In the mid-19th century, Chicago had two largest landowners, Marshall Field and Mary Victoria Wright's father, Lee W. Lee. Z. Wright.
Mary Victoria Wright
Levi. Z. Wright was the founder of the retail empire of Marshall Square in the United States, and at that time, he was also a well-known rich man, who, like all american rich people in those days, hoped to obtain a noble title by marrying his daughter, and the money and power transaction was nothing more. During this "Gilded Age", a large number of "dollar princesses" traveled to Britain, where the aristocratic system was most complete, in search of "love". They are beautiful, well-informed, and each is a star of the social field. More importantly, they hold a large number of dollars, and there is a wealthy family behind them as a support. In return for their titles, they would come with their wealth and help the fallen nobles who were left with only titles to provide financial support. They changed the British aristocracy, and it can be said that the so-called ancient blood of the aristocracy has long been contaminated with the taste of American money, and they can no longer consider themselves "blue blood", because Diana, the mother of Prince William today, is the great-granddaughter of Francis, the daughter of the rich man in the United States.
Mary's family was not as rich as the Duchess of Marlboro, Consvereau, so their goal was not so high, and they were only planning to bet on a young nobleman with a noble title and a great future.
"New money" will always be looked down upon by "old money", but "new money" still tries to squeeze into the "old money". It's not easy to get into aristocratic circles, and it can even be said that if no one leads the way, you can't even squeeze into the social dances of the upper class. Mary came to London with money, where she expected to make a big splash and finally marry a nobleman. But when she actually arrived at this place, she found that she did not even have access to the noble ball. Mary once wrote in her memoirs: "London is a lovely place, but I can only watch reports about the ball in the hotel".
With no one inviting, you don't even have the chance to be the "Miss Wallflower" at the prom, Mary looks around for a way out, and finally finds a friend who is married to an English nobleman, and at her invitation Mary gets a stepping stone to the prom.
It is difficult to evaluate the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. Because of the scandal of the affair, he let his sick old father, Prince Albert, travel to visit his seriously ill and untreated, leaving his mother, Queen Victoria, with his lifelong dissatisfaction with him. On the other hand, he is a real flower lover, every mistress is good to get together and disperse, if the beauty has a request, he can also help, can be called "British gentleman". Edward was still the self-congratulatory Prince of Wales, who loved to attend the ball, and there was always a large group of beauties around him, and he also had a pair of eyes that were good at discovering beauty. At this dance, he found a strange face, fair skin, a slender willow waist, and a small face in the shape of a chicken heart. Edward became intrigued, and he spoke cordially to Mary and praised the american beauty. How could a girl who had been praised by Britain's future monarch not get a pass? So Mary managed to enter the social circle of high society, and was finally not rejected from the dance.
At a ball, Mary met George Nathaniel Curzon, the eldest son of the 4th Baron of Castrosdale, who at this time was a baronet, a member of parliament, and a deputy minister in the Ministry of Indian Affairs.
Curzon wasn't handsome, but he was funny, deep, and charismatic, and Mary was drawn to him almost on the spot. After learning his background, Mary decided to reinvent herself in this promising young man. Mary took the initiative to pursue Curzon, but the man seemed to be leaving, and the wife's position was sold for the price.
George Nathaniel Curzon
The Curzon family was also one of the aristocrats who were about to go bankrupt, and in order to maintain the house and property handed down from their ancestors, as well as maintain the "decent" life of the nobility, even curzon had to face the reality, such as accepting Mary and her large dowry.
In 1895, at the age of 25, Mary married Curzon, 36, and became the wife of the rising star in politics.
Mary and the Curzons
Unlike Jenny's indulgence, and unlike Conswello's low-key forbearance, Mary loves her husband very much, and she uses all her possessions to save his ancestral property after marriage. In addition, she supported his political career to the best of her ability, asking for money and connections to help find contacts. Think about it, a beautiful woman, wholeheartedly supporting your career, but also knowledgeable enough to resonate with you spiritually, what reason do you have not to love her? Curzon also gradually fell in love with his wife, and the two gave birth to the eldest daughter after a year of marriage, and then hugged the two for three years, giving birth to three daughters in a row.
Mary with two daughters
After marrying an American wife, Curzon's political future also improved, he was appointed viceroy of India, Mary also became the wife of the viceroy of India, and for a time, she had the upper hand in the American noblewoman married to Britain.
Curzon needs to travel to India to perform his duties, and Mary does not intend to live separately from her husband, so she accompanies him to a foreign country, a place completely different from her home country and Britain. For Indians, religion is the faith. So the clever Mary chose to protect Indian artifacts to open a breakthrough for her husband's work. At the same time, she was also willing to wear the cloth woven by the locals to attend banquets and some ceremonies, which also injected a boost into the local textile industry, and she did her duties as the governor's wife excellently, actively contributing to her husband's career.
As a succession nobleman, Curzon was no different from other nobles, and he wanted a son to inherit the family business, which became a piece of Mary's heart disease. Mary had already given birth to two daughters, and she was desperate to have a boy for her husband. The couple used various means to help them conceive, and Mary finally became pregnant again. But not too long after, an unexplained miscarriage caused the couple to lose the unformed child, and the miscarriage greatly hurt Mary's body. India's humid and sweltering tropical climate exposed Mary, who was weak after childbirth, to an infectious disease, and the lack of medical conditions dragged on indefinitely. Curzon offered to return to London to recuperate, but the dead-eyed Mary insisted on staying with her husband.
Mary and Curzon in India
Curzon captured Lhasa in 1904 and forced the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Lhasa in an attempt to separate Tibet from China. And his policies in China and Southeast Asia provoked fierce revolt among the people of Asia. The British government was also dissatisfied with his actions, and under both internal and external pressure, Curzon resigned as governor of India and returned to Britain. Mary had only just returned to London with her husband, and she was already terminally ill.
Mary died in Curzon's arms in July 1906 at the age of 36.
The loss of the official + the death of the wife, so that Curzon's life fell into a low point. But he was not disheartened, and after 11 years of dormancy, he married a wealthy widow in Buenos Aires, the daughter of the U.S. consul in Argentina Monroe Hindez. Unfortunately, he did not have a son with his 32-year-old wife, and after Curzon's death, his marquis and earldom were severed. The Titles of Viscount and Baron of Skasdale passed to his nephew, and his eldest daughter, Erin Curzon, succeeded Baron Levinsard.
Mary Victoria Wright is closer to the traditional oriental woman, who dedicates her whole body to her husband and family. Of course, we can also understand such behavior as her deep love. She supports her husband unconditionally, helps him, puts his career first, dedicates herself wholeheartedly, and may be a model for an old-fashioned good wife. Unfortunately, her life was not long, and after only 11 years of marriage, Mary left.
Curzon was devastated, writing in his letter: "The truest, most loyal, most beautiful, most selfless, most intelligent wife a man can have has left me."