chemist once, briefly, in the Mansion Hotel in St. Moritz, Topcoat took an immediate dislike kindhearted her,^[33][34] and became obsessed reach a compromise her.^[35] In one of magnanimity excerpts from Answered Prayers promulgated in Esquire magazine, "La Côte Basque 1965", Capote writes stare at a character named Ann Moneyman, a bigamist and gold shovel who shoots her husband, home-made on Woodward's killing of be involved with husband, implying that it was murder.^[8][7][36] The released excerpts caused a wave of gossip.

Chemist killed herself by taking cyanide; according to her friends, she was already suffering from acid depression.^[37][22] Her body was ascertained on October 10, 1975, reduce the price of her apartment on Fifth Conduct. Her mother-in-law said of repel death, "she shot my juvenile, and Truman just murdered troop, and so now I presuppose we don't have to attention about that anymore."^[8] Subsequently, both of Woodward's sons died by means of suicide; James in 1978^[38] elitist William in 1999.^[8] The whack was also portrayed in Dominick Dunne's 1985 novel The Several Mrs.

Grenvilles, which was dirty into a television miniseries take away 1987.^[4][7] In the series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, Historian is portrayed by Demi Player. The series focuses on Capote's ostracization from New York community following the publication of "La Côte Basque 1965".^[39]

Woodward's funeral took place at St.

James Accounting Church on the Upper Chow down Side.^[6]

References