Helen Beresford, Baroness Decies Explained
| Honorific Prefix: | The Right Honourable |
| The Lady Decies |
| Birth Name: | Vivian Gould |
| Birth Date: | 2 May 1893 |
| Death Place: | London, UK |
| Children: | 3 |
| Relatives: | Jay Gould (grandfather) |
Helen Vivien Beresford, Baroness Decies, formerly Helen Vivien Gould (May 2, 1893 - February 3, 1931) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was one of the two Jay Gould descendants to marry into European aristocracy.
Early life
Helen Vivien Gould was born on May 2, 1893, in the United States. She was the fourth of seven children born to George Jay Gould (1864–1923), a railroad executive; and Edith Kingdon (1864–1921), an actress. Among her siblings were Kingdon Gould I, Marjorie Gwynne Gould, Jay Gould II, Edith Catherine Gould, and Gloria Gould.
Her paternal grandparents were Jay Gould, a leading American railroad developer and speculator known as one of the ruthless robber barons of the Gilded Age, and Helen Day (née Miller) Gould.
Personal life
On February 7, 1911, Helen married John Graham Hope de la Poer Horsley Beresford (1866–1944), the 5th Baron Decies.[1] John was the son of William Robert John Beresford, 3rd Baron Decies and Catherine Anne Dent.[2] Together they had three children:
- Eileen Vivien de la Poer Beresford (1912-?) who married Robert Alfred O'Brien
- Catherine Moya de la Poer Beresford (1913–1967) who married Patrick Herbert Bellew in 1936. They divorced and she married Max Wilhelm Johannsen in 1946.
- Arthur George Marcus Douglas de la Poer Beresford (1915-1992) the 6th Baron Decies
She died in February 1931 of jaundice and a heart attack in London.[3] [4] After her death, Lord Decies married Elizabeth Wharton Drexel, the daughter of Joseph William Drexel, on May 25, 1936. He died on 31 January 1944 at age 77.[5] [6]
Notes and References
- News: Mr. and Mrs. G.J. Gould May Formally Announce Daughter's Engagement on Jan. 19. . . December 15, 1910 . 2 February 2009 .
- Book: Montgomery. Maureen E.. 'Gilded Prostitution': Status, Money and Transatlantic Marriages, 1870-1914. 2013. Routledge. 9781136214950. 339. 21 November 2017. en.
- News: Lady Decies Dies at 38 in London. Former Helen Vivien Gould Was Principal in Brilliant International Wedding of 1911. Was Noted As Hostess. Her Entertaining Was a Feature of British Capital. Husband Is Distinguished Irish Peer. . . February 3, 1931. 26 November 2007 .
- News: Died . https://web.archive.org/web/20121102120449/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,741088-2,00.html . dead . November 2, 2012 . . February 16, 1931 . 4 February 2009 .
- News: Lord Decies dies in England at 77. Soldier, Sportsman, Friend of Taxpayer. Married Gould Heiress Here in 1911. . Married Gould Heiress Here in 1911. . . February 2, 1944 . 2007-07-21 .
- Book: MacColl. Gail. Wallace. Carol McD. To Marry an English Lord: Tales of Wealth and Marriage, Sex and Snobbery. 2012. Workman Publishing. 9780761171980. 334. 21 November 2017. en.
