Flora Payne Whitney

Flora Payne Whitney
Born	July 27, 1897 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1986
Occupation	patron of the arts
Spouse(s)	Roderick Tower (m. 1920-1925) George Macculloch Miller III (m. 1927)
Children	Pamela Tower (b. 1921) Whitney Tower (b. 1923) Flora Miller (b. 1928) Leverett Miller (b. 1931)
Parent(s)	Harry Payne Whitney Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Flora Payne Whitney, also known as Flora Whitney Miller (July 27, 1897 – July 18, 1986), was an American socialite, art collector, and patron of the arts.

Early life

Whitney was born and raised in New York, New York. Her father was Harry Payne Whitney, a sportsman and heir to the Whitney family fortune, and her mother was Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, heiress to a substantial part of the Vanderbilt family fortune. She attended Brearley School in New York and Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia, where she met and became close lifelong friends with the artist Kay Sage.

Whitney made her debut on August 4, 1916, at "The Reefs," the Payne-Whitney "cottage" in Newport, Rhode Island. She was escorted by Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, although her father did not approve of young Roosevelt. After the United States entered World War I, Quentin enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Service, and became engaged to Whitney before leaving for duty overseas. The glamorous young couple never married, since Quentin was killed in aerial combat in July, 1918. Love letters exchanged between Flora and Quentin while he was at the front were featured in Edward Renehan's book about TR's sons, The Lion's Pride (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).

Ancestry

Family of Flora Payne Whitney

16. Stephen Whitney               8. Brig.-Gen. James Scollay Whitney                       17. Mary Burgess               4. William Collins Whitney                             18. William Collins               9. Laurinda Collins                       19. Eunice Parsons               2. Harry Payne Whitney                                   20. Elisha Payne               10. Henry B. Payne                       21. Esther Douglas               5. Flora Payne                             22. Nathan Perry               11. Mary Perry                       23. Pauline Skinner               1. Flora Payne Whitney                                         24. Cornelius Vanderbilt               12. William Henry Vanderbilt                       25. Sophia Johnson               6. Cornelius Vanderbilt II                             26. Rev. Samuel Kissam               13. Maria Louisa Kissam                       27. Margaret Hamilton Adams               3. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney                                   28. Maj. David Gwynne               14. Abraham Evan Gwynne                       29. Alice Ann Claypoole               7. Alice Claypoole Gwynne                             30. Henry Collins Flagg, Jr.               15. Rachel Moore Flagg                       31. Martha Whiting

Career

Whitney worked closely with her mother, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in the founding and endowing of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York. After her mother's death, Whitney served as President of the Museum from 1941 until 1966, and as Chairman from 1966 through 1974. Whitney's daughter and granddaughter remain active in museum affairs to this day.

Personal life

In 1920, Whitney married Roderick Tower at St. Bartholomew's Church, New York. He was an aviator who had trained with Quentin Roosevelt at Mineola air field on Long Island. Tower was also a stockbroker, and son of U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Germany Charlemagne Tower, Jr. They had two children: daughter, Pamela Tower (b. 1921) and son, Whitney Tower (b. 1923). The marriage was a failure, however, due to Tower's drinking and infidelity, and they were divorced in 1925. Her great-grandson, Josiah Hornblower, through Whitney Tower's daughter, Alexandra Tower Hornblower Thorne, was featured in the documentary, Born Rich.

In 1927, Whitney married George Macculloch Miller III in Cairo, Egypt. He was a grandson of the founder of forerunner of the United Hospital Fund, George Macculloch Miller. The marriage to "Cully" Miller was long and happy, and Whitney had two more children: Flora (b. 1928) and Leverett (b. 1931).

She died on July 18, 1986.

Further reading

• "Society Welcomes Miss Flora Whitney", The New York Times, August 5, 1916.
• "Flora Whitney Wed to Roderick Tower", The New York Times, April 20, 1920.